Women & Islam

By NOORA ARJOMAND

Dimensions: 40 inches x 60 inches

Media: Canvas, acrylic paint, chalk pastel, ink, paper, aluminum.
Technique & Style:-
Painting with a background collage that is done by layering pictures in a way that they overlap each other but still show. The painting was done with smooth touches of a rough brush giving the cloth effect. The skin/flesh was done with mixing a combination of colors (red, brown, yellow, white) in specific ratios/proportions to give different tones of the flesh color and when painting playing with the shades as to where the light hits the face depending on the angle where the light is placed. Orange and blue ink were put at the top and were let to dribble towards the bottom of the painting to add a more artistic feel to it – in a way, more life to it. Some words and quotes were added diagonally to help understand the message and blend with the concept of the collage.

Statement (message):

There are no restrictions in the Islamic law that prohibits a woman from working or having a profession. In fact, by definition, in a truly Islamic society, there must be women physicians, women nurses, women teachers, -because it's preferable- also to separate teenagers in the volatile years in high school education. If she chooses to work, or if she's married with the consent of her husband, she's entitled to an equal pay, not for equal work, but for work of equal worth.

Artists who influenced this piece:-

The main artists that inspired, influenced and made me want to incorporate collage into my piece were Kurt Schwitters, Raoul Hausmann and Nick Gentry. Each of them has his own touch to their work that I thought maybe I could pick up a thing or two from each and make it my own way representing my views and the reality that the world isn’t aware of due to the major role that the media plays misrepresenting women in Islam who are the leaders of this world.

References:-

Wikipedia, Google, Twitter.

Piece description with the messages behind it:

To the foreign world, Women in Islam are misinterpreted and their rights as to what the other side of the world believes are none existent. Little do they know that women in Islam have got rights and are equal men. I chose to work with the field of women and their rights to work in Islam and included Muslim successful women who shape this world and help generate a better generation after all, they are the ones with a strong willpower that has overcame many painful experiences, first of them is the miracle of giving birth. The piece featured a women that was painted in the middle who I take as a women who represents me that is influenced and amazed by the women that are surrounding the painting (collage) as I do hope someday I will make it as big as they are right now and help influence the younger coming generations. To the collage, I added a few words of empowerment to show everyone how women in Islam are being misrepresented and in some parts of the world mistreated due to the false belief that women are less than men when in reality women aren’t and Islam made that clear several times in many Qura’anayat and hadith’s. This piece is to every Muslim woman out there who has been mistreated by the uneducated world whether it is for what she is wearing or for what she believes in. You are strong and you have already achieved enough and have come far. 

Peace in the name- ALLAH

By Mehak Mansukhani

After practicing calligraphy in this class before I gained a lot of interest in it. This is why I chose to do calligraphy for my final project. Coincidently both the artworks were God’s name- “Allah”. I gave the project title “Peace in the name- ALLAH” because I believe that just chanting the name Allah or remembering him brings peace to our minds and hearts. Everything seems perfectly fine at that time. That is one reason why we always call out God’s name in fear and sadness because we believe he is the only one that can bring back peace to our lives.

Islam is "submission to God, accepting His authority as well as obeying His orders"; "one's total submission to God and serving only Him"; "embracing the messages of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and abiding by them." This is why I chose to write God’s name as my project. I wrote “Allah” in calligraphy because Islam is all about following the right path that Allah has laid. There is nothing above Allah.  

The root of the word Islam, silm, refers to "making peace, being secure, reaching salvation, well being and submitting the self and obeying, respect, being far from wrong." The "submitting the self and obeying" here means "submitting to justice and righteousness in order to reach peace and safety and being in a peaceful environment by one's free will."

I particularly chose this project because I am a non-Arabic speaker and took this art as a challenge as it has no steps or dimensions. It is a free hand work. Also the shape and design is very beautiful and I thought I could make it look good on a black canvas and use the glitter to give a magical effect that illustrates God’s power. To do this I used an A3 sized black foam board, drew the calligraphy (free-hand) and then covered it with silver glitter. I used gold glitter on the borders of silver glitter so that the design is focused on. I used no colours in the making of this artwork, as I wanted it to be as pure, natural yet beautiful.

