We believe in Peace! Islam and Peace Art Workshop

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

Peace Art in Dubai with my students - Fall 2016

Peace Art in Dubai - Fall 2016 with my students at the American University in Dubai.
When visual arts tell the stories of peace makers.

Salah: A Journey of Spiritual Elevation

Rana Abd El Moti Mohamed

Description of Installation:

Many of us spend our lifetime in search of a path that will lead us to inner peace, a quest that is highly emphasized in the teachings of Islam. The struggle to attain ultimate peace lies in the complex nature of man, created of both physical and non physical qualities, as described in Islam one can only achieve true inner peace once they are able to fulfill both their forms. Allow me to invite you to experience, first hand an installation that inter-operates the experience of Prayer Salah (meaning to connect in Arabic) as described and symbolized in the Sunnah and Hadith of the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH). Through the filming of nature, the core symbolic imagery described in the Hadith, the visuals have then been altered to reflect an alternate reality, to bring alive another layer of stunning predominant Islamic art form, which is the use of abstract and geometric art. I have chosen to alter the imagery to reflect this unique and intricate form of art that is recognised by Islamic artists to free the mind of the forms of the physical world, allowing one to contemplate on the metaphysical realities that are described in Islam, ultimately elevating one’s spiritual conscious. Please step on the mat, to embark on a journey of great peace and beauty. This is the spiritual journey of Salah.

Why prayer in Islam?
Prayer is a journey all on its own, from the moment the Adan prayer call is made, which under it all Muslim people are unified regardless of their age, gender, social class, or nationality. All are requested to answer to their Lord. To begin the prayer one must go through the process of both physical and spiritual cleansing, as they preform Prayer is a journey all on its own, from the moment the Adan prayer call is made. After one is cleaned the worshipers gather side by side, shoulder to shoulder, united, all facing the same direction, with the words Allah Akbar (God is Great), recited once more to begin the prayer, just as it started the Call dropping the titles of every man, and pulling them out of the physical world, to stand in between the Divine hands of their creator.

Peace in Prayer?
Nevertheless, peace in prayer does not only lie in the physical or observable qualities that can be comprehended by the human mind instead, it lies in what the mind cannot comprehend or witness, and that is secret journey that one embarks on, as they preform this act of worship. A secret journey that can only be revealed through the Sunnah and Hadith of the Prophet (PBUH). In the Hadith imagery and symbolism are used to describe this experience, using elements of nature which are of great purity and beauty, furthermore, these elements that according to the teachings of Islam await mankind in Paradise in its most extravagant forms. Depicting the act of prayer as a journey that one makes several times a day to Paradise, in their fully conscious state. As the description of prayer is strongly connected with that of nature, one should being to feel a greater sense of unity and harmony with the universe as a whole.

How does this Art Form represent the concept?
I had first intended to put together a short a film with the actual visual imagery that I had captured that was derived from the Hadith (using river, trees and mountains), but as I began putting the film together, I lacked any sense of elevation or spiritual awakening with in me, thinking to myself here I am representing a journey that is hard for the human mind to comprehend yet, I am using visuals that are fairly common to see and understand. I wanted to capture the eyes of the people, and elevate their spirits, freeing their mind of the physical world, and allowing them to create their own interpretations of the metaphysical reality that is still guarded by the core representations of Hadith. Struggling, I turned to our class material for answers, only to be reminded of the image of Kabaa and the pilgrims engaged in prayer. Only to grasp that through prayer amazingly patterns, shapes and symmetry are created, so why not incorporate this element into the film! Using the foundation of Geometric and Arabesque art that we have been introduced to in class, I have altered the imagery to represent the shapes that symbolize Islamic concepts, like the Octagon=Paradise, Circle=God, Square= connection between earth and heaven. To elaborate on the harmony and the infinite patterns the shapes create, representing the nature of Divine God. Despite how beautiful the descriptions of Prayer may be to the Muslim, the experience of standing in front of the the all Mighty is not intended to be easy and therefore, I wanted to translate the essence of fear, as we wander together in an alternate reality.

