Southeast professor discusses art, Islam at Red Light Night event

Professor Tahsin Khalid talked a little about Islamic art -- how depictions of the human form are seen as idol worship and how Arabic script has become the basis for much of the art in the Muslim world -- but the main focus of his Red Light Night discussion Thursday at the Arts Council was clarifying misconceptions about Islam.

According to Khalid, a professor of education at Southeast Missouri State University, Islam is defined by peace, purity and tolerance.

Jihad, he said, is about any struggle -- not a quest to smite infidels, and Sharia, or Islamic law, shares many of the tenets of both Christian and Jewish beliefs. The Ten Commandments, for instance, are part of Sharia.

"You look at the dollar bill," Khalid said. "It says, 'In God we trust.' That is the first article of Sharia law."

Terrorists and other extremists who claim to be Muslims are betraying the teaching of Islam, Khalid said.

Jason Zhang, top, and Jaden Zhang inspect henna ink at a table of Islamic "artifacts" during a break Thursday from Tahsin Khalid's Red Light Night presentation on "Islamic Beliefs, Practices, its History and Various Forms of Islamic Art and Architecture."Laura Simon

Killing innocent people and suicide are forbidden in the Quran.

In Khalid's opinion, Islamic extremists are people who go out of their way to help others without seeking fame.

He gave the example of Abu Bakr, who served as caliph after Muhammad.

Abu Bakr was known to clean people's homes in the middle of the night and provide other assistance, Khalid said.

Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, the leader of ISIS, could not be further from the original Abu Bakr's example, Khalid said.

"I call them AISIS, anti Islamic State," Khalid said. "Terrorists, criminals, killers -- they don't have any religion. If they did not mention religion, nobody would join them. ... I wouldn't be surprised if I'm on the AISIS hit list."

Khalid clarified jihad also can mean fighting for the cause of Islam, which can be taking up arms against opposition.

"You're killing these people who can't protect themselves," Khalid said. "That's not a brave act. That's an act of cowardice."

Khalid also talked about the connections between Islam and Christianity.

Like Muhammad, Jesus is regarded as a prophet in Islam.

Muslims believe Jesus was born to the virgin Mary, performed miracles, was not killed permanently by the Romans and will rise again, Khalid said.

The difference between the two faiths is that Muslims do not believe Jesus is the son of Allah, he said. They believe no one -- even Muhammad -- is equal to Allah, which is the main reason depictions of Muhammad in art are nearly unheard of in the Islamic world.

"Allah is the unseen," said Joni Hand, Southeast Missouri State University art-history professor.

Khalid fielded questions, including why Muslims pray five times a day.

Khalid gave a practical answer: Waking up before sunrise leads to a more productive day, the midmorning prayer gives him a nice break, and the general movement of the prayers is healthy.

In answer to another question, Khalid said Islam does not have a singular religious leader, such as a pope; instead, Muslims rely almost exclusively on the Quran.

Southeast junior Jacob Martin said he did not know a lot about Islam before he attended the Red Light discussion but learned quite a bit.

"It's not necessarily a widely taught thing," Martin said.

Southeast art student Ellen Hones also said some of her misconceptions about Islam were corrected because there is an emphasis on talking about terrorism in the United States.

bkleine@semissourian.com

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