An Introduction To My Blog
I identify as a Muslim, a Nigerian, an American, and a Woman. My youth was filled with weekly Sunday School classes, where I learned enough Arabic to read the Qur’an and took classes simply entitled “Religion”. Sunday School ended in high school, but my desire to learn about my religion did not. Entering college, I welcomed the opportunity to learn about my religion in an academic setting. With Professor Ali Asani’s course, for once I could spend my time studying something I could personally relate to.
The syllabus for “Aesthetic and Interpretative Understanding 54: For the Love of God and His Prophet: Religion, Literature, and the Arts in Muslim Cultures” states that “An important aim of the course will be to explore the relationships between religion, literature, and the arts in Muslim societies, together with the ways in which historical, political, and cultural contexts influence these expressions.” Looking back at this semester, I believe that we have reached this grand goal. We have achieved a lot this semester. We have surveyed the differing Muslim practices over a huge part of the globe, from the practice of Drinking Koran in Sudan, to the Taziyeh in Iran, to the experience of Muslims Americans in the aftermath of 9/11. We have been given a brief, but thorough, history lesson on the spread of Islam and discussed the more recent Iranian Revolution. But by far the most enjoyable part of the course for me has been Professor Asani’s use of Multimedia Resources to expound on these topics. From calligraphic art, to documentary and fiction films, to music, practically no artistic medium was left untouched. Growing up with a traditional Islamic education, some of the things shown in class were shocking to me. For example, I was surprised to find that figural depictions of the Prophet Muhammad are popular in Iran. I had always been taught that figural depictions of humans and animals, even including photographs of family members were forbidden in Islam. I also was under the impression that there was “one” Islam, and that Muslims all over the world worshipped in more or less the same way. This course has really opened my eyes to the diversity of the Muslim experience and has actively worked to overthrow this idea of “one” Islam. This is also what I tried to do with my blog. Although my blog posts address many themes that came up during the class, one overarching theme supported by my blog is that Islam is not monolithic; it is not a static or unchanging religion. This is one of the biggest lessons I have taken out of the course, and I hope to portray this idea to others through this blog. The other themes present in my blog are: Merging the Traditional with the Contemporary, Breaking Down Stereotypes about Islam, Music and Islam, The Cultural Studies Approach, and The Inherent Beauty of Islam.
Merging the Traditional with the Contemporary
A goal of this course was to combat religious illiteracy. Some ways that religious illiteracy manifests include: failure to recognize that religion is embedded in context; using religion as the exclusive explanation for someone’s actions; holding an entire religious community responsible for the actions of a few extremists; and viewing religion as monolithic. One way I sought to show that Islam is not an unchanging religion was to merge traditional Islamic elements and art forms, with Contemporary and Western mediums. My blog post “An audition for Husain” is the most obvious example of this. The Ta’ziyeh is a passion play commemorating the martyrdom of Imam Husain, a very important figure in Shi’a Islam. This art form is exclusive to Shi’a Muslims in Iran, and is the only form of drama that comes from Islam. I really enjoyed learning about the ta’ziyeh because theater is a passion of mine. In Sir Pelly’s translation of the ta’ziyeh The Miracle Play of Hasan and Husein, I saw a similarity to the plays of Shakespeare. This inspired me to create a video in which I read from the play in a hypothetical audition for the role of Husain in the play. In this way I took a traditional Islamic art form, the ta’ziyeh and merged it with the contemporary practice of recording audition videos, thereby bringing the ta’ziyeh into the modern age.
This theme also applies to my blog post “A Reluctant Ghazal”. The Ghazal is a traditional form of poetry, especially popular in the Urdu language. There is a long-standing tradition of poetry in the regions where Islam first started, and the ghazal is a way for me now, to connect to that culture. I created a new interpretation of the ghazal by combining it with the 2007 novel by Moshin Hamid, The Reluctant Fundamentalist. This novel recounts the story of Changez, falling in love with a woman in the throes of mental disorder, and falling out of love with America, his home for four and a half years. By making Changez the narrator of the ghazal, I am able to use an old art form to interpret new events.
