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).

  

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. 

SALAT

By Riya Berri

The title of my artwork is "Salat" which means "Prayer". I chose this title because it represents my painting as there is a silhouette of man shown praying in front of a mosque. This title is also very symbolic as it is the first pillar of Islam. The style I used is free hand drawing and painted it with oil paints. I used the “stroking” method in which I used a thin brush and kept stroking it to give a strong impact for the blue sky. I also used “knife painting” to show the rusty beige effect for the mosque with a pink base to add color.  The knife used has a pointed tip, and a lowered trowel which suited my painting on canvas. The blade can be of different lengths and shapes: triangular, rectangular or more diamond like. I also tried to give the floor a marble impression by painting it grey and using a sponge to make it realistic. I intentionally used the blue sky as “blue” is depicted as peace for me. I did not give my figure an expressions or facial features as I wanted my audience to concentrate on the bigger picture rather than the smaller details.

 

My statement:

 

We were asked to draw anything related to 'Peace and Islam" which actually mean the same thing. The first thing that came to my mind was praying because that’s the first thing you do to devote yourself to God. The importance of the prayer in Islam cannot be understated.  The importance of the prayers lies in the fact that no matter what actions one performs in his life, the most important aspect is one’s relationship to God, that is, one’s faith (imaan), God-consciousness (taqwa), sincerity (ikhlas) and worship of God (ibaadah).  This relationship with God is demonstrated and put into practice, as well as improved and increased, by the prayer.  Therefore, if the prayers are sound and proper, the rest of the deeds will be sound and proper; and if the prayers are not sound and proper, then the rest of the deeds will not be sound and proper, as the Prophet himself stated.

Praying makes me feel at peace, it makes me feel at ease. It helps me talk to someone and let out all my feelings. It helps me realize that there is a greater being in this world that is looking out for us and that is God.

The artist who influenced me:

Vancouver-based artist Mohamed Somani is an artist that inspired me to paint this piece. Somani finds inspiration in the Qur'an and Muslim history, and evokes some of these stories on canvas.  I loved the simplicity of each of Somani’s paintings; it has a powerful message even though it’s quite simple. That’s what I look for in an artist, someone to inspire you to draw and paint better in the most beautiful ways. I looked at a few artists who drew the Taj Mahal. The Taj Mahal would be significant as I tried to replicate the tarnished look for my mosque in the painting. A few artists had mastered “knife painting” really brilliantly and I was truly inspired to try it out.

My biography:

My name is Riya Berry and I am originally from India but born and brought up in Dubai. I’ve grown up and evolved with Dubai itself, I have seen it change drastically and become bigger and better each year. Being such a multicultural society, Dubai has taught me how to respect each one’s culture. Being in this class reminded me of how much I love the culture here and how much it has influenced me as a person. Since I am Indian, I do not know much about Islam and neither so much about art but being here and actually drawing and painting about “Peace and Islam” really brought the best out of me.

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References:

http://www.lacma.org/islamic_art/intro.htm

http://www.muslimheritage.com/article/introduction-islamic-art

http://www.theismaili.org/heritage-expressions/artists-draw-inspiration-their-muslim-faith-and-culture

To Come

By Reem Sabobeh

My final art project was going to be a mix medium artwork tackling the central idea of diversity of women in Islam. Despite my enthusiasm as well as deep interest in this issue, I delved into a more intense theme that has been on going for many years. My switch is still very relevant to women and feminism. Therefore, I made sure my final art project holds true meaning and virtues that are present and relatable to everyone in today’s world.     

Coming from a heavily cultural background that is of Palestinian and Jordanian origins, I decided to incorporate my roots into my work. Even though it has become a cliché to say so, nonetheless, my strive and goal was to simply try to portray the state of every Palestinian woman living on the occupied land. Whether it was during the Nakba, the house raids, or a casual walk on the street, Palestinians are under constant watch and danger. The women of the houses, whether it was the grandmother, mother, aunt, sister, or even neighbour, each Palestinian woman has felt some sort of fear to the people amongst her. Specifically towards the men of the house, who are regularly humiliated, captured, or abused for even the most trivial reasons. The woman is always in fear that her man might not make it back home. She is always yearning for the second she hears his footsteps at the doorway. Only then, she is relieved... almost.            

After ample research on the Internet, I also went back to my own family photo albums where I had more personal, more emotional insight at certain family member I haven’t even met. It was a fusion of emotions that ended with me ruining some photos because of the tears that had been shed on them due to my high level of sentiment.

