philosufi

A Bleak Tie Affair: Sword Imagery in Muslim Fashion

Recently, Deborah wrote on article on Sakina Design in which she quoted Miles Young, Global CEO of Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide who I had the distinct pleasure of hearing lecture at the 2010 American Muslim Consumer Conference. She quoted one of his most important thoughts from the lecture:

Islam is not strongly enough associated, in this country, with design: with graphic design, with the arts, with fashion or creative design. And in this sense it differs from the minority Muslim communities in Europe and certainly from the majority Muslim communities. And let me tell you, art and design diffuse fear. They normalize, they soften...

Islamic imagery tends to fall into very few categories: crescents, stars, Arabic calligraphy, the hamsa, and swords, to give some primary examples. The idea that Islam was spread by the literal sword far more than the metaphorical one (i.e., the sword of truth) has been pretty well investigated and debunked repeatedly (agree, disagree, agree), but the strength of that idea and the iconic images of the sword die hard. (Some of it is propagated by Muslims, since it helps bolster the ego.) The problem is that it feeds the fantasies of Islamophobes, and helps justify their ideas that Islam and Muslims have always been and continue to be bloodthirsty and violent. We are our own worst enemies in this regard. Here is perhaps the most egregious example I've seen in the recent past:

This tie was created in November 2010 by Iranian designer Hemat Komeili. Iran has generally disapproved of Western-style neckties since the 1979 revolution. Allegedly in the early days of the revolution, men with ties were detailed and their ties were cut off. (I should emphasize these are rumours I've heard but haven't been able to confirm.) Komeili, sensing a deep sartorial gap, went to Islamic history and modeled the tie after Imam Ali's famous scimitar, Zulfikar ("bifurcated"). Komeili says that his tie has been approved by some of the "sources of emulation" (probably sounds better in Persian). He says it appears beautiful like a tie, in addition to being based on Islamic values. The inscription is based on a hadith of Prophet Muhammad, "There is no hero but Ali and no sword except Zulfiqar," after Ali's use of the sword to defeat a tremendous warrior during the Battle of the Trench.

It's a powerful historical symbol that means a lot to some Muslims, and in particular Shi'a Muslims (since it was Ali's sword). But if dawah through neckwear is your thing, check out these ties from Zazzle. They look good. (I rather like a few of them, like the Alhambra Elegance.) And you're not wearing a friggin' sword around your neck! Could you really wear this to any interview other than one for an Iranian government position? I'm not picking on Islam here. I'm picking on design that makes the wearer look…questionable. There are similar examples that aren't Islamic (e.g. this or this).

Perhaps the most famous visual association of the sword with Islam is on the flag of Saudi Arabia. Now I realize I'm treading on dangerous ground here, not qualifying my statements with history and context. My point is simple: sensibilities and understandings change as history unfolds and we encounter each other in all our diversity. Most people won't take the time to learn your context – they will only ever see it in theirs. Perception is all that matters. Moving people away from the idea of all Muslims being frothing-at-the-mouth nutjobs, and toward the realistic understanding that of the 1.57 billion Muslims in the world, only a tiny fraction is barking mad, requires (among things) a significant exercise of rebranding through design. It might not be the single most important thing, but it's not as trivial as some might think. That was Miles Young's point: art and design aren't negligible. They are critical elements of communicating with others. (It's one of the reasons we are selling T-shirts rather than handing out pamphlets expounding our philosufi.)

Drop the swords, yelling, and screaming. Change comes from within. Enough with the swords. Even taking into account the strongly aniconic elements of Islam, our tradition has such a mindblowing history of art and design – I mean seriously, when you see some of the simply stunning examples of Islamic calligraphy or Islamic architecture, is a sword really the best we can do? Really?

Every Day is Ashura: Lamentations and Lacerations

As we mentioned recently on our Facebook page, we have been going through a difficult time. From just before Eid-ul-Adha (one month ag0) until now (Ashura), there have been something like nine deaths (it's so many I'm losing track) in Neman's extended family, including his aunt and uncle who were the matriarch and patriarch of the clan (and had been married for 66 years). Most of those who have died have been ill and/or quite elderly, but this string of tragedy included the utterly shocking news that Neman's teenage cousin in Germany suddenly collapsed and died on her way into school one morning. No one knows why. Her grandmother died later the same day, in India.

In the last few days, friends of ours have also lost loved ones, both quite suddenly. It's gotten so that I don't want to answer the phone anymore, or read e-mail, or hear any news from anyone, because it always seems to be bad. In fact, the news of the ninth death came while I was writing this post.

Inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi raji'un. To God we belong and to God we return.

Now it's Ashura, and in addition to grieving all these losses, we are mindful that our Shi'a friends are grieving and commemorating the martyrdom of Hussein ibn Ali at Karbala. (Some Sunnis also fast on this day, for other reasons which you can read about on that Ashura link.) Many Shi'as observe this occasion with dramatic displays of grief, including matam (chest-beating) and tatbir (self-flagellation/self-mortification), and the news is typically full of graphic, bloody images from these commemorations. ("If it bleeds, it leads...") It is a time, for many, of lamentation and laceration (of both body and spirit). And just speaking for myself personally, I think it should be a time for all Muslims to reflect on the sectarian hostility and violence that characterizes too much of our tradition, and the pain of our division as a community.

In researching Ashura a little, I found an interesting blog entry from a few years ago, covering an Ashura procession on Park Avenue in New York City. The author provides what he calls a "ludicrously short primer"  on the Sunni/Shi'a split and Ashura, along with photos of the Ashura procession. Is this done every year in NYC? Or was it a one-off? If you know more, please post in the comments. Either way, it's intriguing to see how this event was carried out in North America.

I also discovered that in recent years there have been calls from many quarters, including several prominent clerics, to channel the powerful impulse to spill one's own blood in observation of what happened at Karbala into the practice of blood donation. One's losses can be transmuted, literally, into others' salvation. For example, in the UK, the Islamic Unity Society is urging Shi'as to give blood. Founder Dr. Marwan Al-Dawoud says: 

"If people want to self-flagellate, it's up to them," he said.

"What we're saying is that this is a time when we feel that Imam Hussein gave something of himself.

"Use that message and give blood because it's something that is good for society.

"It's saving life at the end of the day and there is no greater gift from God."

Similar campaigns have happened or are underway in places like Turkey, Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Bahrain, Pakistan, and, I'm sure, other places. While the religious studies scholar in me totally gets and appreciates the ritual of tatbir, I think there's also something to be said for the meaningful redevelopment of religious practice, too. There's a place for both rituals. And for those of us--whether Shi'a, Sunni, another Muslim sect, or perhaps not even Muslim--who'd like to commemorate Ashura without tatbir, blood donation is a worthwhile option. What's not to like about having a choice?