We believe in Peace! Islam and Peace Art Workshop

Islam and Peace Art Workshop with my MEST 329 Islamic Art and Architecture at the American University in Dubai, April 2017.

Unity in Diversity

Zeena Abu Al Saad

 

            My name is Zeena Abu Al Saad and I am a Jordanian student studying journalism at the American University in Dubai. Despite being fully Jordanian, I have lived in Qatar for the full 20 years that I have been alive; I arrived in Dubai 3 years ago when I got accepted to AUD, and I am currently living here temporarily with my twin sister until we both graduate. Dubai being the great cosmopolitan city that it is, during the past three years it has not just introduced me to a great number of cultures different to mine, but it has also introduced to me a great number of opinions and perspectives on Islam much different to mine. As cliché as this may sound, my decision to become a journalist was initially greatly influenced by my need to defend my peaceful religion, Islam. The media to me is on of the most powerful creations of mankind, if not the most powerful; while I greatly believe that the media is super beneficial, I also believe that it is one of the strongest destructive forces on our planet earth.

            The title of the artwork that I have produced for my Islamic Art and Architecture course goes by the name Al Wihda Fi Al Tanawo’, which translates in English to The Unity in Diversity; despite being short, in my opinion, these two words capture the absolute essence of Islam and its Art.

             

            Why call it The Unity in Diversity? This project could not have come in a better time as we are currently in the midst of all the negative stereotyping against Islam and Muslims around the world. Through this artwork, I want us to come together to understand how imperative it is for Muslims to come back to the pluralistic vision of the Quran before anything. Islam-related issues in the media have changed significantly in the past 10 years, both in amount and quality. The occasions of September 11, 2001, pushed Islam into the worldwide media forefront: not just did coverage of Islam definitely increase, especially in news and entertainment media, however the way in which Islam is framed worldwide has also changed. The past couple of years and events have resulted in Islamic unfortunately being framed as a religion that is not accepting, not diverse, and not unifying. As a Muslim, I constantly feel the need to express the beauty of my religion and to help those who have been misguided, to see it for what it really is.

            Contrary to what is portrayed in the Media, Islam is actually a religion that shows that all individuals are totally equivalent in God's sight; Islam and the Quran are unmistakably accepting to diversity - in creation, society, and convictions inside of the human world. Disposing of the pre-Islamic tribal society instilling tight groupings in light of family and genealogy, the Quran portrays every single individual as a major aspect of one super unit, which is humankind. It addresses the totality of humankind as 'Bani Adam' (offspring of Adam). For instance the accompanying verse from the Quran supports the notion of diversity as a crucial component of the plan of creation. In verse 99 of Sura Younus, the Quran clarifies that on the off chance that it had been God's Will to not to give the freedom of choice to mankind, he could have made all humanity alike and all would then have Faith. Thus, the Quran endorses diversity and acceptance as a major aspect of the Divine Will. The Quran sees questions in the matter of religion as purposeless and urges its disciples to discover regular grounds of conviction through politeness, sympathy, and sincerity.

            There is a history of Muslims, Jews, Christians, Hindus, and individuals from different beliefs living respectively in congruity in a pluralistic culture under the Muslim rule; furthermore, it is important to take into consideration the remarkable ethnic and religious differences that existed in the early hundreds of years of Islam. This was obscure to different civilizations of those times. All Muslims from different origin used to live in flawless amicability with everyone else, as the Jews and Christians stayed faithful to their confidence and were completely free to satisfy their individual religious commitments. In fact, they wouldn't face any pressure regarding their faith or pressure to embrace Islam. The Prophet, for example, would take his partners and his hosts (of different religions) under his wings and would not permit anybody to embarrass them or to treat them cruelly. Furthermore, Jews and Christians embraced Arabic dialect and adequately added to the way of life of the Islamic culture.

            Back when Caliph Umar landed in Jerusalem after the success of the city by the Muslims in 638, the Christian Patriarch of Jerusalem gave him a voyage through the locales. As the timing for prayer approached, Umar requested a spot to pray. The Patriarch offered Umar the chance to pray where he stood in the Church of Holy Sepulcher. Umar turned down the offer saying where he, the main Muslim ruler in Jerusalem, would pray, his supporters would assemble a mosque and that he couldn't let that happen out of respect for the church and its worshippers. Therefore, he prayed outside on the street and today a mosque, called the Mosque of Umar, still stands opposite the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. This demonstrates Umar's admiration and respect for Christians and their religion.