I will be photographing portraits of women who do and don't identify with the typical stereotype of a Muslim woman.

But perhaps a novel, along with its cover art, captivated me the most. After studying both thoroughly, I decided to recreate this image as my final project.

            I recreated the cover page of the book. I titled it, “To Come”, referencing the wait that is to come for the Palestinian woman. Or the anticipation that is to come as she eagerly longs for his return. It can even be the news that is to come of her man’s state. It can be interpreted in many ways, but it is all hinting to the wait this woman is going through as she patiently sits and waits. I focused on showing the Koofiyeh in the back, as well as the embroidery of the dress, or Thob.  The artwork carries the theme of patience amongst turbulence.            

For this piece I used Acrylic paint of various colors. I ended mixing ample of them. As the avid lover and student of arts, as well as frequent painter I am, I seek refuge in painting since it is liberating. The strokes of the brush become extremely soothing and relaxing through out the process. The dimensions of the canvas are 40x40 cm.

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References and Links:

·         https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_of_the_Arab%E2%80%93Israeli_conflict#Paintings

·         https://www.pinterest.com/pin/355995545518266967/

·         https://www.pinterest.com/rahabsaleh/palestinian-art-and-embrodiery/

·         http://www.esquireme.com/culture/7-arab-artists-banksys-dismaland

·         http://universes-in-universe.org/eng/nafas/articles/2011/framed_unframed

·         http://fineartamerica.com/featured/palestinian-woman-sylvia-stone.html

·         https://www.pinterest.com/abuayman2009/palestinian-magnum-opus-%D8%A7%D8%A8%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%B9/

·         http://booksqarabic.blogspot.ae/2016/01/nardeeenb.html

·         http://www.kataranovels.com/%D8%B7%D8%A8%D8%B9%D8%A9-%D8%AC%D8%AF%D9%8A%D8%AF%D8%A9-%D9%85%D9%86-%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D9%82%D8%AF-%D8%B4%D8%BA%D9%81%D9%87%D8%A7-%D8%AD%D8%A8%D8%A7-%D9%84%D9%84%D8%A3%D8%AF/

Ikhtiyari

By Raveena Kriplani

According to the Oxford dictionary, ‘Islamophobia’, is defined as dislike of or prejudice against Islam or Muslims, especially as a political force. The uprising of extremist terrorist groups fighting in the name of Islam, have led to dire consequences for the rest of the world. The direct, or most obvious, are the lives lost in the wars waged by such groups. However, the indirect consequences are more threatening to the Muslim world since people who instigate such terror, tarnish the name and reputation of the Islamic religion. This leads to stereotyping and generalization of Islam, and through this generalization a fear of Islam and Muslims arises.

My piece was inspired not so much by a particular artist, but in fact by a recent event that took place in Texas, United Sates. It occurred soon after the Paris terror attacks; a group of individuals referring to themselves as the “Bureau of Islamic Relations” protested the influx of Syrian refugees into the U.S outside a mosque in Texas. The protestors were dressed in facemasks and carrying loaded guns. They felt that such an anti-Islamic initiative was necessary to show force and, quote, ‘was a solution to Islamic terrorism’. The juxtaposition of the modestly dressed Muslim woman in a picture that was taken at that time, and the veiled man carrying the gun, both infuriated and inspired me. This picture highlights the irony of how such people have begun to associate the hijab with oppression or terrorism, meanwhile they are confidently wielding firearms and covering their face – doing exactly what they are supposedly against. Imagine the height of ignorance and fear that exists about Islam, only then would rational human beings consider threatening people on their way to worship, a holy place, where one comes to find inner peace, and defiling the concept of Islam in such a derogatory manner.

            The West, and the United States in particular, advocates the first amendment as being so crucial and giving their people the right, and the freedom to live the life they choose. Hence, my artwork is titled “ikhtiyari” which translates to “my choice” in English. Everyone, should have the right to live and dress as they wish, this definition cannot be restricted to everyone except Muslims, but must include them as well.

            In my painting I chose to depict a woman wearing the hijab, with her eyes looking out at the word “my choice”. The word is inscribed in a circle, which in Islam is a key geometrical shape since it represents God’s infinite nature. In addition, the circle is shaded like a purple sky, because I wanted to highlight that a Muslim individual’s choices are a reflection of the all mighty above (thus heavenly) and not influenced merely by material things. Moreover, I wanted to portray how the hijab, at the root of Islam, is nothing but a sign of modesty. I focused on her eyes to show her courage and defiance - I wanted to display an independent woman who will not bow her gaze down to anyone but God, and that is why her eyes are a prominent feature.

