Exhibition

Dear Reader,

On the 29th of March (the day I had a few essay deadlines), I took part in the Islamic Expo, that my university was hosting on behalf of Discover Islam. The aim of this campaign is to basically enlighten people from the misconceptions and prejudices, held by much of the western world, and increase Islamic Awareness amongst Muslims and non-Muslims.

I had gone to the venue straight after my lectures that morning, to help set up. That's was half the fun. The stalls had been arranged on the outskirts of the room to allow people plenty of space to mingle and talk in the middle. As Islam is not just a religion or belief, but rather a way of life, the stalls also encompassed almost every aspect of life:

• The stall closest to the door was about the basics - God and His Messengers (may the peace of Allah be upon them), the Five Pillars and the Islamic Creed (and Aqidah) - with beautifully handwritten Qur'ans, resting on top of velvet cloth, and goodie-bags for all who enter. 
• Opposite to this was the Food stall. They were mainly serving the sort of food that the Prophet (SAW) would have eaten, like olives, dried figs and dates etc... (the also had jam donuts which is all I ate there, not that I don't like olives and dates, which I definately do, it's just well ... donuts are my guilty pleasure *drool* - Krispe Kreme here I come).
• There was also an Islamic clothing stalls (for Bros and Sistas) run by my Poetical Friend. Other than meandering around with goodie-bags she also took charge of the hijab stall. I'm entitled now to say that all the clothes and hijabs were provided by Lebaas. 

My pretty pins display, to wear on even prettier hijabs :-)

• I was mainly incharge of the stall that sold things like Attar - non-alcoholic perfumes that were tradionally made from the essential oils of flower petals. I admit it was a some-what minor role, but I didn't mind much because my area just smelled absolutely wonderful and drew in customers quite well.
• There was also an area at the back dedicated to Islamic history, with a gigantic time-line and photos of the relics of Fatima Al-Zarha (may Allah be pleased with her), the Prophet's (SAW) youngest daughter. Those artifacts are currently in the Topkapi Palace Museum, Istanbul. 
• But the favourite part of the Exhibtion was the section of the wall that displayed Islamic Art, with contribution from students at my uni.

From Classic to Graffiti-style - click on the picture to see all those lovely details

my favourite Painting,
(I would have a brought it too if it hadn't already been sold or if I had had £350 cash on me!)

• Next to my stall was the Calligraphy Stall in which my friend, Codename: Kingston, made beautiful pictures on demand, using a few simple pens. Here are some pictures of pieces that were donated by an anonymous artist:  

This one says MashAllah (it is as God wills)
The shadowy hands are mine.

I'm not exactly sure what that says - my Arabic is sort of rusty *blush*

I was so inspired by all the art and calligraphy that I decided to re-utilize my old skills and make one as a Mother's Day present (which is on the 3rd of April here in the UK, so ssshhhhh don't tell my mum).  

It says 'I love you, Mum' and then my mum's name, in Arabic.
There's also a little SubhanAllah (Glory be to God) in green.  

Aside: sorry about the bad angle of the last photo, I was trying not to get my reflection in the glass of the frame. Also I wanted a gold frame but I could only find this one which was big enough, and even then I've had to shrink the design by quite a bit. But it doesn't look to bad, does it?

And that's pretty much all I wanted to share this time round.

Nida