             I could go on for days about stories from early Islam that demonstrate its compassionate nature if given the opportunity. Islam is a religion that encourages all Muslims to draw in sympathy, obtain learning, and acclimatize wisdom no matter the origin or creed. In its initial hundreds of years the Muslim civilization was the vanguard of human advancement since it was not hesitant to recognize truth and to secure learning from whatever source - Muslim or non-Muslim, past or present (House of Wisdom in Baghdad is a great example). Ali, the fourth Muslim Caliph and a profoundly worshipped figure by all Muslims, said that one ought to assess a talk in view of what it says and not who says it.

            As for Islamic Art, I could also go on for days. Islamic Art is of great importance to me because I come from a family of artists who have instilled the soul of Islamic Art in my upbringing. When many of us think of Islamic Art, we think of The Dome of The Rock, The Taj Mahal, and maybe bowls or silk carpets, but these are just examples; what exactly is Islamic Art? Through this brief description of Islamic Art that I will be presenting, I will also further emphasize just how diverse and unifying our religion is, even in its art.

            Islamic Art is a concept put together by art historians in the nineteenth century to order and study the material initially delivered under the Islamic groups of people that rose up out of Arabia in the seventh century. Today Islamic Art depicts the majority of human expressions that were created in the grounds where Islam was the prevailing religion or the religion of the individuals who ruled. Unlike the terms Christian, Jewish, and Buddhist workmanship, which allude just to religious craft of these beliefs, Islamic Art is not utilized only to portray religious art and architecture, yet applies to all fine arts created in the Islamic World, both religious and secular.

            Therefore, Islamic Art alludes not just to works made by Muslim specialists, artisans, and designers or for Muslim supporters; It incorporates the works made by Muslim craftsmen for a supporter of any faith, including Christians, Jews, or Hindus, and the works made by Jews, Christians, and others, living in Islamic lands, for patrons, Muslim and so on.

            A standout amongst the most popular landmarks of Islamic Art is the Taj Mahal, situated in Agra, India. Hinduism is the prevailing religion in India; nevertheless, due to the fact that Muslim rulers, most broadly the Mughals, dominated extensive regions of current India for a considerable length of time, India has a boundless scope of Islamic art and architecture. Furthermore, another example of the diversity of Islamic Art is The Great Mosque of Xian, China. Initially developed in 742 C.E., the mosque's present structure dates to the fifteenth century C.E. Moreover, it takes after the arrangement and engineering of a contemporary Buddhist sanctuary.

            Islamic Art is not a monolithic style or development; it traverses 1,300 years of history and has mind boggling geographic assorted qualities—Islamic domains and administrations controlled regions from Spain to western China. In any case, few if any of these different nations or Muslim realms would have alluded to their craft as Islamic Art. An artisan in Damascus would have thought about his work as Syrian or Damascene—not as Islamic.

            While taking other courses in AUD such as Arts History, I have come to realize that in a few ways, Islamic Art is somewhat like the Italian Renaissance. Amid the Renaissance, there wasn’t a one unified Italy; it was a place of many independent city-states. Nobody would have thought about one's self as an Italian, or of the craftsmanship they delivered as Italian, rather they perceived themselves as a Roman, a Florentine, or a Venetian. Every city created its very own local and astounding style; In the meantime, there are sure hidden subjects or likenesses that bind together the craftsmanship and design of these urban areas and permit researchers to talk about an Italian Renaissance.

            The artwork I have produced is highly influenced by a painting called diversity that belongs to a contemporary Muslim artist Siddiqa Juma. According to her website, as her style has developed, she has become focused on Hajj, the journey that each Muslim attempts to perform in any event once in their lifetime. Juma has not yet made this voyage herself, thus her work conveys not the experience of journey or the procedure of performing the Hajj, however a longing to leave on that trip, with every one of the components on each canvas floating overwhelmingly towards the heavenly city. This longing has given her work another focus, moving her far from impersonation of exemplary Islamic art and towards a more individual style, one that conveys at the same time the closeness and the separation between Juma and her religion. One of her paintings, named diversity, which stood out to me the most, portrays the Kaaba surrounded by small blotches of many different colors, representing the diversity of Islam and its followers. I wanted to create something that, similar to Juma’s work of art, represents the diversity and unity of Islam, but in a different way. 