Breaking Down Stereotypes about Islam
The theme of breaking down stereotypes goes along with the effort to combat religious illiteracy. Since 9/11 Islam has been portrayed particularly negatively in Western media. Negative stereotypes have arisen, such as: Islamic countries as ‘backwards’, Muslim men as bearded terrorists, and Muslim women as abused sheep unaware of their own oppression. I sincerely hope that my blog as a whole can break down some of these stereotypes. My blog post “#MIPSTERZ” was created for specifically this purpose. There is this conception, especially in Western media, that the hijab is a mark of a backward culture and oppression of women. Even within Muslim countries some Muslim women who advocate against the hijab frame it as advocating for freedom, as shown on page 5 of Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis. However this does not have to be the case. Women can wear the hijab, and dress conservatively, while still being fashionable and trendy. The #MIPSTERZ Youtube video “Somewhere in America”, showcases young Muslim women who are able to do just this. Their name #MIPSTERZ perfectly encompasses this idea. The word “Mipster” comes from combining Muslim with Hipster. The twitter hashtag and Hipster style are current social media trends, and connecting Muslim to these trends shows that Muslims can be trendy. My photoshoot was inspired by this video. Although I do not choose to wear the hijab daily, I take offense to the way the hijab is manipulated into a hateful symbol, by people who are not even Muslim. I hope my photoshoot is able to show that the hijab does not have to be an opposition to Western ideas of style.
The Cultural Studies Approach
A theme repeatedly revisited in the course, was the concept of the cultural studies approach. This is a way of examining Islam, and all other religions, while taking into account the fact that Islam is embedded in context. Islam has spread to many vastly different regions of the world, and these different cultures have affected the way that Muslims practice in those regions. The most common way for people to learn about a religion is to practice said religion, a devotional approach, or to study the sacred texts, a textual approach. But, this Cultural-Studies Approach is necessary to have a more complete understanding of all the subtleties of a religion. In my blog post “What I wish others would know” I attempt to diagram the different ways to study religion, while putting an emphasis on the cultural studies approach. I chose to make a graphic design to convey this idea because it is a fast and clear way to get my message out. The style and bright colors are intended to attract a young college educated audience, and the medium is great for sharing with friends through social media.
Additionally, the diversity of my blog as a whole is an attest to the cultural studies approach. My blog posts use Islamic art forms that span many different regions. The “An audition for Husain” post draws from the Iranian ta’ziyeh, the “A Reluctant Ghazal” post uses the Urdu ghazal form, and the “#MIPZTERZ” post highlights an American Muslim experience.
Music and Islam
The permissibility of music is a controversial topic in Islam. In a video we watched in lecture, Salman Ahmed sang a verse of the Qur’an while strumming the guitar. This short display inspired angry reactions from the Muslim men he was conversing with in the relatively moderate madrasa. I, along with other Muslims in the class, was shocked by this as well. Because we are taught that music is Haram; the idea of singing the Qur’an is unheard of. However Salman’s beliefs are along the lines that, if his music can bring peace into people’s hearts then God must not be angry. I am more inclined to support Salman’s beliefs, than the idea that all music is Haram. This view can be seen in my first blog post “ A Transcendent Recitation”. In this I took a beautiful Qur’anic recitation by Seemi Bushra Ghazi, and translated it into musical notes, creating an otherworldly musical track. Even as I made this I wondered if this exercise was somehow wrong. But in the end I rationalized it because the track is not meant for popular entertainment. Instead this aural translation can be used to connect non-Muslims to the beauty of the Qur’an without them having to understand Arabic.
The theme of music comes up again in my #MIPSTERZ photoshoot. In one outfit I am wearing a t-shirt for the band Skillet, a Christian rock band. I chose to wear this because music is very important to me, and forms another big part of my identity, even though I am Muslim. And I am able to listen to a Christian rock band because they promote many of the same ideals that I have as a Muslim. In fact I would rather listen to their lyrics, than to the poisonous lyrics of much of popular hip hop and pop.
The Beauty of Islam
Above all else, this course reminded me of how beautiful Islam is. This beauty comes from the Qur’an, the sacred text. In Islam there is this concept of Ijaz, or the “inimitability” of the Qur’an. This is the concept that no human speech can match the beauty of the Qur’an, which is proof of its divine origin. One example of the beauty and poetry of the Qur’an is the famous Light Verse, which inspired my blog post “The Lamp”. This can be interpreted as a beautiful comparison of Muhammad to a Lamp, and the light of Prophethood. I tried to capture some of this beauty in my graphic design, incorporating some names used for the Prophet. My blog post “A Transcendent Recitation” also highlights the beauty of the Qur’an. I was inspired to create a music track by the soothing voice and beautiful melody of Seemi Bushra Ghazi’s recitation. I feel like her recitation in particular highlights the idea of the Qur’an as “sacred sound”.
To conclude, I would like to thank the Professor, Teaching Fellows, and Guest Lecturers for a unique and eye-opening General Education course. To whoever is reading this blog, I hope this art inspires you to abandon any misconceptions about Islam and appreciate the diversity and beauty of Islam.
