"One of the pillars of Islam is to look after the poor and needy," says Mahomed Rafiq Moorad from his kitchen. "During Ramadan, the Lord sends lots of people to us so we look after them."
"One of the pillars of Islam is to look after the poor and needy," says Mahomed Rafiq Moorad from his kitchen. "During Ramadan, the Lord sends lots of people to us so we look after them."
He fills a glass with water and takes it to the beggar at the door. "The Lord has taken care of all my affairs," he says as he walks back into the lounge. "Therefore, I’ve dedicated my life to taking care of his."
Moorad is a local Islamic artist and serves as secretary for the Grahamstown Muslim Association. After living in New York for six years where he worked as an African tribal art consultant for auction houses such as Sotheby’s and Christie’s, Moorad came back to South Africa in 1996.
Upon his return, he decided to specialise in Islamic art. For Moorad, Islam is not only a religion but a way of life."Being a Muslim, I felt that I should direct my gift through Islamic art for the rest of my life," Moorad says.
"I want to make the public aware that authentic, original Islamic art has value and will be more appreciated in Muslim homes than the commercial, mass-produced art which is common in every house.
Further, I want to make Muslim parents aware that their children who have a flair for art can branch out into Islamic art."
Islamic artists are opposed to depicting living beings in their works. This stems from the belief that the creation of living forms is unique to God. Consequently, Islamic artists focus on three nonfigural types of decoration: calligraphy, geometric patterns and vegetal patterns.
Calligraphy is the most highly regarded element of Islamic art and is primarily used to spread the message of the Qur’an. Geometric patterns are considered one of the most distinguishing features of Islamic art and are very popular on Islamic architecture.
Islamic vegetal patterns have an interesting history in that they were initialy influenced by Byzantine culture and subsequently by Chinese motifs and patterns.
Moorad’s art however, is more than something pretty to hang on your wall. He describes his work as political Islamic art. Throughout his life he has been aware of the oppression of people and communities around him.
While in New York, he witnessed the unequal relationship between African artists and art buyers. It was his childhood, though, that had the greatest affect on him.
Growing up in Natal, he observed the exploitation of workers in the sugarcane fields of Zululand which, he says, "stirred and provoked me to look at life differently".
"The experiences of my childhood influenced me to reflect my beliefs of political oppression of the past and the message of the Qur’an through a new Islamic form," he explains.
Although Moorad’s work is similar to traditional Islamic art in that it is based on chapters form the Qur’an and there is no figural representation, it differs in that he subtly incorporates elements of African art in his pieces.
Moorad is particularly fond of a technique he says is unique to South Africa in which bostik glue is lit with a match to create a "rustic earthy effect".
Moorad’s determination to do the Lord’s affairs extends beyond his art. He is currently heading a project to build a Mosque near Queen Street taxi rank.
"In Grahamstown there are between 80 and 90 churches but there is no Mosque, except at Rhodes," he says. "The facility will house a place of worship, an ablution, an Islamic library and a place for visitors in transit.
There’ll also be a special place to bathe and cleanse the deceased before they’re buried, which at the moment is done at Rhodes."
According to Moorad, there are about 300 Muslims living in Grahamstown and a further 250 studying at Rhodes. "We felt it was important to have a place of worship which would serve as the nerve centre of the Muslim community."