My artwork was created using acrylic paint on a simple white rectangular canvas. I began by first using a paintbrush to paint the entire canvas black, and then I proceeded to add handprints, using my own hands, in many different colors. The handprints on my canvas in different colors are there to symbolize the diversity of Islam as a religion, its acceptance to diversity, and the diversity of Islamic Art (Islamic Art is marked by handprints of people of all colors, religions, and cultures.) Furthermore, I also used this technique to emphasize the notion of unity in Islam; the different colored handprints, which are meant to represent a variety of humans, are united together on one canvas. The colors I chose to place on my canvas are symbolic in Islam; for example, I chose the color green because it is the dominant color in Islam and it represents the notion of paradise, I chose to include red because it symbolizes passion, white symbolizes purity and peace, and finally blue symbolizes the sky (where god and heaven meet). Following this, I outlined my handprints in colors different to those they are in just to create the illusion of contrast to add a wider range of colors to the canvas. Furthermore, I also added blotches of different colors of paint by gentling dabbing a small sponge on empty areas of the canvas. I chose to add calligraphy because it is an essential work of art in the Islamic World. The Qur'an, written in rich scripts, speaks to Allah's (or God's) divine word, which Muhammad got specifically from Allah amid his dreams. Furthermore, Quranic verses, executed in calligraphy, are found on a wide range of types of workmanship and design; Islamic calligraphy can be found on everything from fired dishes to the dividers of houses. Calligraphy's inescapability underscores the quality and importance that Islam places on dialect, particularly Arabic. I chose to write the word Salam in white; Islam is directly linked to the word “salam”, which translates to peace in English. By using the color white, I wanted to further emphasize the meaning of the word and its importance in our religion.

            In conclusion, through this artwork I feel the need to shed light on three of the most fundamental parts of Islam, which are peace, unity, and diversity. Islam is not about war and slaughter and scorn like what the vast majority thinks, due to images shaped by the media. Islam is not about murdering and lying and doing repulsive things "in the name of Allah." Islam is not about telling the world that non-Muslims shouldn't be alive. Our religion is about both internal and external peace, accepting diversity, and uniting the world and creating one Uma (community).

  

Al Salam Alaikom

Tasnim Al Sayed

Al Salam Alaikom is a Muslim greeting in Arabic that means "Peace be upon you". The greeting is a standard salutation among Muslims and is routinely used whenever and wherever Muslims gathered and interacted, whether socially or within worship and other contexts.

Prophet Mohammad used to always tell people to greet each other whenever they meet and that’s actually because greeting among people spread a kind of respect, love, and peace. Prophet Mohammad always wanted people to love each other, to care about each other and to ask about each other. According to prophet Mohammad "The rights of a Muslim upon another are five: returning greetings, visiting the sick, following the funeral procession, responding to invitations and offering 'Tashmeet' for one who sneezes." (Bukhari and Muslim) this Hadith shows in general how the relationship between muslims should be. The Prophet also said:

"The best of the two persons is the one who begins with salaam." (Related by Nawawi in his book Al-Adk). There are plenty of Hadith by Prophet Mohammad that show the importance of the salam or greeting between the Muslims and that to know the importance of salam and the power that it has on effecting people’s hearts.

According to a Hadith related by Bukhari and Muslim, this form of greeting was ordained by Allah from the time of Prophet Adam (peace be upon him). And that was when God asked Adam to go and greet the angles.

There are many verses in the Quran also that shows the importance of the salam “But when you enter houses, greet one another with a greeting from Allah, blessed and good...."

(Qur'an, An-Nur 24:61)

These verses that I just mentioned and the hadiths are just nothing to the amount of verses in the Quran and in the hadiths the call people for greeting and to spread salaam and love. Those are proofs that Islam is the religion of Salam (Peace) and it is so sad how this religion which is all about peace and love is now the symbol of terrorism and aggression. Not only for non Muslims, but also to some Muslims who believe that this religion has been distorted because of some people who want to kill under the name of religion, who pretend to be following this peaceful religion and its prophet who used to always call for love and peace. I chose the phrase “ Al Salam Alaikom” not because it is an Islamic greeting but because I used to use words like hi or hello or Marhba to greet people because I never thought about the phrase Al Salam Alaikom. But when I once stopped for a second and thought of its beauty “peace be upon you” I felt that it has a deep meaning, the meaning of our existence, the meaning of the messages of all the religions, the message of Peace. Peace, which we all seek for, what we all aim to, what we all dream of. Peace. Starting from ourselves to everything that surrounds us.

