Unique Muslimah

At work I am having the delightful opportunity to create a film which has taken me into the world I love: film-making and anything to do with movies; from the actual story-board to the crunching of the popcorn. Working with professional film makers and playing around closely with technical gadgets is just what my heart desires. But oddly enough this experience has also left me feeling a little sad.

Not many Muslims are involved in the media and most of the children I speak to wish to be doctors and scientists when they grow up, which is fine but what about being creative as well? I know that a lot of parents will disapprove if their son or daughter one day said, “Dad, I want to go to film school”. This is probably because of the lack of financial stability in the career and the competitive nature of the field.

But if we are not involved in this field, then who will speak for us? Who will portray our views and concerns to the world? We all know the media is an influential tool and it is just a shame that talented people are rather embarrassed to embrace a creative career because of what people may say. Creativity is beautiful and it takes a lot of patience to get recognised, but surely the fruits of labour will outweigh any hardships experienced; perhaps a little like child birth.

All my life I have been a creative person. I understand the world better through my senses, through colours and shapes, movements and sounds, as opposed to figures and calculations. As the years have progressed my interests and passions have expanded into, to name a few, photography, film-making, website making, cross-stitching, scrap-booking and last but not least, blogging. I just love throwing ideas around with a group of people who are creative-minded like myself. It seems that in order for me to really taste the beauty of life, I must have a creative outlet or else I would suffocate and wither like a flower with no sun or water.

Just writing about this beautiful, mystical, magical world of creativity sends happy chemicals rushing through my veins, causing me to sigh deeply, like a romantic in love.

And I am in love; with the world God has created for us and the fact that I am able to proudly show His wonders through the creative world of art; through my creative eyes.

I had to laugh with glee and surprise. While driving through the streets of Cairo I saw a sign at the back window of the car in-front. Egypt has definitely got a car-sign culture. And to show that the driver is an intellectual (though it could be a pretense and the car owner has no idea what his car sign means), most of the signs found hanging in cars are in the English language, sold in shops all over Egypt.

Most of the signs are quite negative, probably trying to communicate to fellow-drivers who understand, without even having to speak. I have seen so many men and women driving cars with signs saying “Marriage will be the end of you,” or “To hell with life”, etc.

But the male driver in front displayed his car sign with pride and looked quite happy too. It is so good to see a wonderful man express some positivity about his married life with his ”Married but still happy!” sign (or those who are cynical may think his wife just forced him to put it on!)

How many people are actually happy about being married? There is so much negativity about this issue, especially from what I hear in Egypt, that it actually seems to hide the fact that there are many happy people out there leading happy marriages.  If you’re happy with your marriage- express it! Put up a sign like this driver did (if you don’t, your spouse will probably beat you to it!)