Hadith
Nature Element:
1. Flowing Water
In the hadith narrated of the authority of Abd Huraira the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) is reported to have said. while in the hadith narrated by Bakr (the words are like this) : He heard the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) as saying: just see, can anything of his filthiness remain (on the body of) any one of you if there were a river at his door in which he washed himself five times daily? They, said: Nothing of his filthiness will remain (on his body). He said: That is like the five prayers by which Allah obliterates sins. or Jabir b. 'Abdullah reported that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: The similitude of five prayers is like an overflowing river passing by the gate of one of you in which he washes five times daily Hasan said: No filthiness can remain on him.
2. The Tree
Also used as a reference to prayer. I visited the Prophet during his ailments and he was suffering from a high fever. I said, "You have a high fever. Is it because you will have a double reward for it?" He said, "Yes, for no Muslim is afflicted with any harm but that Allah will remove his sins as the leaves of a tree fall down.”
3. The Mountains
Described symbolically with the form of a mountain in other versions of the Hadith “When the worshiper stands up in prayer, all his sins are brought and placed upon his head and shoulders, so whenever he bows and prostrates, they fall from him." [Bahyaqi, Tabaraani, authenticated by Al-AlBaanee]
 ----------------------------------------------------------

References
• Dr Pamela class material (Blackboard)
• http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/default.aspx?pageid=438&n=the-search-forunity-
8211-geometric-patterns-in-islam-2010-07-16
• http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2095263513000216
• http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/t/teachers-resource-maths-and-islamic-art-anddesign/
• http://www.alartemag.be/en/en-art/the-crucial-role-of-geometry-in-islamic-art/
• http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam/art/art_1.shtml

Unity in Diversity

Zeena Abu Al Saad

 

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

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

             

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  

Al Salam Alaikom

Tasnim Al Sayed

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pray for Muslims

By Samer Arwani

I called my piece of art “Pray for Muslims” following whatever we had to see on Facebook after Paris terrorist attack on the 13^th of November 2015. We all feel sorry about that bloody Friday that broke our hearts especially the ones who visited Paris before and they do have unforgettable memories over there. On the other hand, at that day I personally got offended seeing “Pray for Paris” everywhere while my country, Syria, is being bombed every day since five years. Over these five years, I did not see this much attention toward the people who are getting killed there with no mercy. Over these five years I did not see a lot of people posting about Syria and about the misery life Syrian people are living over there. This paper is dedicated to describe my piece of art “Pray for Muslims” explaining my ideas and thoughts about the influence of media on the Islamic world.

            The message behind the piece of art “Pray for Muslims” is to represent the contradiction of the global media whether its social or visual media. I personally believe that the global media is redirected to serve the desires of a selected class of people who really want to destroy the peaceful image of Muslims. This controversy starts with including all Muslim countries in the list of what is known as the “third world” countries which means the poor and backward countries; however, we can clearly see that most of the Muslim countries do have an acceptable, if not a good, economical level which other “first world” countries do not have. For the sack of this argument, let us assume that we are “third world” countries. Does not this mean that we need special care from the rest of the world? Is not this a part of the equality the world is pretending to follow? Equality does not only mean to treat all people in the same way instead, it means that we should treat each person according to his or her needs in order to ensure that all people are at the same level. “Pray for Muslims” piece of art represents how the global media focuses on the smallest terrorist attack that was POSSIBLY done by Muslims and pays a huge attention toward it, while on the other hand, hundreds of Muslims are getting killed every day in different regions either because of a terrorist attack or because of army forces bombing them. I am not saying that whatever happens in the western world is something easy, and I am not saying that the number of people getting killed over there is relatively small so I do not care; I am trying to deliver the message that the value of a human soul worth too much there compared to the value of a Muslim soul getting killed over here in the region. The global media is influencing the public opinion by focusing and exaggerating the news of 30 or 40 people getting killed in the western world, while on the other hand, the media barely focuses on the hundreds of people getting killed every day in Syria, Iraq, Palestine, Afghanistan, and other Muslim countries. Now while I am writing this paper on Microsoft Office Word I just realized that Islam and Muslims in not even a world in the dictionary of Microsoft Office. I believe this is an insult to Muslims and it is a shame for Humanity.           

