I’m a Muslim and I like cartoons! Im a multi fandom + OC artist, but for now, I'm just uploading this personal piece I created in March 2024. You can find more of my personal art, fan art, and OC work on my Instagram, CharacterHub, and Art Fight! I've included a brief description of this piece and what it means below, as it is very important to me. I would greatly appreciate if you take the time to read it through! <3
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This piece is personal, and this post is about Pale/stine. I’ve compiled Quranic verses that have comforted me in the face of lies and dehumanizing words surrounding Pale/stine. As a Muslim and an Arab, these disgusting words impact me directly. Upon returning to school after the attacks on October 7, one of the first things a stranger said to me was that I deserve to be stoned to de/ath. Prejudice like this can fester and lead to fatal outcomes, which we have witnessed time and time again. These widespread lies and cruel words hold weight, but they are as fragile as sea-foam compared to the words of Allah. His words do not falter nor contradict each other like the words of man. Allah’s words are a light that illuminates the entirety of His creation. Allah says “Do not let their words sadden you,” in verses 36:76 and 10:65, which I have highlighted here. I feel that these two verses perfectly sum up the feelings conveyed in this piece. Allah alone is what saves me from drowning in hopelessness and being overwhelmed by the waves of human hatred. I seek refuge in the Perfect Words of Allah from the evil that which He has created [Muslim 2709, Abu Dawud 3899, Tirmidhi 3604].
The nearly 80 year long illegal occupation of Pale/stine and continued sla/ughter of their people has been messily covered up in mainstream media from the beginning. It is selfish to make an art piece dedicated to my own personal pain felt in response to their struggle, when it is indeed the Pale/stin/ians who continue to suffer far greater pain than I can imagine. It is Day 722 of the Ga/zan Geno/cide, with > 680,000 Pale/stin/ians having been confirmed ki/lled in Is/rael’s military offensive on the Ga/za Strip. The vast majority of whom are women and children.
I scribbled in my English book, as one does, and I felt that those two girls had some very strong potential. So I gave them weapons. Then while watching Kamen Rider Zetz, the prophecy was fulfilled. Also DANGEROUS FELLOWS REFERENCE THAT LOOKS LIKE ETHAN'S BATTTT
Then I edited these sick kids to look more jirai core. Also during physics class the teacher made this drawing to explain air pressure and I had a vision. ITS OVER ANAKIN, I HAVE THE HIGH GROUND!
also i think i might have asked u before (if i have, one million sorries and a fresh punnet of blueberries for ur troubles :']) but. what rep of Arab and Muslim people would u like to see in the media?
(again i might've asked in dms but i truly can't remember what u said if u did i'm very sorry :']]) have a lovely lovely lovely day ❤️
NO APOLOGIES EVER HUSH 🔫yay muffin🌷thank🌷 long read ahead folks go get urself something to drink of snack on lol
getting right into it lol i think my number one is modesty (this one is regardless of faith tbh but also muslims specifically) in the recent years hijabis have become background characters ive noticed its pretty much the standard , growing up i really craved once just once to see like a maxi skirt or a nice flowy dress wearing hijabi (dont even get me started on the lack of niqabis jfdksjdk :')) i wanted hijabs to be longer and covering too the way i wear mine instead of the perpetual amira hijabs (i have mild beef with turbans too but theres nuance ofc)
now i could talk abt the hijab for 27 years, how its a mindset and a way of life even and not the fabric on ur head even tho thats what it often gets reduced to (and sometimes desecrated like the spanish show of a muslim breaking her fast with a shot of tequila lmao. it really highlights how one dimensional ppl percieve the hijab to be yk) linking a beloved moots answer to an ask here too @gnastygnoor hi girl :D
the first hijabi i remember onscreen was a background character in we bare bears and iirc her hair peeks through, and just with the turban theres nuance irl and theres really no one singular way to approach wearing headscarves but it does have a criteria and so far every hijabi onscreen has failed lol be it hair or skin not being covered or wearing clothes that dont conceal the body. so yeah we can do better in the modest fashion department for sure.