The artist that influenced me was Khaleelullah Chemnad. He is a journalist, a poet, a calligraphic artist, a cartoonist, and a short-story writer. He had started publishing stories, poems and cartoons in children's magazines at a tender age. He is the only person in the world who has specialized in anatomic calligraphy. Anatomic Calligraphy is a style in which the portrait of a person is drawn using the person's name in Arabic. He does not speak Arabic yet all his work are Arabic-related, mainly from the Quran. He received an entry to two World Records for the biggest Anatomical Calligraphy of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashed Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai. He inspires me because his calligraphies are simple yet very powerful. They are not something that can be easily copied and they look beautiful. He also influenced me because I can relate to him, as I am also a non-Arabic student trying to do Arabic calligraphy.

In addition, I was influenced by Salman Khattak, who is famous for the combination of the Arabic calligraphy and texts of the names of God.

I am Mehak Mansukhani, a last year business student in American University In Dubai. I never showed interest in art and Islamic culture before taking this MEST course. Now I know a lot more about the teachings of Islam and can relate to how the answer to everything is Allah. Also I have learnt that art is not just a way to show different shapes but to show different expressions and beliefs in life.

The references I used were:-

http://www.peaceandislam.com/

http://www.worldofcalligraphy.com/

Rise

By Malak El Gohary

I chose to create a two dimensional painting that represents a major issue facing our Arab society: domestic abuse.

Many women have been exposed to cruel mistreatment from family members and partners in life. Individuals and especially women who are exposed to domestic violence often experience physical, mental or spiritual traumas that can be worsen if they are not addressed. Furthermore it is common for individuals in an abusive relationship not to recall many aspects of their personalities before being abused, especially if they have been exposed to violence for an extended period of time. Also domestic violence can have a serious impact on the way a person thinks and interacts with the world as domestic violence affects one’s thoughts, feelings and behaviors and can significantly impact one’s mental stability, increased anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and depression symptoms.

Recovery from exposure to domestic violence is possible, and although it requires addressing painful realities, it also entails discovering new inner strengths, a process that needs time, space and safety to begin. However, it is quite known that victims of domestic violence do not always report the incident fearing their partner's reaction, or fearing their reputation be compromised. In other cases, victims do not believe that the government will help, although there are many National Councils for Women and non-governmental organizations that specialize in dealing with violence against women, and can provide victims with the support they need. About 35 percent of women worldwide have faced physical violence from their partners or family members. No woman should ever go through this pain!

About the colors I used:

Colors include red, blue and green, and are used to express feelings, a mix of warm and cool colors. For example, different shades of browns were used on the eyes to create a warm, dark and mysterious feel to them. The red and green above the eyes symbolize rage and envy while colors such as Ultramarine blue and other shades of blue such as Turquoise were used to create a cool effect under the eyes as a symbol of bruising and pain. Furthermore purple was used to create some consistency as purple is considered warm. Finally the butterfly is a  vital part of the painting. I chose it as it’s a beautiful creature with wings and wings symbolizes freedom; I placed it on the mouth to symbolize suffocation as speech is the only solution women can use to be freed of domestic abuse.

Biography :

My name is Malak El Gohary, I’m currently an international relation student at American university of Dubai. I was born and raised in Egypt and moved to Dubai when I was seven. Living in Dubai has helped me accept diversity and people coming from different backgrounds.

In the eyes of Muslims

By Ghazal Salah

Biography

My name is Ghazal Salah, majoring in Journalism at the American University in Dubai. I love art because I can get the chance to share ideas and information through it. Furthermore, I love art because it is a universal language and there is no barrier when it comes to it.

The description

The title of my project is “In The Eyes of Muslims”.  It is an eye that has the 99 names of God in order to show how God is seen by Muslims as Ghafoor, Raheem, Kareem, Al Salam, Al Mumin, and many other names that reflect God’s traits. I drew it on a PowerPoint and printed it on a big poster. I made sure that the names look like a whirlpool and the eye is three dimensional. Furthermore, I chose the words to be in green since it symbolizes safety and paradise, and the word Allah in red since it symbolizes love.