I am not a native Arabic speaker, though one of the reasons I painted the word my choice in Arabic instead of English it is the language of the Qu’ran which makes it a more powerful choice of language to use to convey my message. Furthermore, I thoroughly enjoyed the kufic calligraphy sessions we did, and that also motivated me to try searching for a slogan in Arabic. I used both oil and acrylic paints in this piece and I chose incorporate the colour gold in it due to the religious symbolism associated with it; it is one of the colours of Paradise.

I have been born and resided in Dubai all my life and I wanted to include something in my piece that is representative of the Islamic region that I live in, hence I chose to sieve through some sand from the desert, and used this technique to complete the background as a spiral of gold and sand.

List of references:

(1) http://mic.com/articles/129226/here-are-the-most-staggering-images-of-gun-toting-men-outside-a-texas-mosque#.pUeCrBbTi

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.

Al Salam

By Israa Darwish

In this painting, the two men have two completely different situations. The first man is simply praying and trying to get closer to God for maintaining his inner peace. The second is an old man whose life is one of those poor and exhaustive lives. This man is terribly in need of a shelter that can embrace and free him from all of the discomforting ideas and worries, and it seems to be found already. The two men are of different skin tones but this is completely neglected because Islam is a religion of equality and fairness. I used verses "ayat" from the holy Qur'an that mentioned peace to stabilize our thoughts about peace in Islam. The first aya is about the different names of God and one of these names is "AL SALAM" which is "THE PEACE''. The second is asking believers to come in with peace, while the third reveals the source of peace which is heaven.

Muslims should speak!

By HANI JAWHARI

Technique: oil painting

Style: surrealism

Description: a tongue tied up with metal chain and a lock on a red and black background with white color in the middle and white waves downside and some green leaves are growing from the tongue.

The painting symbolizes the suppression of Muslims everywhere and in many different ways, and the importance of change and breaking all the shackles of misunderstanding and mistreatment by speaking and using words as a powerful weapon. The change started in the Arab spring and it should grow and continue to be a Muslim spring especially in these dark days    

Islam is as a religion and a lifestyle is a true caller for peace, human rights and equality where it shows in almost every aspect of this beautiful religion. This art work is influenced by the political and social environment, globally and locally and the misconception of Islam as a religion of blind mislead savage people while it’s actually the opposite. Plus the Arab spring that’s taking over the Middle East and the people are having the power of expressing their opinion without being afraid of anything. Muslims had gone through bad times of misjudging and provoking their freedom to practice their basic human rights which is freedom of speech and expression from both their own governments and western antimuslim radicals. Plus a wrong understanding and practicing of Islam that lead to fear and absence of democracy; which is one of the essentials in the Islamic lifestyle and even the religious side. While the Quran and Sunna are full of evidence about that people tend to ignore that and hide it in the shadow.

Freedom of speech in Islam:

Islam in text and practices applied democracy and freedom of speech in all aspects of a Muslim lifestyle and considered it essential in decision making first and pointing out the wrong actions, and there is a lot of evidences such as  "و أمرهم شورى بينهم" where god is saying Muslims must consult their civil matters with each other to guarantee Muslims happiness and well-being. Even the prophet Mohammad used to counsel his followers and friends in most of Muslims general issues according to gods order to him in Quran "و شاورهم بالأمر". Also when the prophet was asked about the best jihad he answered that the best jihad is saying the truth in front of an unfair and wrongful ruler as in the hadith

 "سئل رسوا الله: أي الجهاد أفضل؟ فقال كلمة حق عند سلطان جائر" . Plus many incidents about the prophet telling the people to be brave and say the truth whatever it takes, even encouraging Muslims to say nice thing and call for values and manners loudly . The prophet also used to teach us that everyone should know his rights where even within the family should be democratic system and the members should express their opinions openly without being scared, which leads to a healthy atmosphere for the families and society to grow and develop and this is what happened actually.

Muslims in the golden age of Islam used to follow up and investigate the caliphates actions and even integrate them in public if they suspected anything until things are cleared out, everything in the state was being done openly and truthfully and people were actually allowed prosecute the ruler on public with evidence and something like a jury , which is the highest levels of democracy and freedom ever.

