About the Hijab

By Raghd Al Shar

Achieving peace in this century can be problematic, with all the media depicting Islam as a terrorist religion. My art project was inspired by some events that started happening in the US since 9/11. Feminists typically advocate or support the rights and equality of women, being a feminist and believing in women’s rights can be hard in today’s world since everyone who sees Islam and women think that most of the women are oppressed or forced to be maids for their husbands, being a good wife and a good mother to their children is interpreted as lacking all their civil rights and have no identities. Women all over the world have gone through many different mental and psychological abuse when it comes to their religion, oppression is one of the many words that women wearing “Hijab” (scarf to cover their heads) go through in their everyday life especially in western countries. The word "Hijab" comes from the Arabic word "hajaba" meaning to hide from view or conceal. In the present time, the context of Hijab is the modest covering of a Muslim woman. The question now is what is the extent of the covering? Why do Muslim women have to cover their heads? This question is one which is asked by Muslims and non-Muslims alike. For many women it is the truest test of being a Muslim. The question of Hijab for Muslim women has been a controversy for centuries and will probably continue for many more. A middle line position is taken by some who claim that the instructions are vague and open to individual discretion depending on the situation. The wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) were required to cover their faces so that men would not think of them in sexual terms since they were the "Mothers of the Believers," but this requirement was not extended to other women. Why are Muslim women oppressed when they are equals to the Christian nuns? 

A common misconception is that Muslim women are the only ones who cover their hair. It may be true that Islam is the only religion in which most women follow its directives to cover the hair, but it is not the only religion to have such directives. The explicit purpose of the Christian woman's head covering, as stated by Paul, is that it is a sign of man's authority over woman. The explicit purpose of Islamic hijab is modesty. Strange how so many Westerners think that the purpose of hijab is a symbol of male authority. Maybe they know that that's what it is in their own religion (Christianity) so they assume that Islam must be the same. The Christian woman is to cover her head whenever she is praying, whether it be at the church service or just personal prayer at home. This may mean that if she is not praying at home, she is uncovered around male guests who are not related to her; or if she is praying at home, that she is covered around her own husband and family. If any more proof were needed than Paul's own words that the Christian head covering is not about modesty, this must certainly be it. This puts hijab in a whole new perspective, Non-Muslim women who feel that hijab is a sign of oppression for the Muslim female should read the above and then read the Quran. Furthermore, if Allah meant for the hijab to be a sign of male authority, the Quran would be as unambiguous about it as Paul is in the Bible. Isn't this difference the kind of entity that attracted you to Islam in the first place? It is particularly interesting to look at the case of Christianity, since Christianity is the predominant religion in the West, who are often the first to criticize Islam because of the hijab (modest dress, including head covering).

            The portrait that I drew itself explains what I am trying to say, both religions have the same obligation, so why misinterpret one but not the other? I chose to draw on a paper canvas and use a drawing pencil and I sketched one Muslim women wearing the Hijab and on the right I sketched a Christian nun. To show the similarities that both these women are covering their heads and full body but only displaying their hands and face. After I finished with the shading I used color pencils to give the portrait some life with bright colors meanwhile not losing the main idea for the Christina nun’s clothes (black and white or black and grey…etc). The Muslim lady has her eyes closed which resembles praying to God, while I portrayed the Christian nun with her eyes open but her hands across each other and holding a cross while also praying.

            The Feminist artists sought to create a dialogue between the viewer and the artwork through the inclusion of women's perspective. Art was not merely an object for aesthetic admiration, but could also incite the viewer to question the social and political landscape, and through this questioning, possibly affect the world and incite change toward equality.

·         Marina Abramovic - Pioneer of Performance Art, I am are going to start this list with one of the biggest names on the contemporary art scene. Marina Abramovic is a New York based performance artist whose work explores the relationship between the performer and the audience, limitations of the body and the vast possibilities of the mind. With a highly lucrative career, which spans over four decades, Abramovic has been rightfully described as the pioneer of performance art.