            describing the piece of art “Pray for Muslims”, the piece of art is a Photoshop picture that was created by taking some pictures from the internet and combining them all in one frame in order to deliver my message. The board is an A3 board (594mm X 420mm) and it was printed using the Matt technique. The reason behind choosing the Matt technique is that it provides a better visual representation especially for dark colors which were used intensively to represent the destructed building on the right side of the board. An A3 size was chosen to ensure the best quality in terms of printing to prevent any pixelated pictures. Concerning the colors choice, I intended to choose dark colors on the right side of the board to better represent the destruction and the misery lives Muslims are living in their countries. In addition, bright colors were used on the left side of the board to represent the luxurious life that does not really need to be focused on its limited needs. The left side also shows a camera lens showing how the global media is focusing on the single bomb coming toward the western world, while ignoring tens of bombs destroying cities on the right side of the board. Another message I tried to show is the fact that all the bombs in the picture (on the Eiffel tower and on the Buildings on the right side) are all coming from one direction which is the direction of the common enemy of the world who is the enemy of peace. Finally, I hope that the piece of art “Pray for Muslims” would make a difference and would make people look at the issue from a different perspective.

            I was asked to mention the artist who influenced me; however, I really had no one influencing me except Facebook pages that are full of pictures that can be of a great influence without us knowing. I do remember that I have seen something similar to my piece of art over the internet; however, I tried my best to look for it but I could not.

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

            I also was asked to write a short biography about myself and I would say: my name is Samer Arwani and I am a Civil Engineering Syrian Student who is studying at the American University in Dubai. I am Currently in my last year and I will be graduating in May 2016. My fields of interest include reading political and historical books and articles especially those related to my country Syria.          

Ramadan

By Saeed Kargar

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

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

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

And how Ramandan is related to peace?

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

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

Beards

Saeed Al Hefaiti

      My artwork project is an art piece for humanity and for all people in the world whether they are Muslims or non Muslims. It's a piece for all religions and nationalities. It's an artwork that represent peace and against racism. I called it " Just Hair" . Just Hair as shown in the picture above; the picture above is a clip art represent just a beard and mustache. My artwork will be something similar to this. It will be a long beard and mustache without a round face that is abstracted . What I mean with abstract is that this round face will not show any face features like " eye, nose, or mouth" . It will be a plain face with  just a beard and mustache . In the middle of the face will be a question mark. This question mark will gives a space for the audience to think and choose what kind of man will be in that face. Then, depend on this decision , they will judge the beard. The point from the artwork is racism. Recently, for the past ten years , Muslims have been criticized for their beards . And each person who had a beard has been criticized and called terrorist. This started to be a signature for terrorism when an Arab man had it. Each person had a long beard from the Middle East called terrorist from western perspective. Even in western movies when they view Arabs , they viewed them with long ugly beards. In addition, this is not the case only in west. In the Middle East after Arab Spring people started to be scared from beards. A lot of people shaved their beards especially who are in the levant because they are afraid to be caught or considered as a part of ISIS " Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" . And on the other side there are some people who were afraid to shave their beards in Syria and Iraq , so ISIS do not accused him that they are not religious . Thus, beards was a crucial point in the recent years . But surprisingly last year , the beard was the trend and the style of the year for all people in the east and the west. Most of the men were having beards and not any beard. They keep their beards to grow longer and longer. Most of models and celebrities went with the beard trend. Maybe this started in the middle east after the Turkish series released " Hareem Sultan" , men started to imitate Sultan Sulaiman. And also there is another Arabic series " Saraya Abdeen" where Qusai Khoule " a Syrian actor did a big role and men started to imitate him. And maybe this trend extended to the west. The point from the name "Just Hair" that it's just hair that did not represent any terrorist action that's why people took it as a style later . It's like a hairstyle that varied each season. It's just a hair growing on the face nevertheless associated with racism.

        "Just Hair" will be done on A3 carton paper and the paint is water colors and markers. The technique is drawing. 

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

          There is a drawing which is a cover book called " The Gigantic Beard That was Evil" by Stephen Collins. This book showed that even if you grow a beard you will not change your personality. The man in the book when he grew a beard , people thought that he is evil. But the author stated that the beard has never has links with any evil actions as well as terrorism. In the drawing the beard man sits behind a desk, he is posing holding a pen preparing himself to write. The whole painting drawn with pencil by Collins. The man's face features almost are not shown because of his giant beard that it reach the ground. I chose this picture as a reference because it sent the same message that I wanted to send through my artwork project. Racism has not been mention in any religion or culture, and it should not be existed.

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

        My name is Saeed Al Hefaiti. I started university in 2011, my major was business but I change it to international studies. My interests are Football. I like playing and watching Football, and watching movies. 

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.

 ----------------------------------

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