{"id":4198,"date":"2013-02-14T12:42:23","date_gmt":"2013-02-14T04:42:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/muzlimbuzz.sg\/?p=4198"},"modified":"2013-02-14T12:54:13","modified_gmt":"2013-02-14T04:54:13","slug":"%e2%80%98muslim-art%e2%80%99-and-why-you-should-support-muslim-filmmaker-lena-khan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/simplyislam.sg\/muslimbuzz\/%e2%80%98muslim-art%e2%80%99-and-why-you-should-support-muslim-filmmaker-lena-khan\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Muslim Art\u2019 and why you should support Muslim Filmmaker Lena Khan"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cHodja Effendi,\u201d<\/em> the classic short tale begins,\u00a0\u201clast night I was passing by your house and I heard a lot of commotion. What was all that racket?\u201d
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cNothing serious. My wife just threw my coat down the stairs,\u201d <\/em>the wise man replied.
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cBut Effendi, how could a coat falling down the stairs make that much noise?\u201d
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cAhh. You see\u2026 at the time, I happened to be in it!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

The gregarious tales of the legendary Nasruddin Hodga have engaged and amused people for centuries. Beneath the mystical slapstick and mischievous satire, however, bubbles timeless wisdom. I\u2019ve often chuckled at this short story without giving it much thought. But just what is Nasruddin telling us? What is all the noise and commotion? What does the coat represent?<\/p>\n

A couple weeks ago, The Leaf Network co-hosted American playwright, author and commentator Wajahat Ali and renaissance man, actor, musician and activist Riz \u2018MC\u2019 Ahmed (star of Four Lions and upcoming Hollywood film adaptation of the novel The Reluctant Fundamentalist) for a provocative and interactive exploration of the power of storytelling.<\/p>\n

The second event of our\u00a0Staging the Ummah <\/em>series, a collaborative effort between The Leaf Network and Radical Middle Way, began with live unplugged storytelling, with the audience enjoying comic, theatrical, poetic and occasionally sombre offerings. For the second half of the evening, we moved on to an intimate discussion with Wajahat, Riz and the audience in our absolutely packed-out venue \u2014 we\u2019ll have the video up on YouTube soon.<\/p>\n

Wajahat spoke about empowering Muslim writers, producers and others working in the arts, imploring Muslims to be the protagonists of their own stories; to write more instead of just being written about. He shared his personal struggles of seeking validation within his own community and made some jovial comments about moving career aspirations of the Muslim community beyond the usual suspects (such as medicine, engineering or accounting).<\/p>\n

Riz highlighted the challenges of imbuing emerging artists with the confidence and determination to succeed. He spoke of working towards a normalisation of Muslims within television and cinema \u2013 both in front of and behind the camera \u2013 when someone being a Muslim would be simply coincidental rather than overtly defining.<\/p>\n

What followed in the conversation with the audience was a deep sense of frustration with how Muslims are depicted in film and the media in general. \u201cIt\u2019s one thing having Muslims portrayed as dangerous foreign terrorists, but it\u2019s another when Muslims themselves take on these roles\u2026 It\u2019s counterproductive<\/em>,\u201d one person remarked.<\/p>\n

Another member of the audience spoke about the lack of women playing positive roles, and the real difficulty of Muslim women breaking through multiple layers of the proverbial glass ceiling, first and foremost within their own communities and later within the arts industry itself.<\/p>\n

We noted how the \u201cotherisation\u201d of Muslims in film perpetuates the false notion that Muslims are foreign, disloyal or a burden to society. Furthermore, it tells Muslims that they are not welcome and permits a culture of prejudice, flaming the fires of anti-Muslim sentiment already rampant through society.<\/p>\n

A brilliant article entitled \u201cHollywood Loses the Plot\u201d by Professor Hamid Dabashi on the Al-Jazeera website takes this further, as he considers the dangerous political ramifications of the culture industry, particularly the role of Hollywood.<\/p>\n