And the beautiful thing is that when I stopped that moment and thought about the phrase of al salam alaikom was when my mom answered her phone and said wa alaikom al salam, which is the typical response of al salam alaikom. And I still remember that the reason that made me stopped and think about al salam alaikom was when my mom told me that her Christian friend is the only one who says al salam alaikom instead of Hi or Good morning. I wondered back then what is the meaning of al salam alaikom? Why does a Christian use it? Why don’t I use it? I honestly used to hate to use this word, but when I realized how beautiful its meaning and how important it is between people to spread love and peace.

This greeting appears in greatly abbreviated forms in many languages from Malagasy to Urdu as some variant of salām 

Not only Arab use the salam but also many different countries use it with some difference such as shaking hands, hugging or putting a hand on the heart.

I can see nowadays that Islam has many misconception and only Muslims can change these misconceptions and show the world the true meaning of Islam and peace.

I chose to write the phrase itself Al Salamu Alaikom in Arabic in  Al Diwani font in a very simple way yet using a beautiful Arabic font to represent the simplicity of this phrase and I chose to leave the background white because I couldn’t find any other color that represent simplicity and peace more than white. I draw peace dove on the side with the blue color because blue represent peace. By looking at the phrase itself with its white background you will definitely feel comfort. I wanted to spread salam and peace in a very simple way because I believe that simplicity is the key to all hearts. 

Heaven الجنة

SHAMSA BIN HINDI

All muslims want to attain the pleasure of Allah SWT and enter His Jannah.

"O soul who is at rest, return to thy Lord, well-pleased with Him, well-pleasing Him. So enter among My servants, and enter My garden." (89:27-30) 

The Arabic word Jannah is a shortened version meaning simply “Garden" 

This artwork is inspired by eL Seed the ‘calligraffiti’ artist. He has blend of the historic art of Arabic calligraphy and  the modern art of graffiti, mixing street  culture  from  Paris  and Arabic  history to poetic effect. El Seed  uses  intricate  composition  in  his  work  to  call not only on the words and their meaning, but also on their movement, which ultimately lures the viewer into a different state of mind. EL Seed’s art reflects the reality of mankind and the world we live in today.

  

I used The Ruqʿah style of handwriting which is the most common type of handwriting. It is known for its clipped letters composed of short, straight lines and simple curves, as well as its straight and even lines of text. 

This piece is 42cmx30cm, medium grain moyen A3. I used graphite pencil “2H” to outline the calligraphy, went over it with the black charcoal to get a smooth surface. I used sanguine powder to cover the background, I wanted to obtain a bright color to lift the word “jannah” in the center. I then coloured the calligraphy with a black topic marker to make it stand out.  

Ramadan

By Saeed Kargar

During the blessed month of Ramadan, Muslims all over the world abstain from all food, drink, and other physical needs during the daylight hours (such as smoking or sex). Ramadan is much more than just not eating and drinking; it is a time to purify the soul, refocus attention on God, and practice self-discipline and sacrifice.

Fasting during the month of Ramadan is considered one of the 5 Pillars of Islam-- five activities that shape a Muslim's life. Prayer occurs on a daily basis; pilgrimage is done once in a lifetime; charity and professing one's faith are both ongoing. Fasting the month of Ramadan is an annual observance; every year, Muslims take an entire month out of their lives to observe this strict fast and rededicate themselves to worship and faith.

Muslims are called upon to use this month to re-evaluate their lives in light of Islamic guidance.

And how Ramandan is related to peace?

We are to make peace with those who have wronged us, strengthen ties with family and friends, do away with bad habits -- essentially to clean up our lives, our thoughts, and our feelings. The Arabic word for "fasting" (sawm literally means "to refrain" - and it means not only refraining from food and drink, but from evil actions, thoughts, and words.

The physical effects of the fast are felt by Muslims as a reminder of those who suffer throughout the year -- those who are poor, homeless, refugees -- and who cannot meet their basic needs. It reminds Muslims not to be wasteful and to feel empathy for those who face hunger on a daily basis. We should feel gratitude for the bounties of Allah: clean water, sufficient healthy food, comfort of a home, health of our family members. There are so many in the world who must survive without these basic needs, and Ramadan is a time for us to give thanks and reaffirm our commitment to helping those in need.