·         Cindy Sherman - Highly Provocative, is a renowned American contemporary artist, photographer and film director, best known for her conceptual portraits that raise challenging questions about the role and representation of women in modern society.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1.      http://members.prtcnet.org/flinchum/head-cov.htm

2.      http://www.crossover.ellison.net/HeadcoveringIntro.htm

3.      http://www.catholicworldreport.com/Blog/3815/making_sense_of_nunsensical_controversial_headlines.aspx

Stereotypes

By Pakinam Said

One should not judge a book by its cover, so one can't judge Islam by a fraction of people who say they represent it. Most of people when they hear “ISLAM” think of terrorism. Whether it is the media coverage or the stereotypical belief that Islam is a religion of violence, I believe it never was the case. Muslims and Islam do not mean terrorism, being a Muslim is not being a terrorist, not wearing a hijab doesn’t mean that a woman is not a Muslim. Furthermore, people have been raised on the religion of their parents and grandparents. So being judgmental  is irrelevant, judge yourself first and think of what you’re missing in your own religion, what you are seeking and what the answers to your questions are. My message simply indicates that society should stop judging and should have the heart to accept other religions freely.

Dimensions and style

The tools used:

·         Sketch pens

·         HB pencils

·         8B pencil

·         3H pencil

·         Coloring pencils

Dimensions:

·         A3 size paper

Technique:

·         Master basic pencil drawing techniques

·         Pencil strokes

·         Pencil shading techniques

Style:

·         Realistic

·         Caricature

·         Outlines

The Tree of Islam

By Aisha Buhari Abdullahi

My artwork or idea was not inspired by any artist or public figure. I looked at the project theme and asked myself what I think are the major problem with the world and Islam. I asked myself many questions like: what did we do to non-Muslims? What is it that makes us different? Do we fit to be on this planet? Are we less of humans in others’ eyes? But then I realized my mum always said, “Fix the monster in you before you start pointing at other monsters”.

Whatever unrest between Muslims and non-Muslims cannot be fixed until we fix what is within our walls.  This theory inspired my project. I inclusive, we tend to think one Muslim is better than another or the ways of one Muslim is wrong just because it is not like ours or an Arabian Muslim is better than the African Muslim and many other absurd beliefs.

            I also went forward to ask myself, “On a normal circumstance, can a mango grow on apple tree? Obviously not, we would wait eternally to see it grow.” The tree I drew represents Islam as a religion. The flags represent the countries in the world from a random selection as the fruits of Islam. We can never see ourselves as the same until we start to view every Muslim as a part of tree trying to wait for destiny or end reward. One person has no right to criticize or judge another’s lifestyle unless it directly affects him or her.

            Islam does not accommodate racism or stereotyping or gender maltreatment or maltreatment of any being so why should we adopt it as a lifestyle and call it Islam? We can only fix our issues when we practice the religion the way it was brought from Allah and the way Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W). After all, the Prophets mentioned the Qur’an all came from different parts of the world, which proves equality. Other people cannot see the religion as a beautiful religion that promotes peace if we don’t show them through our actions and attitudes.

            Children have to be educated from a young age that we are all humans and the same. They also need to be told that people have little insignificant differences due to cultural and geographical differences and only Allah knows why he made us all that way.

Mosques and Peace

By Ahmad Jabbour

When we hear about Islam today, we think of scary looking bearded men dressed in black, carrying shot guns and screaming “Allaho Akbar” as they burn down churches or behead people. Mosques are thought to be places where terrorist fanatics join to discuss their next bombing. We can say that the orientalist view point has ruined the reputation of the true Islam. However, we cannot blame orientalism without first analysing the other factors for this popular reputation of Islam. The emerging of terrorist fanatic Islamist groups such as ISIL, AlQaeda, and Jabhet Al Nasra has played a vital role in creating a tag on Muslims as terrorists. However, the truth is that such groups—although seemingly abundant—are a minority, and the kind of Islam that they represent is indeed a false one. The corruption of the international system of knowledge and orientalism print on media and scholarly work in the west only magnify the false belief.