What was interesting for me was the sense of healing that took place simply by providing that safe, alternative space to candidly explore and share reflections on the state of \u2018Muslim art\u2019. Much of the framing of this conversation was inspired by the likes of Usama Canon, whose pioneering work with the Ta\u2019leef Collective in California has brought to life the power of the third space. It was as if the questions from the audience, particularly those involved in the creative industry, unearthed the bruises they had taken as the Muslim narrative itself had been battered on the big screen.<\/p>\n

I then recalled Nassrudin\u2019s coat. The story suddenly made sense.<\/p>\n

Muslim Art & Its Role<\/h3>\n

It would seem the Muslim community at large has, for so long and for so many different reasons (some almost justifiably so), disregarded the critical importance and power of the arts. Just like Nassrudin\u2019s coat, we carelessly throw our \u2018art\u2019 down the stairs without much thought \u2014 even if it is by our inaction alone.<\/p>\n

Our concept of art is cheap and unsophisticated. We\u2019d rather not pay for it, let alone value its production or nurture emerging artistic or create talent. \u2018Islamic\u2019 art is reduced to beautiful Arabic inscriptions made out of plastic and run off a production line in China.<\/p>\n

This is where Muslim community institutions, movers and \u2018Sheikh-ers\u2019 can play a critical role. The Muslim narrative is battered, bruised and lies there almost lifeless at the bottom of the stairs, sometimes humiliated, and exposed for all to see.<\/p>\n

The truth is that we\u2019re all guilty of this. I recall spending some time driving Isam Bachiri, lead singer of the Danish band Outlandish, around London a few years ago. As we spoke casually, he sifted through my CD collection and with tongue-in-cheek grace, he asked, \u201cWhat\u2019s this, bro?\u201d He was holding up a pirated CD of his latest album, with the words \u201cOutlandish \u2013 new stuff\u201d scrawled on the bottom. You can imagine how embarrassed I was, so I\u2019m glad he laughed it off, but I see now how damaging this behaviour is.<\/p>\n

[box_light]Nietzsche wrote,\u00a0\u201cWe have art so that we may not perish by the truth.\u201d<\/em>[\/box_light] <\/em><\/p>\n

Art is so powerful because it is able to articulate something deep inside of us, concealed truths, better than we could ever express ourselves.<\/strong> It is beauty and majesty manifested. It shapes the way we think, sense and perceive the world. It is all around us. In becoming producers of art, and not just being consumers, we can learn more about ourselves and our stories. We can be honest about our past, realistic about our present and hopeful about our future trajectory.<\/p>\n

\u201cCopy a Hollywood film and call it our own\u201d<\/em> raps Pakistani-Danish Waqas Qadiri, another of the Outlandish trio. Waqas here sheds light on the culture of imitation and plagiarism that is ironically rife in much of the creative industry; Muslim creativity sadly falls prey to this time and time again. This is evident beyond the arts and culture world, and is even present in our religious programming and teaching.<\/p>\n

There is a great brilliance in authentic expression; during our event, Wajahat powerfully remarked that in being true to your story you allow others to feel safe to authentically express their stories too. In the words of Marianne Williamson,\u00a0\u201c\u2026as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same\u201d<\/em> \u2014 but I digress.<\/p>\n

Muslim Treatment of Muslim Artists<\/h3>\n

Time and time again, we fail, as a community, to nurture our artists. We reduce them to merely entertainment addendums. Singer songwriter Dawud Wharsnby Ali tackles this beautifully:\u00a0\u201cI\u2019d like to think there\u2019s more\u00a0to be\u00a0than just a human MP3. More to see and more to do than\u00a0offer up a song or two.\u201d<\/em> Canadian duo, The Sound of Reason, lament on another reality that faces so many Muslim artists, as they open a track on their new album with the words: \u201cI\u2019m so down and tired, I wonder if it\u2019s worth our time.\u00a0It\u2019s kinda hard to get by\u00a0getting paid in smiles\u2026\u201d<\/em> Thankfully they go on to sing about why their art is so important to them. As a community, we owe it to ourselves to serve our artists better.<\/p>\n