Smile !

By Roudha Bin Desmal

Islam is more than just a religion of worship; Islam is a way of life. Islam teaches Muslims how to behave in their daily lives, and those rules are basic and easy that they become part of the Muslim’s life naturally. Islam focuses on the tiny details that make a drastic difference, for example smiling. A smile has the capability to free the load a person has, and make him or feel actually feel better and brighter. The prophet Muhammad Peace Be Upon Him advised Muslims to smile at each other, and he said that a smile in the face of your brother is considered charity. The theme of the art project is the relation between Islam and peace, and since smiles bring happiness to people, it also brings peace. Through smiling inner peace can be achieved, it is a silent dialogue between people that brings them to a state of happiness and peace.

            My art project was inspired by positivity, and hence the smile. I believe that in today’s world, there are so many wars and so many depressing events that are going on. We are showered with news of bombings, terrorist attacks, natural disasters, and many more. People are exposed to such negativity, and this is disregarding what each individual is facing in his or her own life. The accumulation of negativity on a person or in a society can be dangerous or damaging, so we need to find a way to make ourselves and each other feel better. I believe that smiling is the simplest thing a person can so to spread positive vibes to the person who himself or herself who is smiling, because he or she will feel the negativity leaving his or her body, and the person that is receiving that smile, is not only receiving positive energy, but also he or she will be receiving happy vibes. It is like the positivity is being transferred from one person to the other. To demonstrate, my painting involved the word “smile” in Arabic Kufic font. I used three colors to paint the word smile, and they are a mixture of orange, yellow, and white. When a person sees the painting her or she will feel confused if the color is yellow or orange, and that is my aim because I want to say that positivity is a result of different emotions and thoughts that sometimes cannot be differentiated or separated, or even understood. The color black to represent negativity or the negative vibes dominates the background color. The background also includes dark shades brown, green, and blue again to symbolize that darkness or negativity is not uniform. From the word “smile” that I wrote in the Kufic script, it seems that there is an explosion of yellow radiance coming out of the word, I also used gold paint at the very inner part. Some of the implications of the gold color are success, achievement, and triumph; these are things that cannot be accomplished without having a positive view on things. I personally do not believe that prosperity and success can be attained in the darkness, because we cannot see well in the dark; therefore, we will not be able to function properly. Lastly, the explosion of positivity that is being emitted from the letters into the darkness is actually a struggle between positivity and negativity. It looks like the blackness and they yellow are fighting each other to gain dominance. The majority of the painting is black, because I want to say that it is easy to let darkness and negativity consume a person, and it is challenging to overcome the darkness, but it is worth it because your life will be filed with light and positivity.

            There has been scientific research that proves that smiling is actually good for the person smiling and the people around him or her. According to the British Dental Health Foundation, “A smile really can make you feel better, and make others respond more positively to you. With a smile you are more likely to succeed in what we do, from relationships to careers.  We can use a smile to show our positive feelings or mask our more negative ones. A smile really is one of man’s greatest gifts!” Islam is all about peace, and this is why it told Muslims to smile, because it helps to transport harmony between people, and bring internal peace to the people. 

They say بيقولوا

OMAR EL SHAZLY

بيقولوا ارهاب وارهابين

بيقولوا دين ضد السلام

فكرين المسلمين مجانين

فكرينا بس مابيعقلوش الكلام

ازاي نكون ارهابين

والاسلام منها السلام

ده ربنا بيقول نساعد المساكين

وابن السبيل والايتام

وانتوا تقولوا ارهبين

السلام عليكم

وعليكم السلام

سلام لليرض السلام

وسلام على الميرضش السلام

وسلام على كل من دخل المكان

وده "سلَم قولواً من رب رحيم"

وانتوا بتقولوا ارهابيين؟

..ده حتى اسم ربي السلام

Peace and Islam two words that don’t quite work together nowadays, due to many false stereotypes. Many non-Muslims view Islam as a complicated religion that is full of violence, closed minded worshipers and people who blindly go against peace. With the rise of terrorist attacks all over the world there are no other people to blame but Muslims. A misconception that has been around for ages and does not seem to be going anywhere any times soon, making our world and specifically Islam a nightmare.

