Muslim Artists Reflect on 9/11
| By Dilshad D. Ali |
11/02/2002 |
It was a remarkable juxtaposition of sound and vision. In Synod Hall of the beautiful and renowned Cathedral of Saint John the Divine in Manhattan, the adhan (call to prayer) echoed eerily through the rafters, melodiously reaching out over the enraptured audience until it seemed to pierce every heart in the church. It was a befitting start to an evening dedicated to showing a different side of Islam - a side rarely highlighted by the media in the past months.
American Muslim artists reached out to New Yorkers last week with "Reflections at a Time of Transformation," a musical, poetical and artistic event sponsored by the Asma Society that offered prayer, sympathy and strength to a city wounded by the events of September 11th.
Nationally acclaimed and local artists, including jazz greats James Blood Ulmer and Barry Danielian, violinists Dilshad Hussain Khan and his son Summer Khan, poet/journalist Michael Wolfe and artist Salma Arastu performed poignant five minute tributes to New Yorkers.
Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf set the tone by touting the importance of art in Islam, noting that Muslim artists are guided by the divine awareness. "God has treasures beneath the throne, the keys of which are the poets," said Rauf, paraphrasing a hadith (a saying of the Prophet Muhammad). He then offered comfort to the audience, saying, "Death is a bridge that unites friend with friend … remember the greatest friend is our creator."
In the small, dimly candle-lit hall artists took to a small stage and performed for a packed crowd. Danialian, a trumpeter who has played with the likes of Dizzy Gillespie and Tito Puente, roused the audience with his music, filling the hall with a joyous call to the elation of Islam.
"Blues music is akin to Islam," Danielian said. "The principles of faith, love, patience and good manners [are the same in Islam]."
Khan and his son then performed a song dedicated to the police, firemen and "beautiful audience of New York." The duo began with mournful chords reminiscent of traditional Pakistani string music, and then broke into a series of short, desperate bow movements presenting the fears and anxieties of the rescue workers. Summer played long, luxuriant notes echoing the serenity of faith and of the beauty of Allah. The combination displayed a powerful interpretation on the terrorist attacks, mixing the fear with tranquility.
As powerful as the musical performances, were the poetic readings. Daniel Abdal-Hayy Moore, who has published numerous books of poetry, read a poem directly addressing the horror of the terrorist attacks. He called the terrorists "hell-bound perpetrators," reciting visceral descriptions almost too vivid to hear. Many audience members seemed shaken while drawn to his words.
Wolfe, who is working on a much-anticipated documentary about the Prophet Muhammad (SAW), read a short poem called "The Bearers." Wolfe said the immediacy of television made the attacks intimate to all who watched. His poem spoke of the mourners who carried photos of their lost loved ones in the days after the attacks. One stanza presented a vision of a world mood after September 11th:
We are onlookers
No Longer. A pinched candle coils
In my forehead. We are bearers
In a country joined by silent screens,
Thinking as they go there, We are with you.
Following the performances, audience members mingled with artists and viewed various exhibits on the perimeter of the hall. One piece by celebrated calligrapher Mohamed Zakariya showed a part of a hadith: "[Let there be] no harming and no returning of harm for harm [in Islam]." The hadith was written with homemade ink and mounted on aged paper with a handmade border of marbled paper.
Zakariya, who is maybe most noted for his design used on the Eid (holiday) postage stamp, said Islamic art has ethical and moral dimensions, and Muslim artists must work to present the beauty and peace of the religion. "Islam is really a soft thing - not hard," he said. "We must approach each other with softness. Revenge, suicide bombings, they have no place in Islam," he added.
One large painting by Salma Arastu entitled "The tragedy is not over yet" depicted the World Trade Center towers burning, with plumes of smoke spreading over the painting. On the right side stark black planes loom towards the tower while on the right one-eyed people mourn the attacks. The painting, done in red, white and black, drew much interest.
Another powerful piece, displayed at the entrance of the hall, was a large charcoal drawing by Huda Totonji entitled "Universal Connection." It showed a young girl in hijaab (women's head scarf) bowing her head, hands cupped in supplication to Allah (swt).
Daisy Khan, director of the Asma Society, said the Totonji piece was a good introduction to the event. "It's very beautiful in its movement. It shows the innocence and simplicity of prayer, which is what Islam is about. That's what we wanted to show New Yorkers."