Where is that spirit that inspired Rumi, who, even seven hundred years after his passing, remains America\u2019s bestselling poet? Where are the minds that made the majestic Alhambra Europe\u2019s greatest tourist attraction? In every capital city you will find museums in which \u2018Islamic Art\u2019 enjoys a high status, yet almost all of it is historical. The beauty and transcendence that we have given the world through our art remains one of Islam\u2019s greatest legacies, but can we harness this spirit to make our art a living legacy for all to experience and enjoy?<\/p>\n

So what now? What needs to be done? Well, there is good news: there\u2019s something you and only you can do, and so I hope you\u2019ll indulge me. American curator Thelma Golden asks us in a TED talk entitled \u201cHow Art gives Shape to Cultural Change\u201d to:<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026think about artists not just as content providers,\u00a0though they can be brilliant at that,\u00a0but as real catalysts\u2026 not always just simply about the aesthetic innovation that their minds imagine, that their visions create and put out there in the world, but more, perhaps, importantly, through the excitement of the community that they create as important voices that would allow us right now to understand our situation, as well as in the future.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Luqman Ali, playwright, poet and founding artistic director of the UK-based Khayaal Theatre Group, delved into the subject in an address to Muslim leaders at a Forum in Italy in late 2012.<\/p>\n

[quote]He said,\u00a0\u201cThe greatest asset we must liquefy to forge engagement with the world today is in our art. It is this soft and subtle power that is the perfect antidote to all the hard and cold power we see on our televisions and in our politics. It may be subtle, but it is powerful. Communicating through the prism of art and culture is higher than any other discourse; when you speak to people through a discourse of dogma you automatically create a dichotomy; us and them. When you communicate through story you transcend this dichotomy, your audience has no choice but to live some aspect of your story. The Arabic word \u2018Qasa\u2019 for story means to follow in the one\u2019s footsteps, so to engage in story is to invite people to experience your very footsteps\u2026 We have plenty of people spewing dogma unless we balance this equation we will find ourselves continually complaining about stories that our antagonistic to the spirit of our faith\u2026 We must empower and support our artists; believe me, this is what the world is waiting for.\u201d<\/em>[\/quote] <\/em><\/p>\n

His words ring true in so many ways. Just a couple weeks ago, it was announced that Yusuf Islam (formerly Cat Stevens) will be making key contributions to the soundtrack of the forthcoming biopic starring Ashton Kutcher as Steve Jobs, the founder of technology giant Apple.<\/p>\n

Muhammad Ali, after giving a lecture at Harvard University one evening, was famously asked to give an impromptu poem. He paused for a second and then replied, \u201cMe. We.\u201d A simple but profound sentiment: the individual is inextricably tied to the wider community, and when the \u2019we\u2019 is suffering, it\u2019s time for all the \u2018me\u2019s to step up. The Prophet, peace and blessings upon him, likened his community to a body \u2014 when one part aches, the whole body aches. There is a great wisdom in this. The question is, what can we do?<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/h3>\n

Support Lena Khan & Ridwan Adhami<\/h3>\n

I\u2019d like to put forward two brilliant projects that are seeking support from the wider community. Your support may be minimal but you could really make a massive difference. Truly, every little helps, and I\u2019d like you to consider these two initiatives as communal projects for the benefit of all.<\/p>\n