The message:

Zain Bhikha once said:

Give thanks to Allah,

For the moon and the stars

Praise Him all day

For what is and what was.

Take hold of your Eeman

Don't give in to Shaitan

O you who believe please give thanks to Allah.

Allah is Ghafoor,

Allah is Raheem,

Allah is the one who loves the Mohsineen,

He is a creator,

He is a sustainer,

and He is the one who has power over all.

 

The 99 names of God show and prove that Islam is not the way it is perceived as a religion of terrorism. However, when people look deeply at the meaning of each and every name, he or she will realize that it is a religion of peace. All names come together to form one meaning that is the core of Islam is peace. Moreover, the root of the word Islam means peace.  The world has come to a time where Muslims are the first suspected to cause terrorist acts, and this has converged the thoughts of communities towards despising Muslims and having the desire to band them from living in their own society. These societies are missing the bigger picture and are not familiar with the true meaning of Islam. From these names we can understand Islam more. Islam teaches us to forgive each other, to be generous, to help each other, to be merciful, and many other lessons. Islam aims to build a society full of peace, serenity, justice, and friendship.

When we think deeply of the each and every meaning of the 99 names of Allah, we find that there is no one name that stands for force and violence. Rahman and Rahim are the first two names of Allah that are compassionate and merciful. These two primary names of Allah specifically deal with Mercy. These two names frequently occur together in the Qur’an. Furthermore, they signify a flood of mercy that covers us and that is endless. They are both derived from the same root word rahmah which means mercy and also has elements of sympathy, kindness, gentleness, compassion and love intertwined with it. The mercy we see in this world which Allah has put among His Creation is just a hundredth of all His Mercy. Therefore, Allah manifests these qualities to the most perfect level with His Creation.

Some other Names of Allah that are related to His Mercy are Al-Karim (the Generous), Al-Halim (the Forbearing), Al-Barr (the Generous), Al-Jawwad (the Bestower of Good), Al-Rauf (the Kind) and Al-Wahhab (the Bestower). Examples of mercy that we see in His creation includes the love a mother has for her child (or love towards each other), the eyes with which we are able to see, the food which we are provided to consume, the generosity and kindness we show to others.

The artist who influenced me

I was influenced by a Libyan student at the American University in Dubai, Mowada Arifi. Her painting had a sentence which is “Allah Kareem yohebo al karam”. Her message was to show God’s trait which is generosity, and to show that generosity and Islam lead to peace. As for my artwork, I did not want to specify one trait. Therefore, I included the 99 names of God that reflect his traits.

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References

http://www.justmuslim.org/articles/5-pillars/75-the-names-and-attributes-of-allah

http://peaceartdubai.blogspot.ae

http://www.lyricsfreak.com/z/zain+bhikha/give+thanks+to+allah_20756525.html

http://www.whyislam.org/god/names-and-attributes-of-allah/

When you are angry, be silent

By Dana Kachlan

Hello, meet Dana Kachlan. A Lebanese girl who is always up for a little adventure and experiencing the new. And that is one of the reasons why she chose to major in Creative Advertising at the American University in Dubai. She saw that through her projects, she’d never fall into a routine since one idea is completely different than the other. Dana has two principles that she follows in her work and life practice. First, she credits that details are the foundation of everything. She believes that we are a detail in society, and based on that, she created an entire campaign called “Al Tafseel Al Fasel” or “The Defining Detail.” Second, she believes that the filtering of words could save lives. When angry, she stays silent, revises her thoughts and words, and then speaks. Those two principles helped her stay focused, organized, and sane at all times. Who knew it was that easy? Since Dana is always up to try new activities, over the years she grasped a couple of interests such as: Law, Calculus, Philosophy, Psychology, and Event planning. Interesting fact about Dana: In school, Dana would always excel in Calculus but failed to impress in Geometry. Weird right? As for her hobbies, she enjoys photography, basketball, fitness, drawing, and music.

