Islam, War and Peace

 

 By HOUDA ALKHATIB

 

My art work describes the topic of War and Peace in Islam. It is a 75x117 cm piece. It is a photo collage produced digitally of many photographs by known and unknown photographers describing War and Islam. Originally, I wanted to take my own photographs but due to the many circumstances, I was not able to. I used the contrast of colors in the background to differentiate between the corruption of the war and hope. In my opinion, when I think of Islam, the first word related to it is Peace. 

 

In the foreground of the photo collage, people are represented as victims of the war that has been affecting the Middle East for the past few years and lead to become refugees.I tried to portray the power that is found in people. This power is them believing in God  watching over them and trying to get them out of their misery. A person with no hope does not live. As my collage shows, all age groups and genders are fighting to cross that part in their lives (War) by praying and hoping it will get better.

 

I was influenced by many War Photographers as they show you a scene in war but with a message behind. Some names such as Javier Manzano, James Nachtwey, Paul Hansen, Walter Astreda, and Manu Brabo. These modern war photographers inspired me with their use of simplicity in explaining something.

 

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My name is Houda Alkhatib, I am currently a junior studying Architecture in the American University in Dubai. I am from Syria, and for the past 5 years, I have not lost hope that someday Syria will be back better than it was before. It is our generation that will build and restore beautiful Syria.

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References:

Reza, Hasnain. Please. 2011. Web. 21 Nov. 2015. 

<https://500px.com/photo/30661925/please-by-hasnain-raza>.

"Islam Times - Muslims Arrested for Praying in America." Islam Times. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Nov. 2015. <http://islamtimes.org/en/doc/news/21501/>.

 

N.p., n.d. Web. <http%3A%2F%2Fthemetapicture.com%2Fpage%2F3%2F>.

"Facebook Logo." Drive for Syrian Refugees. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Nov. 2015. <https://www.facebook.com/events/1506952399621528/>.

Allah is Peaceful

By Fatmaalzahrah Abusief

For my artwork project I decided to divide a board into four squares and write 4 of the 99 names of Allah into those squares. I decided to apply what we learned in class about square kufi calligraphy and implement it into my artwork. 
The tools used in my project are colored markers and paint. 
The title of my artwork speaks about the theme of the project, and it is “Allah is peaceful”. Using kufi square calligraphy I wrote: “” and “الرحمان”. This idea was inspired by the currents events, specifically what happened in Paris, France. After the terrible events that occurred in Paris, people were quick to blame Muslims and Islam for these terrorist actions. However, Islam is a peaceful religion that does not encourage murdering innocents. In the Islamic religion there is no greater than God; therefore, I decided to use Allah to prove that Islam is a peaceful religion. There are 99 names that are used to refer to/ describe Allah, and each name has a different meaning. The names I choose to use in this project are names that I believe to symbolize peace. The fact that Allah’s names mean/symbolize “peace” should be proof enough that this is not a religion driven by hatred.

الرحمان - The merciful

الرحيم - The Beneficent or The Generous

التواب - The guide to Repentance

الغفور - The Forgiving

All of these names are factors that play a role in accomplishing peace. 

I was inspired visually by an Image of a portrait that I saw while scrolling through Pintrest.

Islam: Light in the Darkness

By AJAESH RAJ

Dimensions: 3543x1772 pixels (WxH) / Resolution: 300 pixels/inch

Media: Digital (Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop)

Technique and Style: Two main type used - 

Text Portrait/ Typography Portrait          

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As the name suggests (Islam: Light in the Darkness), through my artwork and in light of all the misunderstandings existing against the Islamic religion, I want everyone to see and understand and be open to embracing the true meaning of Islam and what it stands for. To that extent, I have used a digital media to convey this message with hopes of reaching a larger audience pool and having a better chance of being accepted. Also, I acknowledge that the digital media provided a wide scope for improvisation and innovation as compared to other medias. One of the things I have learned from this Islamic Art and Architecture class is the importance of text and typography. I understand, although not fully the complete magnitude of either of them in developing and communicating in the times past and even today. As such, I have used them in a digital environment in my artwork. One of my main objective for this artwork was to not loose focus of the past, but come up with something that would also resonate with the present and hopefully the future.

Islam, is one of the oldest if not the oldest religions to have guided the world and mankind. Over the years there have been a number of misconceptions and misunderstanding about the Faith. Primarily, that it promotes terrorism and subdues women. Just like any religion in the world, Islam does not encourage nor tolerate violence either in spirit or word; both against its own or people from other faith. Another major misconception I hope to clear through this artwork is that of the repression or oppression of women in Islam. While people around the world may think, by wearing a hijab or not being allowed to consume alcohol and the likes, the woman of the faith are being denied equality when compared to their western counterparts. I have used the image/portrait of Malala Yousufzai, Pakistani human rights activist, in hopes of conveying to the viewer that no one can suppress or oppress anyone’s rights. Everyone has them and it is upto each of us to fight for and consume them with respect. Malala is a beacon for everyone around the world, not only Muslims. She is a prime example for all those blindly say Islam oppresses women. Ever since the attempt on her life, she has been an even vocal advocate for human rights and education. She has been rewarded around the world and her words are heard by both muslims and non-muslims alike. This shows that Islam as a religion is not against equality or for the oppression of women. Because, if it were it wouldn’t have encouraged and accepted the words and the fighting spirit of Malala.

Apart from this, there are numerous examples of Muslim female poets and artists around the world over the centuries.

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I am Ajaesh Raj. Third year business student pursuing a major in Marketing Communications. I have interests in digital media and communication. Also, human rights causes are another of areas that influence and resonate deeply with me.

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References: the Professor's blog.