The truth is that Islam comes from the Arabic root Salam which could mean two things. The first is that a muslim should “yosallem” or surrender himself to the will of God. The other meaning, and the more important one is from the word “Salam” meaning peace. So we can see that Islam’s meaning is peace. The teachings of prophet Mohammad and the Quraan all serve to prove this point. A Muslim is ordered by God and the prophet to be good to others of all religions. He is ordered to give money to the poor, help the weak, and be selfless at all times. Mosques are places of worship, peace, of learning the true teachings of Islam, and of serenity.

I chose to do an art piece inspired by Mosques and peace as the two terms go hand in hand. I hope that by my humble project I can, at least, set one person straight on what Islam truly means and of what purpose mosques truly serve.

Historically, the first mosque that was ever created in Islam as we know it is the Nabawi Mosque in Al Madina. It is the first of the three holy sites of Islam. It was right around the time when Muslims had escaped from the horrors and terrors of Mecca tribes and into Madina’s newly converted Muslims. The migrant Muslims had left their homes, money, and lives back and ran into a new life in Madina—filled with hope. Even the prophet Mohammad did not have a home in Madina. But the people there were generous and hospitable that each person from Madina offered his home to a person from Mecca. After a while, however, it was time for the prophet to build a home of his own. It was also the time to find a place for Muslims to meet, pray, and gather around when something related to the Islamic Ummah comes up. So, hand in hand, Muslims built the mosque brick over brick. It was a simple mosque without any extravagant design. It was the house of Prophet Mohammad and a mosque that holds all the daily prayers. Each of its walls witnessed pious prayers, political meetings, round circles where the prophet would teach Muslims about their religion, and even a place to host visitors asking about this new religion.

Other important mosques around that period were the Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, Palestine which is said to be the place from which the Prophet’s Miraaj was from and the second of the three most sacred mosques. And the third most holy mosque is the Ummayad Mosque in Syria.  More and more mosques were starting to be built around the Islamic world and with each new mosque and each call for prayer, more and more people were joining the Islamic ummah. After the death of prophet Mohammad and with the following caliphates, Islam spread widely and more money was coming into the Muslim state as new conquests were done. This meant that there was room for extravagant designs in Mosques. Now, mosques were not only places for worship and gathering. They were also forms of art. They have calligraphy on the walls and huge and beautiful insides decorated with the most beautiful tiles and stones. They sometimes have calligraphy drawn in gold. As the Islamic state spread, Muslims were showing off their mosques to the world. The more beautiful the mosques, the more powerful the state is.

Symbols in Relation

BY KEVIN TANG

Most organized groups have at least one symbol. Symbols are identifiers but also summaries of the most important tenets of a group. Since it is an immediate identifier, symbols are distinct and send an immediate message. Religious symbols are no different. The three symbols I use are the Christian cross, the Jewish star and the Islamic crescent. At the same time, none of these symbols originated as representative of these religions and even of their core beliefs. They all came to become symbols through historical experience and appropriation and representative of the history of these religions. Thus, I start with an examination of the history to these symbols.

Jewish artists and institutions have used the Jewish star for many years but as ornamentation, not as a symbol of Jewish identity. In polytheistic contexts, it symbolized the reconciliation of opposites, such as female and male sexuality or fire and water. Instead, the menorah served as one of the primary symbol of the Jewish people for most of their history. The star’s use was limited to Kabbalah, Jewish mysticism. In early modern times, Jewish communities chose to use the Star of David as a symbol to signify their community the way Christians use the cross.

            Likewise for the Christian cross, cross-like symbols existed since antiquity, including the Egyptian Ankh and other polytheistic symbols. It appeared on jewelry and graves in pre-Christian societies. The Romans used the cross for punishment for slaves and enemies of the state, but not free citizens. In this context, it was a symbol of low class and disgrace. Scholars dispute whether Jesus was crucified on a crossbar or a simple stake. Ironically, the cross was avoided by early Christians due to its associations with the execution of Jesus. But it persisted and eventually came to symbolized the Christian idea of Jesus’ sacrifice and redemption.