"When you are angry, be silent,” a Hadith said by Prophet Mohammed PBUH. We create war and blame the consequences on each other. We live our lives in constant fear of not knowing when the next war is about to happen. Or even sadder, we live in war zones or even hear about them over the news on a daily basis. War happens to be the norm now a day, as peace comes once every now and then. If only people knew how to communicate, maybe we could be living in a better world today and everyday. It is

said that humans have it in them to promote war but if only we read and searched more we would know that the Prophet himself asked us not to hurt each other, not only through weapons but not even with words. Then we have Jesus who promotes peace and love through the bible and his sayings. If our religions tell us to make peace, love one another, and understand each other, then where are we going wrong? What is it that is making us fall back to war repeatedly. To bring the attention to the topic of War and peace, I thought the hadith "When you are angry, be silent" said by the Prophet Mohammed PBUH best illustrates the matter. This Hadith inspires me to be a better person today and everyday. It makes me think twice before I communicate. It teaches me how to be a nicer person. What really made me want to bring attention to this Hadith are two factors. The first is the fact that I am a great believer of the filtering of words. During an argument, I usually practice revising my words before throwing them out to avoid making a mountain out of a molehill or even to avoid hurting the other person. Both ways, we end up feeling guilt when having said something unkind or despicable so why not take the time to amend and filter the words before saying them? I also realized that the whole process of modifying the words said help a person become more tolerant, patient, and in control. I truly think any relationship would be better if barely anything mean was to come out of anyone's mouth. If we revise our words, we get to explain them in a sensible and an understandable way, which would lead to a mature conversation rather than an argument or a fight. The second factor is that the entire Hadith is not meant to spread peace in Islam only but it is also meant to be shared among all religions and races around the world. We aren't put in this world to fight each other. We aren't meant to despise each other. The least we can do is be at peace if we don't want to love one another.

 As for the artwork itself, I created an A2 sized canvas that has the Hadith mentioned above written on it using both styles of pop art and Kufic calligraphy. The entire artwork is drawn by the use of basics such as a black marker for the words outlines, colored markers to fill in the words, and paper, which is wrinkled to get the message across. So I wouldn’t call the artwork a painting, instead, it is a drawing that encounters specific styles to help get the message of War and peace across. Each and every stylistic choice will be explained in the next few lines. So first, let’s begin by discussing the Kufic script. I decided to choose it not only because I was inspired by it after the MEST class workshop and wanted to explore it further more, but also I thought it emphasized how long ago the quote has been there for the people to acknowledge and be inspired by. The Kufic style is one of the earliest forms of calligraphy and hence I thought writing the Hadith in that style would estimate the age of its existence.

Second, as for the aesthetic choice of wrinkling the paper, it was not an option that I thought of first, but as I was mounting the paper onto the board, I saw that it would make far more sense if the paper was wrinkled since it conveyed destruction which meant war while the Hadith itself spoke peace. That way we have war and peace conveyed through one artwork yet peace wins since it comes on top of the war (Hadith over the wrinkled paper.) Every stylistic style has a reason behind it, which makes the entire artwork have representations that are both realistic and a metaphorical. Third, stylistically I wanted to bring out a style that I very much admire and usually apply to most of my art, which is pop art. First, I wouldn't say an artist influenced me, but rather by the entire movement, which helped me create this artwork along with many that, I have previously done. I realized whenever the subject is very dear to me, I tend to use pop art as my style and hence since this topic is something I truly follow I wanted to manage and make it work with the pop art style. I thought the use of colors brings life to any topic, turning a sad subject into something less harsh or at least gets a message across in a more subtle way. Second, usually each color on its own represents an emotion. But for this project I wanted to unite all emotions on one canvas to portray the idea of peace. In a way that turns peace into an emotion. The unification of almost all the colors on one canvas could also mean the emergence of all religions and all races. Whether it was the Kufic style that was used to emphasize how long the hadith has been around for, or the wrinkly paper to show that peace dominates war, or the use of vibrant, happy colors to bring joy to the idea of unification, all aspects were meant to lead to the idea of peace and that nothing but peace has the power to make us all live in a better world. Now that I introduced myself, the artwork title, description, media, technique, style, influence, why I chose it, and what it means to me along with my statement, time to remind you of one thing: Always filter and revise your words before saying them. An argument could turn into a conversation through reasoning. Communicate peace always.

