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When seeing a certain National Geographic photo of a Tunisian woman, circa 1912, the viewer's eye is drawn to her elaborate headdress, flowing garments and elegant profile. On closer inspection though, the woman's unusual right earring draws forth, slowly garnering attention until it is the dominant part of the photograph.
But what about the earring is it that's so compelling, asks Diane Apostolos-Cappadona, a professor with the Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at Georgetown University in Washington D.C. It is the shape of a hand, the thumb and pinky turning outward – the so called Hand of Fatimah, a traditional symbol of protection against evil and bewitchment, among other things.
Widely believed to be representative of the "visual modality" – a sort of visual connection between iconography, cultural themes, religion, form and figure and, of course, gender – the symbol is often overlooked in Islamic art. Some of that mystery was lifted last week in an evening of scholarly discussion in Washington, D.C. where Cappadona explored the shifting perceptions of women in Islamic art by focusing on the Hand of Fatimah.
Islamic art itself often receives little treatment by textbooks the world round, Cappadona said. The abstract nature of Islamic art, coupled with an emphasis on calligraphy tends to be pushed aside with focus instead on European types of art such as figure study, sculpture and scenic paintings.
But one "cannot rely on standard written text to understand what art is about," Cappadona argued. "Art must be recognized within the realm of economic and political power, the meaning of which is open and changing" regardless of religion or culture.
And though standard textbooks often dismiss the notion of Islamic art, there is a "place for art in Islam if we enlarge our meaning of art," Cappadona noted. "At its best Islamic art draws viewers to the fundamental essence of an idea, concept or event."
Most Islamic art focuses on the abstract, as the depiction of human images is deemed inappropriate. Yet female images do appear, Cappadona said. She divided women in Islamic art into four categories: Objects, lovers, moral examples and heroines.
One of the most famous - and often mysterious - Islamic art images is that of the Hand of Fatimah, which exemplifies the youngest daughter of Prophet Muhammad (saaws). Her hand is seen as protection for women against evil, infertility and other illnesses and is more revered by Shiite Muslims than Sunni Muslims, Cappadona said.
Cappadona spent a year in Egypt and Europe searching for the Hand in jewelry stores and sidewalk vendors. In Cordoba, Spain, she found it, of all places, at a Jewish jewelry shop. "I asked the shopkeeper 'What is this?' He said 'You should buy it because you're a woman.' But he wouldn't elaborate on what it was."
Then in Granada, Cappadona found the symbol in four or five shops, where all the jewelers recognized the piece as the Hand of Fatimah, but refused to surmise upon its meaning. One jeweler told Cappadona "all Catholic grandmothers come to buy this when a female infant is born."
These experiences led her to the discovery that the Hand of Fatimah, though primarily deemed to be an Islamic symbol, crosses religious lines to Christianity and Judaism. "I came to find similar pieces, like the Hand of Moses and such," Cappadona said. "The meaning of the symbol is the same, but it is used by multiple religions."
The symbol itself, often ensconced in the shape of an earring or pendant, shows the right hand (always the right, Cappadona said) but has varying symbols on the hand – an arabesque design or perhaps an "evil eye”. In Jewish shops the Star of David was on the hand.
Early textbooks interpreted women in art as female saints, a role model of a ideal mother, or a wife or daughter in a subordinate position accepting the role of quiet passiveness. But the Hand of Fatimah takes those interpretations to the other side, Cappadona said, to highlight the strength of women, her strength to procreate, nourish children and hold the family together.
"At its very [base] the Hand is a symbol of protection," she said. "So if Fatimah is seen as the protector, it goes a long way to show that women play a vital role in life in keeping people safe than just quietly sitting by and letting others protect her."
What Cappadona did not discuss, however, were the religious implications of The Hand of Fatimah. While it does have artistic value, the symbol has its origins in superstition. Therefore most Muslims would eschew its actual use for anything other than decorative purposes. But it nonetheless remains a recognizable artistic symbol from the Muslim world.
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