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Inna lillahi wa inna ilahi raji’un

“Dr Allama Iqbal says, “O’ Allah, what an exalted position Imam Husayn possessed, as his illustrious father (Imam Ali) was the first letter of the Qur’an! A tradition says that Imam Ali said, “What is in the Holy Qur’an is in the first chapter (Surah Fatiha); what is in this surah (chapter) is in the first verse (Bismillah); what is in Bismillah is in its first letter (Ba) and I am the dot below ba. Doubtless Imam Ali was acknowledged to be the best expounder of the Holy Qur’an. The Holy Prophet had himself declared: “Ali is with Qur’an, and Qur’an is with Ali”. ”

more of Gulgee’s art work/paintings here

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A Press TV Report

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A Press TV Report

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This they justify on the basis of the absurd non-logic that “Muslims need to do internal self-critique, and that Muslims in America need look at “our” own concerns” and this means (amongst other things) that “Muslims pay too much attention to Palestine”

Lost in this non-logic is, of-course, the huge hand that America has in creating the horrible conditions for everyone in Palestine, in Iraq, in Afghanistan – and in so many so-called “third world” nations. As if that is not “our” (i.e. Muslims in America) concern, as if we, Muslim taxpayers of American, have no hand, and therefore have nothing do with American imperialism.

And as if, as Muslims, we should somehow not be concerned about the oppression and injustices being faced by our sisters and brothers – regardless of the cause, and regardless of our own complicity.

However, there is an ayat in the Qur’an that suggests that if Muslims turn their back on their faith, then Allah will raise a people who will not fear struggle in the face of any condemnation.

I understand this ayat in the context of so many other ayats of the Qur’an and so many ahadith of the Prophet and the Ahlul-Bayt that emphasize that the struggle against oppression and for justice is an integral part of faith. And to shy away from this struggle, in the face of critics, is to turn one’s back to one’s faith. But that, while the people who carry out the struggle may change, the struggle for justice will continue.

And so without further commentary – I thought it was like oh so very cool to see that the Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela in Washington D.C. is going to have an exhibition on Palestinian art – indeed it appears more of a resistance art. If you are in the area, do check it out!

When: May 3rd, 2007

Made in Palestine at the Embassy of Venezuela in Washington DC The exhibition will be held at the Andres Bello Hall of the Venezuelan Embassy at 1099 30th Street NW and will be open to the public until mid-June.

The Station Museum of Contemporary Art, Houston, Texas, and the Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela are pleased to announce the exhibition Made in Palestine at the Embassy in Washington, DC, opening May 3rd, 2007, from 6:00pm to 9:00pm.

The Palestinian artist is deeply concerned with the historical fate of the Palestinian people and with life and death issues of freedom and justice. Suleiman Mansour creates ?emblems of decay? that are ?dry, cracked and distorted reminding us of dispersion, waste, pain and death.? Abdel Rahmen Al Muzayen?s masterful line drawings of the ruined buildings of Jenin express a subtle, but commanding love of place.

These artists, representing two generations of modernists and postmodernists, work in a multiplicity of techniques and mediums, including painting, sculpture, video, performance, textiles, ceramics, and photography.

In style the work ranges from realism to abstraction and conceptual art. Its influences range from the art of ancient Near East and Egypt to Dada, Surrealism, Social Realism, Abstract Expressionism, Arte Povera, and Installation Art.

The Palestinian art is a unique contribution to contemporary art because of its diversity, its focus on liberation and its singular approaches to pictorial expression.

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