Islam the religion of peace and mercy and that shows from the smallest to the essential matters of Islam, our greeting itself is a prayer for peace and mercy. And our message in life is spreading peace and love among the nations by obeying the same truthful god.

I did this art piece cause believe that Muslims should speak and fix all the misconception about Islam within Muslims and non-Muslims and explain how Islam is an icon of human and civil rights and a peace maker. And I used this way and this style to deliver my message through symbols and illogical scenes with photographic precision allowing our unconscious to express itself, even with the proper explanation and description I wanted to leave some space for the observers to let their imagination go and maybe see what I didn’t see through this painting.

And as I believe this is the point of art; to deliver a complicated message to the people by touching their feelings and being indirect plus giving them some joy while watching and experiencing this painting.

I really enjoyed doing it and I hope I did my duty as a Muslim and human to say what may want to say in such beautiful way, thanks.

Salam

By Sameh Guirguis

I chose the word ‘Salam’ as it indicates peace and purity in Islam. The word Salam is used in everyday greetings by Muslims saying ‘Al-Salaam-Alaikum’ meaning ‘Peace be upon you’. This greeting is used by Arabs when they come across friends or even strangers reflecting their friendly and peaceful nature towards anyone who lives among them. Moreover, the word peace is one of the ninety nine names of Allah which reciprocates the feelings of harmony. In addition to its importance in Islam, peace is a word that is significant to every religion. There is no religion that would preach hatred to the other. In fact, if this word is truly practiced it will achieve unity and love among the diverse people of the world. Furthermore, what appealed to me the most is the dire need we have for peace during the current times in our region, the Middle East. It is the time for war to come to end.

For my art work, I wrote the word ‘Salam’( peace) in Arabic calligraphy. The medium is acrylic paint. The word Salam is in white paint and the background is a mixture of dark and light blue that mixes smoothly into each other. The light blue highlights the word Salam letting the word standout in the picture. I chose the blue colour as this colour represents peace of mind. It is also the colour associated with the sky where one can look for a sign of hope and to find tranquility. The last letter in the word Salam( سلام)  has been designed to represent a dove which is an age old resemblance of peace. Art is a powerful tool that can be used to influence people’s emotions. As artists, we have a responsibility to use our talents to make this world a better place. I hope that every artist would come to this realization.

The artist that influenced me was El Seed as he is one of the artists that uses the art of calligraphy in such a way to unify and bring peace to his country and the world. He makes his artwork visible as a voice for freedom of expression in art in the region. He inspires me the most by his aim in changing old buildings to a piece of art that can be visited by a lot of people to spread a certain message.

My name is Sameh Guirguis. I am a third year architecture student at the American University in Dubai pursuing an undergraduate degree. I look forward to using my knowledge of architecture to make a positive impact. 

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.

Karam

 

BY MOWADA ARIFI

My artwork is entitled Karam, which means Generosity. Although it is a word of three letters in the Arabic alphabet, it has a great and deep meaning for Muslims. It is considered to be the basic element of life for Muslims. Islam has an obvious relation to peace because the ideal behavior that God asks people to follow is based on generosity, peace, and humility.

Muslims believe that everything on earth originated from god and will return to him even their souls. Thus, people have to behave as all of what they possess belongs to God and they have to protect, preserve, and share with others in order to satisfy God and have peace.

Many people attack Islam and describe it as a religion of terrorism. They claim that Islam teaches people to be aggressive and not to help others. However, the main approaches of Islam are generosity and forgiveness that are considered the main principles of peace. Those people have to study and look at the history of Islam and the ideal behavior of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him). Islam asks Muslims to forgive others even if they hurt them. Islam asks Muslims to forgive and not hurt their enemies. For instance, the Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) asked Muslims to not kill or hurt the people (his enemies) who the Muslims captured in one of the battles, and he freed them after he asked them to teach Muslims how to read and write.

Islam is the religion that asks people and encourages them to be generous and kind to others without expecting anything back from them. Thus, to be a true Muslim, people have to help others and give and support them freely. Being generous and kind in Islam is not about just giving money to others, but it is more about helping and supporting others by giving them advice, money, and knowledge. In addition, the concept of generosity in Islam includes treating other people nicely and smiling in front of them. The concept of generosity in Islam is not about giving others things that people do not want anymore, but it is about sharing what they have and love with others. As Ibn Abbas said that he heard the Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) saying, “the believer is not the one who eats when his neighbor beside him is hungry”. Also, according to another companion who heard the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) saying, “the believer is simple and generous, but the wicked person is deceitful and ignoble”.