tangent but i have to come clean aha, i admit that when i was an angsty teen i was the kind that fully believed that if u werent going to wear the hijab properly just take it off at that point bc ur making my life harder. before u throw ur tomatoes at me i promise ive learnt from my mistakes and i have much more grace in my heart now lol. there are plenty of things and people i disagree with and thats fine, i wish people the best and simply move on with life and im much happier for it. and while i never voiced my opinons it was something that i was constantly repeating to myself which yk in time becomes harder to unlearn. anyway like i said i have much more grace alhamdulilah now that im older and the maturity to realise that getting hurt wasnt an excuse to inflict hurt on others, or in my case judge them so harshly. and that everyones faith journey is different! but most importantly ur outward appearance doesnt indicate whats in ur heart. i too had to learn this btw, its really a lesson for all. a non hijabi muslim may be better in the eyes of god for their piety and charity for example than a fully niqab wearing individual who has bad habits like its that simple. godbless✨
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next up is outright struggling with faith lol. this one might be tricky idk it probably warrants more care i think than the others bc so much media is like a clean cut struggle with religion -> leave it. religious trauma is absolutely real and ppl are always deserving of help and support regardless of what their chosen outcome is, but this isnt exactly what im referring to here, its more the (very normal and very very healthy) doubting ur existence and purpose etc sort of identity crisis™ of which im very personally experienced in lmao. the kind that reaffirms ur beliefs and encourages gratitude for ur blessings yk? the one that provides new perspective, the one that gives u the chance to learn all over again and fall in love with ur faith again. i liek it
another moment of vulnerability here lol but at 13 i was at my very lowest and it has been probabl my biggest source of (incredibly exaggerated might i say) shame that ive carried secretly and maybe 2? years ago i choked a bit confessing mama about some of my deep dark past™ and she deadass said girl same. in fact ill do u one better.. and then she proceeded to tell me what she told her mama some 30 years prior and i thing i cried laughing. it was one thing to have a weight so heavy off my heart and another to realise that half if not all of it was self inflicted. i may have mentioned it somewhere but my family is pretty practicing alhamdulillah (more than most lol. we love committing to the bit what can i say) and both my parents have backgrounds in islamic studies, so to have me 'fail' so horrendously really really fucked me up. until i really comprehended how normal that was, how needed even; everyone should stop to think and reflect on their life and choices and reassess their beliefs this is literally the essence of human existence. an anxiety disorder diagnosis would have been cool too lmao but rawdogging emotions and experiences was what made me me so i have that going for me now. im very fun at parties i promise. i keep digressing im sorry
everyone at some point in their lives should consider and decide for themselves if they want islam or not, muslims included and dare i say especially. i have been choosing islam every day since then its not linear its definately not easy but i have the conviction that i lacked and thats done wonder to my confidence i think. more than that its my source of solace and that alone is a miracle and blessing. one that could be explored in media for sure :>
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okay thats for muslim rep now for arab i think first and foremost way way more love needs to be shown to the jews and christians of the region. idk how many ppl practice ancient religions tho but the history is fascinating (moots may remember my brief excursion into levantine mythology, i will get back to it i promise) and if its a not modern setting theres so much to learn and work with like there are so many pantheons and ofc the influences of cross culture exchanges facilitated by trade routes etc. jordan for example was home to many ancient kingdoms before its hellenisation (syncretism is always a joy to read about for me) and later a part of the islamic world, wherever you go the region is so rich and diverse and its a shame other faiths and cultures get sidelined.
bedouins and druze and berbers and kurds also!!! chad is the most underrated and underappreciated arabic speaking country!!! roma and circassian and assyrians!!!!!! MORE APPRECIATION RIGHT NEOW!!!!!
also i think arab itself means so many different things to so many people, which is worth exploring imo im sure therell be folks who feel strongly about it being a facet of their identity and others who are more indifferent so perspective is key as is the fact that were NOT a monolith and i know ur aware but it will never not drive me up the wall when ppl explicitly or implicity insist as such. bro me and my relatives are like polar opposites remind me how were all a hivemind :I
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tldr: modesty, depictions of faith, diversity. if i think of anything else ill add lol but for now wnjoy (ill proofread later) ilove u bye mwah
In the same vein, I too will bring bread and caffeine! My roots are in Yemen, so I will bring bakhumri (fried dough) and of course fresh fresh gahwa 🇾🇪🤍
I don’t think I have any other arab moots, but if you see this then say salaam and bring some food :3
out of curiosity, if I were to make a rabbit oc , would the hijab cover her ears or would they poke out,it sounds like a bit of a stupid question I know but I'm kinda curious (I was was looking at noori whilst thinking this)
Funny you should ask, because I had the same dilemma haha. In accordance with real hijab, the ears must be covered (as should everything be, aside from the face and hands). However, because the rules of hijab only apply to HUMANS…. I figured there’s nothing wrong with an animal having their ears out, even if it technically isn’t hijab-friendly. In my opinion, I think if the general appearance seems hijabi-friendly “enough” it’s okay if there’s a couple inaccuracies to accommodate the animal features (e.g. big ears, big feet, tail…). Whatever you decide, I’d love to see! :D
Thanks for asking! I’ve been a bit behind on my messages and asks lately, I feel bad T_T