· Please recall one of your past research/essays/artworks. Did apply any of the principles that Duncum mentions in the article? Which one? Please briefly state how this or those principles you are applied in the research/essays/artworks
In my woodcut print titled “Du’a (Supplication)”, I utilized Duncum’s ideas of representation to comment on the way Islam is portrayed in western society. It is frustrating for me to see the way that the media often depicts Muslims, we are accused of being extremists who repress woman and follow strict suppressive laws. However, this is the exact opposite of the truth: Islam is a religion of peace. It is the people who claim to be followers of Islam, but who warp it to justify their own political agenda, and don’t actually follow the religion at all, who tarnish Islam’s image. These people allow western society to remain unaware of the reality, and this ignorance can result in people unjustly being aggressive towards fellow Americans, who happen to be Muslim, because they have a negative “us vs. them” mindset. These negative stereotypes are obviously harmful to society.
In my piece “Du’a”, I wanted to remind people of the fact that Islam has been around since 600 years after the founding of Christianity. I added a historical pattern that has been used to decorate many mosques, yet I made it look fragmented to represent the way that Islam’s image has been damaged, but also that I have hope that through having a dialogue, we can restore the truth and respect people should have for each other. The person shown is praying for this. In Hollywood films, the actors wearing a similar style of headwear to the subject in the print are often portraying negative stereotypes. However, it is just a cultural/traditional and historical Arab fashion, one that was worn to help ward off the scorching desert heat. I wanted to turn this show this in a different context, so that it is not thought of as a symbol for the Hollywood Arab. I made the print blue as a reference to the “Persian blue” used in Persian/Iranian decorative Islamic arts. There is a lot of beauty in the arts of Islam, and I wanted to reference that in my piece.
When people look at this piece, I hope that it can spark an exchange, a conversation between them, so that they may question the news that is fed to them, that shapes their world views. Only then will America/the West have respect, knowledge, and understanding for the way that harmful stereotypes have affected the Muslim community, in America and elsewhere.
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