As a matter of fact, Islam is a religion that encourages peace and serenity, completely contradicting what the media is stereotyping which is terror and violence. “Islam” is derived from the word “salam” in Arabic, which means peace. In addition, the word “Islam” means no harm, which is basically the definition of peace.

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا ادْخُلُوا فِي السِّلْمِ كَافَّةً وَلَا تَتَّبِعُوا خُطُوَاتِ الشَّيْطَانِ إِنَّهُ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّ مُبِينٌ

 O ye who believe! Enter into Islam whole-heartedly; and follow not the footsteps of the evil one; for he is to you an avowed enemy.

For my art project I chose to write a poem that would kill and go against the stereotypes. My idea was to validate that Islam is a religion of peace and it is not about terrorism nor violence. The poem is called “They say” or “بيقولوا” I chose this name because I mention the stereotypes that non-Muslims say about us and what the media spreads amongst us as people.

In addition, I add to what they say about Muslims (which vary from us being terrorists to us being violent and crazy) a lot of explanations to why we are not what they think we are. These explanations don't only come from the word Islam that derived from peace as explained earlier, however, they also come from Hadiths from the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) and sayings from the Quran.

سَلَامٌ قَوْلًا مِّن رَّبٍّ رَّحِيمٍ

"Peace!" - a word (of salutation) from a Lord Most Merciful!

The message that I wanted to get across from my poem is that the stereotypes that are shown through false media nowadays are all not true. Actions of extremists that are displayed daily should not be taken as a general idea about Muslim people.  On the contrary, Islam is a religion of peace and serenity and that is what the world needs to understand.

سَلَامٌ قَوْلًا مِن رَّبٍّ رَّحِيمٍ

By Nouran Abdelrahman

سَلَامٌ قَوْلًا مِن رَّبٍّ رَّحِيمٍ “Peace, a word from a Merciful Lord”, one of the most soothing and harmonious phrases in the Quran. It has no intention but to transmit the main message of Islam: Peace and Love. And when I read this verse the first thing that came into my head was enlightenment, light, white, and pure.

Through the thought of these words, an image of what could express these beautiful terms within Islamic context appeared. The product of this image was a combination of ‘Islamic architecture’ features, and lighting effects. One of the most prominent contemporary artists, who influenced this art project, and also used lighting, was Julien Breton. Julien Breton is known for creating marvelous art pieces through a mix of light, photography, choreography and calligraphy. Breton, even though influenced by the Islamic calligraphy, implemented this technique to produce latin phrases. Similarly, I have decided to approach this art piece the same way. It was a mix of arabesque pattern, lighting adjustment, and mashrabiyya effect.

First, I drew the pattern and the verse digitally so that it would be later on cut. Second, after it was cut and stuck, I created a small raised platform in order to insert the light source properly. Third, the cube was mounted on the platform, and a black background was at the back that reflects the light, which is an image of the patterns. The room in which the pictures in was darkened in order to get the maximum amount of light and dark contrast.

  

The end result of this project displayed my portrayal of the Islam and peace symbolism. I chose the shape of the cube, because it is pure and clean. It also represents the most important worship place for Muslims, the Kaaba. The arabesque pattern played a great role in the light reflection. This penetration of light to the blunt and eminent darkness of humanity (outside) is saved by the pure and beautiful light if Islam. The verse also glimmers through dark and enlightens the hearts and paths of those who need to be guided through god’s path. The verse is a tranquil message that shows how beautiful, peaceful and artistic Islam is.

The purpose of this art production is mainly to spread and elaborate on a message that has been on and on repeated. Islam is neither terrorizing nor discriminating, in fact, no religion is. However, this false consensus that Islam is no peace religion has been reemphasized by the Western world. No religion is ever harmful; in fact, it’s a way to guide you to peace, love, respect and, of course, life. Hence, those who harm in the name of religion do not belong to it.  As a person that experienced multicultural societies throughout the years, people are not virtuous from their religion but because of whom they are.

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My name is Nouran Yehia, and I am Egyptian. I am a third year architecture student and currently 19 of age. I have lived in Dubai for nearly 16 years, and I absolutely love it.

References:

·         "Julien Breton – Kaalam | Art of Calligraphy Calligraphie, Light Painting, Calligraphe, Graff, Graffiti, Performance, Live." Julien Breton – Kaalam | Art of Calligraphy Calligraphie, Light Painting, Calligraphe, Graff, Graffiti, Performance, Live. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Mar. 2016.

