Arts & Culture

Women have been artists since prehistoric times but have often been discouraged, marginalized and omitted from the history of art. This changed in the 20th century and today, women are amongst the most prolific artists, musicians, and writers including in the Muslim world. Some prominent contemporary examples are artists such as Shahzia Sikander, Nilima Sheikh, and Salima Arastu.

Most of us know the feeling of being moved by a work of art, whether it’s song, film, painting or poem. When we are touched, we become aware of a feeling that may not be familiar to us but which transports us to a different emotional space.

Muslims have been a part of New York City, even before New York was a city. Records show that Muslims arrived in the area as part of the Dutch settlement, New Amsterdam, since the 1600s. Today, there are now over 300 registered mosques in the City. This is how the Muslim Tour of Harlem, a historic neighborhood in New York, begins. Katie Merriman, a doctoral student of religious studies at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill escorted a group of New York City Ismailis on a tour of 400 years of Muslim history in New York. On a three-hour walking tour, participants expanded their knowledge of how Muslims have contributed to their city and continue to do so.

“Diversity is not a burden to be endured, but an opportunity to be welcomed,” said Melia Belli, Associate Professor of South Asian art history at the University of Victoria, in her opening remarks. The occasion was the Islamic Art Symposium entitled “Intersections: Visual Cultures of Islamic Cosmopolitanism,” held at the Dallas Museum of Art between May 4-5. It was cosponsored with the Edith O’Donnell Institute of Art History, Islamic Art Revival Series, and the Aga Khan Council for the Central United States.

Qyrq Qyz (Forty Girls) is an epic poem in the tradition of famous works like the Iliad and The Odyssey.