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When I first saw Siddiqa Juma’s painting, Diversity, it took me back to a saying by Malcolm X: “There were

tens of thousands of pilgrims, from all over the world. They were of all colours, from blue-eyed blondes to black-skinned Africans. But we were all participating in the same ritual, displaying a spirit of unity and brotherhood that my experiences in America had led me to believe never could exist between the white and non-white.”

The painting, which has received rave reviews, is a simple enough design, yet strikingly bold. The work displays a multitude of different colours seemingly tapped onto the canvas, surrounding a painted Ka'bah in the centre of the piece. The rich tapestry of colour of this piece is an embodiment of the rich diversity and culture of the Ummah. The multi coloured brush strokes, although it may seem coincidental, are a microcosm of our Ummah. Siddiqa explains, “This is something that happens during hajj, where your station in life, or your colour, or your particular brand of Islam, do not

play any part in your position, as you walk together.” Siddiqa Juma originally hails from East Africa and moved to England 38 years ago. Her passion for the arts took her to the Watford School of Arts where she studied Graphic Design. Although she always doodled and painted for most of her life she found herself taking it a bit more seriously when she saw that people were inspired by her artwork which she had donated to various charity organisations. Siddiqa’s work ranges from contemporary interpretations entwining with various traditions and cultures. Her talents include teaching herself classical calligraphy to more recently dabbling in digital art. All of Siddiqa’s work are “Islamic centric” as she calls it. She is inspired by everything she sees but her faith is the focal point of her inspiration. “A spiritual paintbrush channels her artwork” as she says. Every mark and stroke on a canvas is an expression of a thought, emotion or an idea. She finds that her paintings are a form of dhikr and she confesses that her art in many ways brings her closer to Allah I. As she positions each stroke she remembers La ilahaillah. With this in mind she does not see her art as work but rather an immense form of relaxation, prayer and meditation. Siddiqa, who considers herself as an emerging artist, is fast making waves and her work has been seen all over London as well as a recent exhibition in Dubai. Her artwork was also chosen for the Spirit of Womanhood exhibition. Spirit of Womanhood provides an opportunity for emerging artists to showcase their work alongside established artists at the Coin

the artful muslimah

Circles In The Sky

Fatima Bheekoo-Shah chats with Siddiqa Juma of the Spirit of Womanhood art exhibition and who has a slight obsession with painting the Ka’bah.

Issue 63 SISTERS 69

Street Gallery, at the Oxo Tower. This in turn led to her paintings gaining much recognition and one of Siddiqa’s favourite paintings now hangs in the Great Ormond Street Hospital bringing comfort to many. James Linthicum of the Great Ormond Street Hospital says, “Siddiqa Juma’s painting in the Multi-Faith Room at Great Ormond Street Hospital has a capacity to reflect the mystery of the spiritual and draws the viewer into a relationship with the image. By using the name of Allah in one of the specific colours, the integrity and depth of the faith are reflected in a way that interacts rather than imposes.” It would seem the bulk of her artwork centres around the Ka’bah. I mentioned this to her and she explained that she might just have a slight obsession with it. Elaborating a bit more she explained that the Ka’bah fascinates her. It is amazing that this simple square black cube with a black cloth that has no elaborate architecture to it is something that attracts thousands of people to it. People will talk about the Burj al Arab, perhaps even the Taj Mahal but the Ka’bah awakens something in our hearts as Muslims. It draws you to it and in the same way she is drawn to painting it. She repeatedly also uses circular motions in many of her pieces, which lures you in almost hypnotically. She finds that her work is also a great way to start a dialogue with non-Muslims. More importantly, our interview was conducted amidst the recent Gaza war. Siddiqa was horrified by the images she saw and decided to give a voice to the lives that had been lost in the brutal war. She felt a sense of suffocation as she saw the images of war and it was as if she was trapped in a horror movie and there was no escape from the violence or the inevitability of even more violence in future. As an artist she expressed her feelings of anger and helplessness in the best way that she knew how. She painted. She says, “Once I started to paint I was completely transfixed. It was almost like I could not leave it. I wanted to include a message or a poem on the painting as a textural narrative like a graffiti on the landscape of destruction but there could not be any written words that could explain the sense of despair than etching names of the children who lost their lives in this senseless massacre.” The work that

has names of those lost in the war was successfully auctioned on Islam Channel to raise funds for Gaza. By the same token this woman of many talents is also a children’s book illustrator and writer. Siddiqa’s move from graphic design to children’s publishing coincided with having her second child, and noticing a significant lack in quality Islamic resources available to her as a parent. I often find that the “artist” label is loaded by undertones: moody, erratic, perhaps even crazy, but Siddiqa simply does not fit these labels. Her vibrancy warmth and dedication is shown through her paintings and her personality. Siddiqa paints for the viewer, not herself, and she does not like to interpret what she paints as she believes everyone should take away from it what they want: “What I have put into my work should be no more than an indication of what you take away from it, and I hope everyone finds some opportunity for

personal contemplation in what they see.” Siddiqa wants her art to mean different things to different people. What she puts in her work should in no way be an indication of what a person takes out of her work when they see it. Her objective is to bring the viewers to their own personal contemplation. Her artwork is definitely a visual feast and takes the viewer on a journey of self-discovery and awakening. She is hoping to move away from the Ka’bah and start working on domes. InshaAllah, only time will tell. All of Siddiqa’s work and illustrations can be viewed on her website www.siddiqajuma.co.uk as well as the Saatchi art website http://www.saatchiart.com/siddiqa Fatima Bheekoo Shah is a wife, mother ,food blogger, foodie and breast-feeding activist. Finally answering her calling to be a writer.