·         "Stunning Arabic Light Calligraphy by Julien Breton." Colossal. N.p., 23 July 2015. Web. 01 Apr. 2016.

We should all unite

By Nibal Khattar

Islamic calligraphy is a striking coloration between Arabic handwriting and calligraphy. The development of this exquisite section of art is strongly tied with the Holy Quran. Moreover, Islamic calligraphy includes Ottoman, Persian as well as Arabic calligraphy as they are Muslim states. The qalam, meaning pen, is the traditional instrument used to write with. This pen is made out of dried reed and/ or bamboo. Nashk, Diwani, Thuluth, Ruq’ah and Nastal’iq are the different cursive styles that are frequently used when engaging in practicing this beautiful way of writing.

My calligraphy consists of a verse that indicates peace and unity. My verse briefly explains that we should unite as God told us and not separate from each other. Therefore, this resembles the strength we have when we gather as one as mentioned in the verse. Drawing calligraphy is not as sophisticated as it might seem. We simply start by taping two sharpened pencils together to create a 2D effect. Then we use a calligraphy pen to outline the writings that have been previously done with a pencil. When drawing calligraphy, the writing should be done with moderate speed to create the effect of swift characters. Furthermore, we begin by smoothing out the edges and perfect the shape of the characters.

Calligraphy is usually written in sophisticated ways, which makes the appearance look more exquisite. The message behind the verse is to unite and not separate. Although the verse is quite short, it creates a book of meanings due to how important the aspect is and how much we should stress on this subject. Unity is something that we all need since we live in a world that has several troubles due to lack of unity. Most of our troubles that we face everyday in our lives is results of us separating and not working together as one. With that being said we can relate this to our world problems that happen. If we had unity, we would not have had discrimination problems, these problems will lead to bigger problems that cause major chaos. Let us imagine a world that has one country. It would be amazing if we live in a world that consists of a country with no borders and no troubles. It would also be outstanding to live in this world with no authority over others. Its better if we all work as one and not have someone to control us and lead us to unwanted outcomes and paths. In that sense, we hope that one day we can unite and work as one.

Many artists have inspired me to give calligraphy a try, one calligrapher would be Khaleelullah Chemand. Khaleelullah has created many logos in calligraphy form. He has made over 1,000 different and unique logos in calligraphy; each one has been perfected in a beautiful way and made in a way to catch the attention of the viewer. Another person who inspired me is my father himself because he had a long history with drawing calligraphy. He taught me how to create my own calligraphy and taught me how to draw the characters in a swift way. My father kept practicing calligraphy and has now hung over 3 arts in different places in our house. He inspired me to try this art and made me enjoy the act of drawing calligraphy art. Last but not least, our teacher Pamela Chrabieh reminded us of the beauty behind calligraphy art. We were first taught how to draw calligraphy in the simplest form by filling in boxes to form a word in calligraphic form. Then, we improve our skills by drawing calligraphy in a free writing way, which makes your calligraphy skills better. After a couple of training sessions, our calligraphy skills will become better until we can finally reach a state where we can write and perfect the art of calligraphy.

 Now, I will talk briefly about my self and how I began to like calligraphy. I’m a 20-year-old student in the University of Dubai. I am currently studying management in the business field. The middle eastern studies course was a required for me. However, I am very glad that I had the chance to take this course due to its high amount of information and the knowledge it gave to me. I was taught how to perform a calligraphy art in this course. Recently I have found interest in this subject, I began with researching the topic and learning more about calligraphic art and began to realize how beautiful it is.

In conclusion, we can finally state that calligraphy is an amazing form of art and that it appeals better to the eye than normal handwriting. I certainly wish to further develop may calligraphy skills to become a professional with the level of my fathers experience. One day I am sure that I will be able to create amazing art with the help of the calligraphy skills that I have gained over the time of learning in my Middle Eastern studies course and throughout my lifetime in the university. I hope I inspired anyone with the calligraphy that I have drawn. Also, I hope I proved to some that calligraphy is not as difficult as it might seem in hopes of making people give it a try to see how amazing calligraphy is.

