The play is told in the form of a fictionalised true-crime podcast and features dramatic recollections of key moments in his life, with audience asked to decide if Dr Saeed, known as Dr Muhammad Saad in the play, is innocent or guilty.
Dr Aslam says her mission is to uncover hidden histories within the South Asian community at Theatre in the Mill, which is one of the only places in the UK to deliver an offering of 70 per cent Global Majority stories in their schedule.
Set against the backdrop of a decline in the textile industry in Yorkshire in the 1960s, artistic director Dr Shabina Aslam discovered the story through a chance conversation with her late mother during the pandemic.
She adds: “It's inspired by his story in order to get people to really think about human law versus jurisprudence versus Sharia law and Asian culture.”.
But Dr Aslam is hoping for a more nuanced rendition of the story in her fictional retelling, which has since taken on the status of a fable in the local community.
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