Peace Is A Priority

By ABDULLAH ALQAMISH

According to our course's main idea, my artwork was to emphasize that Islam is a religion that spreads peace regardless of non-Muslims' opinions and the bad image that was created by some extremists who believe that they are reflecting the right image of Islam while they are only a tool, which is controlled by some unknown people or governments.

I visited the Professor Dr. Pamela Chrabiah and was influenced by the last year art pieces that were created by her students. Consequently, I went to the shop Creative Minds in Al Barsha 2 and bought some mosaic tiles, sand with glitter, and a spray.

My artwork is a 40cm * 40cm wooden board that has a verse from the Holy Qura'n. Actually, it is not a complete verse, however, the quoted words are what I meant to emphasize in order to show my objective. It is [Al-Anfâl: 61]: وإن جنحوا للسلم فاجنح لها وتوكل على الله إنه هو السميع العليم. The translation of it is" And if they incline to peace, then incline to it [also] and rely upon Allah . Indeed, it is He who is the Hearing, the Knowing" (International).

Finally, I'm excited to show you my artwork and looking forward to your feedback.

References

International, Sahih. "The Noble Qur'an - القرآن الكريم". Quran.com. N.p., 2016. Web. 4 Apr. 2016.

Peace, a Word from a Merciful God

By MINA LAWENDI

For my final project, I chose the theme Islamic peace and unity, expressing how Islam is a peaceful and understanding religion. Therefore, I have decided to create a calligraphic art piece using a verse from the Qur'an.

At first I started off my research for my final piece by searching for a verse from the Qur'an. After a lot of search and understanding I have decided to choose a verse that says, “سلام قولا من رب رحيم". This then translates to, “peace, a word from a merciful lord. {36:58}". In other words, this verse explains that peace is one of God's most mentioned and desired words.

The medium I have decided to use for this project is ink. I have chosen this specific medium because, in my opinion when the ink spreads and blends into each other it represents unity, which also represents a main part of my theme. When I first came up with this idea, I then searched for more artists to learn more about the technique and get a good end result; but one artist that really stood out and inspired me is Marion Bolognesi. Marion is a New York Based artist who graduated from Massachusetts College of art and design in Boston. Marion is known for her amazing female figure paintings using very calm and peaceful colors such as many different shades of pink, nude and blue. Moreover, for the verse I chose, I will be representing it onto my canvas by covering parts of the canvas using masking tape to keep the ink away from coming onto it, and leaving its space as white. In case any of the ink came onto the parts of the verse, my backup plan is to cover it up by using white acrylic paint. I will be using either the diwani or riqaa font for the verse.

In conclusion, my painting represents my theme of Islamic peace and unity by having the verse talking about peace and the ink which represents freedom and unity where the colors blend into each other the same way where in countries we live in, even though it is an Islamic country it accepts all people of all religions and races.

Justice in Islam

By AYESHA ALQAZ

In the Quran, there is a verse that says “And Allah calls to the Home of the Peace” (Quran10:25). It means that the goal of Islam is peace and all the teachings, morals and values are dedicated to the goal of Islam. Also as in one of the Hadith, a man came to the prophet Muhammad and asked him for an advice about how to manage things in his life, the prophet said "don’t be angry". This means that in any situation a human being should remain positive no matter how many difficulties he/she faces because humans tend to be according to their nature, and nature symbolizes peace. But when they get angry, there nature will be surrounded by negativity which will lead them to troubles and problems. 

Thus the word peace in Islam is essential because the whole concept of Islam is about peace, and peace symbolizes many things toward which people can be dedicated to. Peace has held a greatest impact on Islam because any work done with a peaceful mind will have positive consequences, unlike a disturbed environment. A simple example would be if a person wants to study for an exam he/she wouldn’t focus if the environment is noisy or if the person itself is feeling angry or has negative thoughts. Therefore peace is the main aspect to have for a successful life. 