Resources: https://thepostmansknock.com/beginners-guide-modern-calligraphy/ http://design.tutsplus.com/tutorials/creative-arabic-calligraphy-for-beginners-introduction--cms-22116
http://www.al-bab.com/arab/visual/calligraphy.htm

Tawheed

By Nadine Kassab

The artwork that I have produced is a drawing of a mosque using Kufic calligraphy.  I engraved my drawing on an A3 wooden board that is 42cm x 29.7 cm.

Nowadays the perception of Islam has diverged from being a religion of love and peace into being viewed as a religion that encourages hate and ignorance. This change might have been caused by either the way media broadcasts the news or the emphasis on terrorist attacks done mostly by the Muslim extremists.

 I believe that one of our missions in life is to spread love and peace. Regardless of our origins, beliefs or religion, we should all spread love and care. Our morals and the anticipated humane acts do not belong to any certain religion. A human is expected to help a friend in need, donate money to the unfortunate and make the world a better place. You do not have to be religious person to be a good person. However, in order to be a good person decisions should be based conscious and a person’s own judgement.

Moreover, these morals are further emphasized in the religions we belong to. Religions that we have inherited, chosen or denied. Thinking about it, the teaching of all religions basically state the same things; don’t kill, don’t steal and don’t hurt a soul. However, these teachings have been categorized in many ways and this has later on further developed into religions. The main reason behind religions was to organize human life and to acknowledge people of a divine power that has created them and all the marvelous creations in their surroundings. Religions have long been accepted by people and were followed as a mean to comfort oneself and protect the soul from being lost in this wild and mysterious universe.

The human mind, no matter how advanced or unlimited it can think, no one ever has been able to interpret the world we live in. It is such a beautiful and enigmatic world. Humans are either blessed or cursed to have such a curious mind, a mind that nourishes on thinking, exploring, discovering and expanding. This mind can never be limited with boundaries nor restrictions that will only hinder its thinking process. Any person is free to think the way they want to and accept or deny what they have concluded.

According to my own interpretation of peace, reaching the stage of being content with yourself, your beliefs and lifestyle is happiness itself. This happiness escorts you to the highest level of peace. Peace with oneself, with the others and the surroundings in general.

In order to produce such an artwork or to reach such an idea, I had to review the work of many artists. I was particularly interested in mixing media. I did not want to write a plain Kufic script nor just produce a painting. Therefore, I combined calligraphy with geometry to produce such a piece that is visually interesting.

Kufic calligraphy has a deep symbolism in Islam. This is because it is a beautiful font to write the Quran script with. Kufic calligraphy usually gives the vibe or feel of geometry, lines and edges. This gives the viewer a sense of organization and order.

Mosques are said and have long been believed to be the “houses of God”. In mosques, Quran is recited the whole time, prayers are called for five times a day and Islamic gatherings are held frequently to keep the people connected with their creator. All of this created within the mosque boundries a comfort zone or a peaceful environment for the Muslims. Thus, according to Muslims at least, mosques are directly linked with peace and inner happiness.

Calligraphy was initially developed as a way to beautify Qur’anic scripts, that’s why calligraphy was mostly seen in mosques and prayer areas. It was and still is used as a way to decorate mosque walls.

Therefore, combing calligraphy, Kufic calligraphy in specific with the mosque drawing seemed to be a very interesting and exciting idea.  

El Seed was my main inspiration. Although his work is not as geometric as the one I have produced, I was inspired by him. El Seed took calligraphy to a whole new level and this is why I like him. He did not restrict calligraphy to Islamic scripts but has rather expanded it to Arabic sayings and phrases. Also, El Seed always tried to deliver a message through his work and this makes the art piece even more worthy and deep. In my project I tried to include his colorful spirit and vibe into my shapes. I also, like him, tried to mix media and not stick to one type only.

I called my artwork “tawheed.” Tawheed is what Muslims say when they want to seek God and look for comfort. Tawhid is the religion's most fundamental concept and holds that God (Allah), is One and Single and that Mohamad( Peace be upon him) is his prophet. These words are mostly glorified by Muslims and Muslims have to admit this belief every day in their prayers. These words can also be called “Shahada,” and they are recited by Muslims during every prayer.

About the artist:

I am an interior design student. I am particularly interested in Arabic language and Calligraphy. I am on a life time mission that aims to deconstruct all the stereotypes built by non-Muslims about Islam and Muslims. I also try to revive the Arabic and middle eastern culture that tends to be forgotten by many youth people my age.