Issues of Embodiment (1)

From Naqib Hamid's forthcoming work Issues of Embodiment:

-------------------------------------

David Conrad (2006)[1] makes an interesting point in one of his articles when he says ‘the public sphere is both an arena for the display of the body and a place where one is immersed in images of the ideal body that should be aspired to.’

Even though he has stated the above in the context of body image and health, we can see how this statement is equally relevant to a discussion on matters related to covering the body. In his article he quotes:

We live in a culture which increasingly permits the unashamed display of the
human body, where clothing is no longer designed to conceal the human form but
rather to celebrate it. Contemporary western society is one where the body is
constantly under surveillance and judged as an outer representation of its
owner’s inner self (Featherstone, 1991).

The idea of the body being the ‘outer representation of its owner’s inner self’ has been articulated by Martin Lings from the standpoint of a spiritual civilization in his posthumous work A Return to the Spirit[2] in which he writes:

All that I have mentioned is outward, but the outward acts upon the inward, and
a man’s clothes and his home are the nearest of all things to his soul, and
their influence on [the soul] is perpetual and therefore incalculably powerful.

Hence, the increasingly dominant norm is to reveal the body in order to celebrate it. This, then, raises an interesting question for modern civilization. Is an appreciation of the concealed body possible?

------
[1] Conrad, David. 2006. The private and public body: Implications for health promotion. Electronic Journal of Sociology.

[2] Lings, Martin. 2005. A Return to the Spirit: Questions and Answers. Lahore: Suhail Academy.

L'art pour l'art? Iqbal’s conception of art and human life.

Mankind today is witnessing the postmodern condition. We live in a world fast characterized by an overwhelming juxtaposition of imagery and artistic endeavors, filled with television channels dedicated to art, music, fashion and style. At the heart of such artistic impulse lies man’s inherent and extraordinary pursuit of creative activity whether it is in the form of lyrical verse, music, visual imagery or any other form of artwork. However our present condition also leaves us confused and perplexed at times about the ultimate meaning and ends that such art seeks to achieve. As the following lines help us understand the phenomenon at hand:

"Art for art's sake" is the usual English rendition of a French slogan, from the early 19th century, ''l'art pour l'art'', and expresses a philosophy that the intrinsic value of art, and the only "true" art, is divorced from any didactic, moral or utilitarian function.”[i]

Therefore is art ‘for art’s sake’ or does art too have a purposeful place in life, with meaning and a didactic purpose or moral vision? We often ask ourselves this question when listening to, for example, song lyrics that are completely senseless and pointless or images on screen that repeatedly seduce us under the genre of style. In one of Iqbal’s articles one can find an answer to such a question that is fast becoming an important enquiry in the lives of those perplexed with our increasing obsession with forms of art that we may find to be 'purposeless' or ‘empty’.

[Continued]

[i] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_for_art's_sake

The 'headscarf martyr'.

Off and on, one reads news which make your concepts about interfaith harmony or peace stumble. One such sad news appeared lately.

The BBC news reads:

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Egypt mourns 'headscarf martyr'

The body of a Muslim woman, killed in a German courtroom by a man convicted of insulting her religion, has been taken back to her native Egypt for burial.

Marwa Sherbini, 31, was stabbed 18 times by Axel W, who is now under arrest in Dresden for suspected murder.

Husband Elwi Okaz is also in a critical condition in hospital, after being injured as he tried to save his wife.

Ms Sherbini had sued her killer after he called her a "terrorist" because of her headscarf.
The case has attracted much attention in Egypt and the Muslim world.

German prosecutors have said the 28-year-old attacker, identified only as Axel W, was driven by a deep hatred of foreigners and Muslims.

'Martyr'

Medics were unable to save Ms Sherbini who was three months pregnant with her second child. Her three-year-old son was with the family in court when she was killed.

Axel W and Ms Sherbini and family were in court for his appeal against a fine of 750 euros ($1,050) for insulting her in 2008, apparently because she was wearing the Muslim headscarf or Hijab.

Newspapers in Egypt have expressed outrage at the case, asking how it was allowed to happen and dubbing Ms Sherbini "the martyr of the Hijab".

Senior Egyptian officials and German diplomatic staff attended the funeral in Alexandria along with hundreds of mourners.

Media reports say Mr Okaz was injured both by the attacker and when a policeman opened fire in the courtroom.


Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8136500.stm

------------------------------------------------------------------------

On 'Axel W, was driven by a deep hatred of foreigners and Muslims'...

The excerpt shows just one incident of the kind of intrinsic restlessness and inner confusion growing in the minds of not only the Muslim civilization but rather, equally, among the West even though it may be less apparent at the moment to herself.