Mr. Dehqan, who turned 19 last week, is one of five young New Yorkers who tell their stories at the LaGuardia Performing Arts Center in Long Island City. Seated at music stands, they are a chorus of voices gently demolishing the notion of Muslim culture as monolithic.
Directed by Mr. Chong, “Beyond Sacred” addresses a topic that feels very much of the moment. But that has been true for most of these performers’ lives, which is a large part of the point. All of them were children when the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks took place. All but Mr. Dehqan, who arrived in this country in 2013, remember a sudden shift in the way they were perceived.