First is Lena Khan\u2019s film \u201cThe Tiger Hunter.\u201d Set in the 1970s, this story features a clever young man who comes to America on a quest for success and love in a hilarious story of ambition, failure and misfit friends. Lena has spent almost a decade working tirelessly on this film, and after raising several hundreds of thousands of dollars, she needs your support to cover that final stretch. Your investment is crucial and her Kickstarter page allows you to see exactly how your pledge will be used to turn this unique film into a reality. Please visit her site and make a contribution:\u00a0http:\/\/www.kickstarter.com\/projects\/879784241\/the-tiger-hunter-a-feature-film<\/a> Little or large, you can be a part of the Tiger Hunter story that is, God willing, coming to a cinema near you soon.<\/p>\n

The second project is Ridwan Adhami\u2019s \u201c366* Photos a Day Limited Edition Art Book.\u201d In an artistic struggle spanning a whole year, photographer and creative director Ridwan, who works under the name \u2018RidzDesign\u2019, took one photo every day during 2012. He now wants to create a coffee table art book to share the images and stories. I\u2019ve been following Ridwan online since he began the project at the beginning of 2012; it really gave me a newfound appreciation for the intricacy and beauty of photography.<\/p>\n

Ridwan is not trying to make money. He simply wants to share his art, and I really hope you can help turn that dream into a reality. Just $40 gets you this hardcover 12\u00d79-inch-high quality case-bound colour print book. There are just hours left to support the project and get your hands on this one-of-a-kind unique initiative. Don\u2019t delay, pledge today! Here\u2019s the site:\u00a0http:\/\/www.kickstarter.com\/projects\/ridzdesign\/ridzdesign-366-a-photo-a-day-2012-limited-edition<\/a>For those who can give more, Ridwan has put up some great incentives. Check out and share the page, and most importantly, buy the book!<\/p>\n

Just like Lena and Ridwan, there are so many artists around the world striving to remedy the state of Muslim art. They are essentially picking up the dusty, tattered coat and marching on with pride. Muslim artists both local and international, need your support. It may start with a \u2018Like\u2019 on Facebook, a re-tweet, a Kickstarter pledge (seriously, support Lena and Ridwan now!) and a song download, but if we are to truly realise the potential we have as a dynamic global community raised to serve the world, then each and every one of us must critically engage with, in some way or form, the wondrous world of art.<\/p>\n

[divider]<\/p>\n

This article is written by Dr Bilal Hassam and is a repost from the original “<\/a><\/strong>Nasruddin\u2019s Coat, thoughts on \u2018Muslim Art\u2019 and why you should support Lena Khan and Ridwan\u00a0Adhami”<\/a> <\/strong>from GoatmilkBlog.com<\/a> <\/strong>that appeared on 8th February 2013.<\/em><\/p>\n

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\u201cHodja Effendi,\u201d the classic short tale begins,\u00a0\u201clast night I was passing by your house and I heard a lot of commotion. What was all that racket?\u201d \u201cNothing serious. My wife just threw my coat down the stairs,\u201d the wise man replied. \u201cBut Effendi, how could a coat falling down the stairs make that much noise?\u201d […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4199,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[52],"tags":[1746,10,2353,873,872,2357,2355,2354,2352,2356],"class_list":["post-4198","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-perspective","tag-bilal-hassam","tag-featured","tag-lena-khan","tag-muslim-art","tag-muslim-artists","tag-muslim-films","tag-ridwan-adhami","tag-the-leaf-network","tag-the-tiger-hunter","tag-tiger-hunter"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/simplyislam.sg\/muslimbuzz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4198","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/simplyislam.sg\/muslimbuzz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/simplyislam.sg\/muslimbuzz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/simplyislam.sg\/muslimbuzz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/simplyislam.sg\/muslimbuzz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4198"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/simplyislam.sg\/muslimbuzz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4198\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4203,"href":"https:\/\/simplyislam.sg\/muslimbuzz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4198\/revisions\/4203"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/simplyislam.sg\/muslimbuzz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4199"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/simplyislam.sg\/muslimbuzz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4198"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/simplyislam.sg\/muslimbuzz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4198"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/simplyislam.sg\/muslimbuzz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4198"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}