Therefore, peace is not a small part of Islam, but it is the main core of Islam. All of what God asks Muslims to do has a good impact on them. He rewards Muslims who adopt generosity as their main characteristic by offering them good life and promises them paradise. God says in the Qur'an that he will reward the generosity of a believer. “And whatever you spend in good, it will be repaid to you in full, and you shall not be wronged.” (Al-Baqarah 2:272). That is why one of the names of God in Islam is Al Kareem, The generous. In addition, the best example of generosity is the Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him). The Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) is famous for his ideal behavior and characteristic of being generous and kind. He was the most generous of people especially in Ramadan.

The impacts of being generous on Muslims’ lives are great. It helps them get rid of being selfish. The more they give to others, the better they feel. It gives them a feeling of unity and equality. They all care about each other, and there are no differences between rich and poor or white and black. Moreover, Islam guides people toward peace by asking them to be generous in term of knowledge. Muslims who are well-educated have to help others and declare the wrong concepts of life for them. Generosity in Islam is not limited to the relation between human themselves, but it also includes the good behavior of treating animals and the environment around them nicely because it is gift from god, so people should protect and preserve it.

Furthermore, generosity was one of the factors that helped in spreading the Islam in early times. There were a lot of people, who were fighting against Islam, and became part of it after they saw the generosity and simplicity of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him). He was kind to non-Muslims as well and that was what softened their hearts and made them convert to Islam.

Therefore, that is how peace engages in the religion of Islam. Islam is the religion of justice. Muslims do not have to be taught the concept of peace in schools because it is already inherited inside them by their Islamic attitudes. Non-Muslims should not attack Islam and say it threatens the peace of the world due to some Muslims’ wrong behavior. Therefore, my message is that being kind to others enables people to love, respect, and care about each other. Thus, if people adopt the ideal characteristics of Islam that God asks them to follow, peace will be all around them.

I came up with the idea of generosity and Islam that leads to peace because I was inspired by the Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) and his ideal behavior that attracted most of people to Islam. Then, I did a research on the subject of Islam and peace along with generosity. I found out that many scholars have discussed the relation between generosity and Islam in what they believe Islam is all about peace. As Shaikh Abdullah Bin Bayyah states, “It is certain that the Qur'an insists against murder, the Qur'an equalizes the injustice on one soul to the whole of humanity. Islam prohibits the intimidation of others, even in a joking manner. A Muslim relationship with others is one of friendship and companionship.” (Bin Bayyah). He believed that the relation between people in Islam that is based on justice and kindness is the ideal approach of peace. Also, there are many scholars mentioned that the good deeds and generosity of people make others remember them more than their high position or wealth. Moreover, the relation between generosity and peace is adopted in people’s hearts. For example, Warren Buffet, who is one of the richest men in the world, gave 85% of his fortune to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to help the foundation pursue its longstanding goal of curing the globe's most fatal diseases and improving American education. Thus, this shows how the generosity can make people’s lives better and leads them to peace.

For my artwork, I chose to have the word Allah written in Arabic with calligraphy style of Salman Khattak because Al-Kareem (the Generous) is one of the ninety-nine names of Allah. The calligraphy is written on A3 cardboard to give a rough surface that help the colors to stand out. Then, the colors I chose symbolize nature that was created by God. The white color symbolizes purity and peace. The green color symbolizes paradise, and the red color symbolizes passion. The blue color symbolizes heaven for me where the sky and God dwell. Also, I added small pieces of crystals on the calligraphy part to reflect the purity and beauty of Islam. In addition, I added a text that refers to God's generosity and God who loves generosity to emphasize my message that is about the main concept of generosity in Islam.

In addition, I was influenced by Salman Khattak, a contemporary artist who is famous for the combination of the Arabic calligraphy and texts of the names of God and verses from the Qur'an. He is skilled in scripts ranging from copperplate to italic to Gothic styles. He is also interested in Arabic and Western calligraphy.

Furthermore, I am Libyan. I have lived in different countries, but now I am staying in Dubai. I am a student at the American University in Dubai, and I am majoring in Interior Design. I am interested in studying Islamic history, calligraphy, architecture, Design, and art. I believe that Islamic art is one of the most interesting subjects to study due to its deep meanings.

In conclusion, Islam is all about peace due to the precious values and characteristics that Allah and the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) ask Muslims to have.