Halal Arts?

Sometimes or many times a title could mislead you. Or perhaps it is a way to attract your attention and probably so to distract you. It was sometimes last two years appeared in New Sunday Times a piece purported to suggest the emergence of halal kind of arts. In the mist of high interest in halal industries in Malaysia and globally this labelling would suggest a genuine efforts to cleanse "arts" from any impurity deems inappropriate to Islam. On other note, taking the advantage of commercial power and selling points of the term halal, it seems that presently, all things need such an endorsement which in the past were naturally accepted religiously and socially. Perhaps the use of technology in enhancing and modifying these natural produce triggers the suspicion on the purity of these natural substance. The use of GMO or genetically Modified Organism in food production is in fact similar to this suspicion whereby it arouse intense debate on GMO products' suitability for human consumption. Indeed there is no doubt that the Shariah has certain requirements in all aspect of human activities including arts. Despite disagreement and different understanding on these requirements they all appeal to same sources for support. In Islamic history of arts, particularly paintings, the Persian and Mughals were famous in producing the master piece. The middle eastern Muslim communities, particularly in the Islamic heartlands and Africa, have shown strong dislike to this kind of artistic endeavor and focus more on symmetrical arts and calligraphy which are now dominating the present Islamic arts. With the adventure and coming of western colonists to Muslim lands a new breed of arts or paintings known as orientalism emerged as early as in the seventeenth centuries. The purpose of these paintings is to illustrate and record the life and intriguing practices of the indigenous people in the Muslim lands particularly which came under French influence in the former Ottoman territories and North Africa. Although these paintings show a great deal about Muslim lives in colorful details, they were considered offensive and disrespectful to Muslims. With the advancement of photography, this aspect of arts was phased out. Nonetheless the article from NST, although bearing the title of Halal and Haram of arts did not actually address this nor it reflects the continuation of the historical past of Islamic arts especially by Persian and Mughals of India that a reader was hopeful for. It was rather in fact questioning or depicting the binary, or as mentioned by one of the artist, the duality of halal and haram in Islam. It is a sort of a challenge to a conservative mind in embracing what is halal dan haram as personal choice of one's way of life. It was a critic expressed in form of paintings which probably send a more effective message than usual. Nonetheless, in the East, especially in Malaysia and Indonesia, perhaps influenced by modernization of the West, the painting of images and portraits has slowly become popular especially among the affluent and opulent segment of Muslim community. Although they seem to revive or restore the legacy of Muslim paintings in Persia and India, but their style and purpose are different and probably follow evolution of modern arts. All in all paintings in Muslim or Islamic culture is still viewed with suspicion and for that matter a clear guide from the authority is timely needed.