In addition, once the prophet Muhammad saw in al madinah a funeral procession, so the prophet stood up for respect . One of the prophet’s companion said he was Jew, he is not a Muslim, and then the prophet said isn’t he a human? (Bukhari book, 399). The prophet’s words represent what every human being should be: treated equally no matter the religion and gender. His vision is: everyone should be treated equally with equal respect as all of us are creatures of God. Thus as the prophet’s vision of equality, I believe equality is another aspect in order to have peace.

For my art project I chose the title justice in Islam because I believe that without justice, a peaceful environment will not be. Justice is defined as equality. As Allah has mentioned in the Quran “O you who have believed, be persistently standing firm in justice, witnesses for Allah , even if it be against yourselves or parents and relatives”( Quran 4:135). In Islam, there is no one favored beyond others because of their wealth or race since God has created us equal, and the only thing that can distinguish between humans is their piety. For many people justice and equality could be 100% same, but I believe there is a slight difference between justice and equality which is justice is to give everyone his right, but equality is to give everyone the same amount.  For example, if a doctor gives all his patients the same medicines with the same doses (which means equality), that wouldn’t be right because a person might need  another medicine, but if he prescribes for each person the right amount and the right dose as per the person’s diagnosed sickness that would be fare (which means justice). Thus, because of that I chose my title to be justice in Islam in relation to peace in Islam rather than equality in Islam.

For my art project, I made equalizer. The reason I chose to make an equalizer is because it symbolizes justice. The equalizer consists of: the base which is made of wood; the upper part is made of foam board written on it’ (الاسلام دين العدل) which means Islam is the religion of justice, with two small wires hanging on them a half of a round plastic cup. The base and the stick are attached by two pins. Also, the equalizer I made is surrounded with yellow lights. I chose yellow because the color yellow represents sunshine and happiness. Thus I believe in a country where justice is the main concerned, brightness and positivity will prevail.

Influences:

Since I have watched Julien Breton’s work who is an artist that uses light calligraphy dependent on body language, I wanted to use light also in my art project because as the yellow color, light  also represents brightness. However, I couldn’t manage to use light as Julien Breton did, but I managed to add some light to my project. Moreover another thing that has influenced me to choose my topic is the verse from the Quran “يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُونُوا قَوَّامِينَ لِلَّهِ شُهَدَاءَ بِالْقِسْطِ ۖ وَلَا يَجْرِمَنَّكُمْ شَنَآنُ قَوْمٍ عَلَىٰ أَلَّا تَعْدِلُوا ۚ اعْدِلُوا هُوَ أَقْرَبُ لِلتَّقْوَىٰ ۖ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ خَبِيرٌ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ" (8). .

Which means the unbeliever does not prevent him from enjoying justice because justice is for all humans not just for Muslims or people depending on their wealth or race.

The message behind my art work is that justice is for all humans as they are God’s creatures. All the humans have right to be treated equally with respect and by providing them with all of the rights they deserve. Also I believe that all the wars and conflicts which are happening in many countries wouldn’t have gone to a very large extent, if all the people who are living in those countries had their rights equally as others. I believe that one of the roots of those wars has to do with justice because people won’t tolerate the fact that others are fully provided with their rights but not themselves.

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My name is Ayesha Alqaz, I am a student at the American university in Dubai studying Engineering, second year. I am not very good at art but personally I really adore art especially the message used behind an art project.

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References:

"Yunus 10:25." IslamAwakened. Web. 21 Nov. 2015.

http://islamawakened.com/quran/10/25/

Khan, Maulana. "Islamic Way of Thinking." Center for Peace and Spirituality. Web. 21 Nov. 2015.

http://cpsglobal.org/sites/default/files/islamic-way-of-thinking-20-march-2011.pdf

"Peace and Religion." Peace and Religion. Web. 21 Nov. 2015

http://www.introduceislam.org/index.php/articles/22-peace-and-religion

Elias, Abu Amina. "Justice and Fairness for All in Islam." Faith in Allah. 14 July 2013. Web. 21 Nov. 2015

http://abuaminaelias.com/justice-and-fairness-for-all-in-islam/