            Like Christianity and Judaism, Islam has symbols whose use predate its emergence by centuries. Nearly every Mediterranean and Middle Eastern civilization has used the crescent and star. The Turkic peoples who dominated the Middle East politically were the root of the modern Islamic star and crescent. It was actually a pagan symbol representing the polytheistic Turkic moon and sun god.  During the Arab Islamic Caliphates, their flags were monochrome or had shahada. The star and crescent became prominent on the flag of the Ottoman Empire. Since then, many states formed from the Empire’s collapse have reinterpreted them as symbols of Islam. Yet, , many do not agree on what it means specifically. To Pakistan, the crescent and star symbolize progress and light. To Libya, the crescent represents the beginning of the lunar calendar and the star represents hope. Despite some modern controversy, Muslims continue to use and be identified by others through the star and crescent.

            In my design, I portrayed the common symbols of Islam, Christianity and Judaism in a circle, as if it were an arabesque design. I chose this circle as the meeting point because the circle is a symbol of the heavenly realm in Islamic symbolism. This is not to say invalidate other religion’s symbols of divinity. Since the project is Islam and peace, it made sense to use Islamic symbols as frameworks of peace. I chose to populate the symbol of the heavenly realm with symbols of all the Abrahamic faiths to show their shared belief in the afterlife and one god. This is to emphasize similarities, rather than differences amongst them. This is not an inclusion to the exclusion of polytheists, atheists and other types of faith. But the three Abrahamic religions are particularly close since they are part of the same religious lineage. Their idea of the afterlife, God and the supernatural are more similar to each other than other faiths. Therefore, it is aesthetically and ideologically consistent to show that they share similar divine space.

I used their most common symbols for recognizabilty but also for the fact that these symbols are often used to differentiate amongst the faiths. This is not a problem in and of itself. However, symbols are also used to perpetuate difference and exclusion. For example, extremist groups of all religions use their symbols as sources of pride. The Crusaders used the cross. Zionist settlers wear the Star of David. The Young Turks flew the star and crescent. The irony is that these symbols were not always emblematic of their faith. It may even have represented an idea contrary to their faith, such as the star and crescent or cross once having been polytheistic symbols. Since monotheism rejects polytheism, this may seem paradoxical.

However, it is also strikingly poetic since it also represents continuity. All monotheists have polytheistic heritage and traditions. In a way, this can be comforting because peoples and customs can never be wiped out. It is disingenuous to say that a part of the past does not represent us since we did not yet have xyz religion. Our important aspects, our human qualities, fear, love, hate, rage are constant. The idea of an age of “darkness” and “ignorance” is ridiculous since we did not become inherently brilliant or moral, for having a certain religion. Yet people try, as seen in ISIS’s and other extremists’ attempt to destroy pre-Islamic history and heritage. Despite the fact that these “non-believers” were the ancestors of the modern people, their statement is that “they” are not part of us. Non-acceptance in the diversity of one’s past can be seen as the first step toward non-acceptance in diversity outside a narrowly constructed community. If one portrays as “other” portions of one’s own heritage, by comparison, it is remarkably easy to view as “other” those who do not share their created heritage.

Thus, I use symbols to represent faiths despite their contested heritage and use as objects of exclusion. Symbols can represent our whole history and heritage or none at all, depending on the user. Those in a certain group identify with those symbols can and have used them for either good or evil. In this case, within the context of Islam and peace, I chose to use the symbols of Islam and other religions as a context for interreligious co-existence. Rather than using these symbols as means of exclusion, those who use Islam and other faiths as a path to peace can appropriate its symbols to that end.

 

FAITH

 

BY MARIYA LI

I chose to make an art piece that could bring together different people and can relate to a larger audience, even if they, like me are not Muslims, neither speak Arabic. In order to do that I chose a word that can be related to a number of themes and interpreted differently by the audience, "faith" and wrote it in English but with an Arabic calligraphy style. I chose this word because I believe it inspires hope, which is also portrayed through the eyes in the background of the painting. Personally I interpret the word as "faith in humanity", whereas others may think of it in a more religious setting. My goal was to bring people together through the artwork; English and Arabic, believers and non-believers towards the same end goal of peace.