Leisure

Artistic passion through an Islamic lens

Inspirational calligraphy and artwork by Mohamad Jebara was displayed at The Table Restaurant during a month long exhibit that ended on March 2nd. On opening day, a number of invited guests attended a launch for the exhibit. Even members of the general public, initially there for a pleasant Sunday afternoon lunch were inclined to listen in on the artist’s interpretation of his work.

As I sat eating my healthy and tasty meal, I looked around at the medium-sized framed pieces of artwork that lined the walls. On one wall, there were a series of gold-coloured images, whereas on the opposite wall, colourful floral vine-like patterns formed another series of framed images. On another wall, images with obvious Arabic calligraphy but in forms and patterns of galaxies and celestial bodies were displayed. There was definitely an eclectic array of complex abstract patterns that decorated the walls. I was intrigued to hear how  Mohamad Jebara, the artist himself, interpreted them.

What feminism means to me

I recently attended a local International Women’s Day event in my community. It was a great opportunity to get to know more of my female community members and local politicians. 

One of the highlights of the event was an “empowering” female speaker, who gave top ten tips on how women can be successful and happy.  I found myself disagreeing with many of the things the speaker was saying while feeling that the majority of the audience was in agreement.  One of her underlying messages was “if it doesn’t work for you, if you are not happy, then let it go” and she even referred to spouses in this context. She also alluded to getting women “out of the kitchen” and how progressive this is.