By Syed Amir, Ph.D.

On October 10, the US Postal Service reissued the Eid stamp, commemorating the forthcoming Islamic festivals of Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Adha. The stamp was issued the first time in September last year and was formally launched at the Annual Conference of The Islamic Society of North America at Des Plaines, Illinois. Unfortunately, the September 11 terrorist attacks came soon afterwards, generating anti-Muslim sentiments and sporadic demands from certain conservative, extremist groups that they should be withdrawn. Happily that did not happen and the stamps -- some seventy-five million printed last year -- proved very popular. In April this year, a stamp collector’s magazine, Linn, declared the Eid stamp to be the winner of their popularity contest. American Muslims, both individually and collectively, mounted a vigorous campaign to buy them, and enthusiastically used them on their correspondence.

The issuance of the Eid stamp represented the culmination of the aspirations of an estimated six to seven million Americans Muslims who had long been clamoring for recognition of their festivals, much like those of Christian and Jewish holidays. Until the terrorist attacks of last year, the American Muslim community was progressively gaining acceptance, building self-confidence, and seemed to have carved a niche in the broad mosaic of pluralistic American society, However, the September 11 tragedy dealt a severe blow to this process, setting back the integration of the Muslim community into the mainstream. There were, therefore, some doubts that in the somewhat unfriendly prevailing political environment, the Eid stamp would be reissued this year. Though, unlike last year, no opposition voices had been raised, the Postal Service had remained noncommittal. Even the creator of the stamp, the internationally recognized Muslim calligrapher, Mohammed Zakariya, had no inkling whether the popular stamps would have another lease on life. He is reported to have been pleased and surprised on finding the new edition of the stamps on sale as he casually walked into his local post office to transact some business. They are exactly the same as last year, except that their price has gone up.

The stamp is framed in gold with Eid Mubarak appearing in Arabic and Eid Greetings in English letters against a dark blue background. The design by general agreement conveys an overwhelming sense of elegance and dignity. The issuance of commemorative stamps is not unprecedented in this country; however, most have celebrated the lives and contributions of former presidents, sports figures or inventors. Religious festivals, such as the Jewish celebration of Hanukkah and African-American holiday of Kwanzaa have also been honored by the release of special postage stamps. The American Muslim Council had led efforts to have the United States Congress pass a bill in support of a special stamp to be printed in honor of the sacred month of Ramadan. The legislation authorizing such a stamp finally passed in 1999. Search was then initiated by the US Postal Service to identify and select an appropriate design for the stamp. Many Muslim children sent their own hand-made pictures and designs for the proposed stamp, at least of what they thought it should look like. Ultimately, the Postal Service turned to Mohammed Zakariya, who lives in Virginia, for help in designing the stamp.

The choice of the designer proved felicitous, as testified by the huge popularity of the stamp. Its success has brought wider fame to, and a new recognition of, the artistic talents of Mohammed Zakariya who had been quietly pursuing his passion for practicing the art of calligraphy for well over forty years. An American of European descent, Zakariya was born in California and trained as an aerospace engineer. According to his own account, a trip to Morocco which he took as a youth exposed him to a new exquisite culture, language and religion. Influenced by his studies of the religion and contacts with numerous Islamic artists and scholars there, he converted to Islam. His story of how he became interested in Islamic calligraphy as a boy is fascinating. On a leisurely walk one after

noon along Santa Monica’s Wiltshire Boulevard in Southern California, he was attracted by the sight of a framed script hanging on the wall of an Armenian carpet merchant. Captivated by its beauty and elegance, he went inside and asked what it was. The dealer was amused to see someone so young so keenly interested in the framed Arabic script. He explained that it was Islamic calligraphy, but added ruefully, “You cannot afford it, kid”.

Zakariya was determined; if he could not afford to buy it, he was surely going to make it for himself. This was the start of his journey of many years, reminiscent of the peripatetic medieval scholars in search of knowledge, which took him to the Middle East, Turkey, Egypt, Algeria, and even to London’s British Museum, all to learn, refine and improve his artistic proficiency as a calligrapher. A second trip to Morocco provided the opportunity to study Arabic, religion and, of course, calligraphy. With no money to spend, he worked on restoring old houses in London to support himself while pursuing his research studies at the British Museum. Zakariya, back in the States, was now a fully qualified calligrapher. Nevertheless, he felt that his artistic ability had reached a plateau and his creations were no longer innovative. He started to look for new avenues to explore novel ideas to stimulate and invigorate his creative faculties.

At this time, he turned for advice to Dr. Asin Atil, the then curator of Islamic Art at Freer Gallery, Washington, D.C. Atil suggested that he visit Turkey and spend some time there learning under one of the maestros of calligraphy. During the Ottoman era, Islamic calligraphy had reached its zenith in Turkey. Under the patronage of mighty Sultans, the art flourished and many artists established their own art studios, attracting students from around the Muslim world. In modern times, many calligraphic schools survive in Turkey where this art is still practiced and taught by masters with great dedication and pride. Despite its outer secular manifestations, Turkey’s heart has always remained Islamic. Zakariaya accepted the advice and set out for Istanbul on a cold, wintry day in January 1984. His first encounter with the head of Istanbul’s Research Center for Islamic Art, History and Culture was both intimidating and exhilarating. He was offered the much coveted opportunity to learn directly from Hasan Celebi, probably one of the most celebrated calligraphers of his time in the entire Muslim world. In exchange, however, he had to promise to forget everything about the art he had learnt before, a very hard choice for someone who had invested many, many years in studying and practicing that art. Zakariya accepted the terms, nevertheless, and underwent a gratifying learning experience that was to influence his life forever.

Teaching of calligraphy in Turkey has remained traditional, dating back to the days of the eleventh century Ottoman rule. Students learn from observing and following every movement of the teacher’s fingers and hand

s and practice them incessantly. The master accepts no payments, and the relationship between him and the student is close, strong and life long. For Zakariya, the stay in Istanbul was brief but his course of study was highly intensive during which he worked late into nights. It also started a love affair between him and the Turkish people that has endured. I listened to his scholarly talk a few years ago at a seminar on Islamic Medicine, sponsored by the National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health at Maryland. His frequent and fond references to Turkey, its institutions of learning, and its people gave me the impression that he himself was of Turkish origin. The mistake was rectified only recently when I spoke to him in reference to this article.

On his return from Turkey, Zakariya continued to have lessons through correspondence with his teacher, Hasan Celebi. In 1987, Celebi finally declared that Zakariya had achieved the high level of proficiency in calligraphy, no longer needed any advice and was eligible to receive the distinguished advance diploma, icazet. Zakaryia now has his own studio and pupils. He has been invited to a number of countries to give talks on the art of calligraphy at various museums and art galleries. In the United States, he has given workshops at prestigious universities, and has presented exhibitions of Islamic art to Christian and Jewish audiences. At a time when Islam is being defamed and vilified in some countries, based on the actions of a few terrorists, Mohammed Zakariya brings a fresh focus through his art work on the genuine face of Islam --gentle, sublime and transcendent.