Hi, my name is Arfy and I’m a freelance journalist. Through this blog I want to promote Muslim culture, which is a rich mix of ethnicities, languages, arts, linguistics and diverse heritage.
Islam has always had a rich heritage of famous stories to tell, whether Quranic, fables, parables, legends or events that took place during the time of the great empires. This rich culture seems to have become a fable itself, a nostalgic thought of a long lost civilization, only known to those interested in history or by an off chance encounter of a documentary watched on TV. The wealth of tales is endless, and indeed would take a scholar itself to master. However for Muslims, this is our heritage and this accumulated knowledge played pivotal roles in propelling Islam to be world leaders of intelligent civilization.
When the British Museum exhibited the Shah Abbas exhibition in Feb 2009, many people for the first time discovered that not only did Isfahan produce the internationally famous Persian poets, but also calligraphers, architects and mosaic artists. How many people for instance know that the University of Timbuktu during the 12th century accommodated 25,000 students and its grounds and buildings were larger than those of Cambridge or Oxford put together. Graduation was incomplete without an understanding of ethos and excellent moral conduct, a quality far removed from many who assert to be Muslim today.
Once upon a time in Muslim lands, women were in prominent positions of society and contributed in every field as the male counterpart. The arts, poetry and storytelling was enjoyed by all.
What followed in the centuries to come was a virtual collapse of Islamic ethos, sophistication, culture and arts, almost as if Islam had entered the dark ages, until now!
As in the words of the famous Nasheed by Sami Yusuf ‘Let the Ummah rise again’ Muslims are again entering and contributing to prominent fields of world development. They want to dissociate from the backward cultural practices, and create a new podium synonymous with the original scriptures of Islam which consisted of open mindedness and justice for all.
I’m keen to promote any Islamic artist, or project. If there’s a feature, event or artist you know that you feel should be celebrated, let me know.
