Muslima Booklet

aN mFA thesis project by Lama khayyat

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Printed in the United States of America.

The artwork was done using watercolor, acrylic, pencil and collage, with a tiny bit of digital tweaking. Doll design by Lama Khayyat and handmade by Geneviève Marquis in Brussels, Belgium.

The text was typeset in Lady Rene, by Laura Varsky, and Mrs. Eaves, by Zuzana Licko.

Patterns used in this booklet were created by the author, and inspired from Islamic art across the Middle East and Europe.

All rights reserved © 2011 Lama Khayyat. Artwork © 2011 Valentina Capellino © 2011 Geneviève Marquis

www.muslimtale.com

MUSLIMA, THREE TALES OF HOPE

I have learned

Silencefrom the talkative,

tolerance from the intolerant,

kindNesSfrom the unkind; yet strangely, I am ungrateFul to these teachers.

KAHLIL GIBRAN Lebanese American artist, poet and writer

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In the NewS

MUSLIMA, THREE TALES OF HOPE

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MUSLIMA, THREE TALES OF HOPE

Project MiSsion Label of terrorPost the 9/11 tragedy; many Americans have blamed Islam and its Muslim followers,

which consequently has put a lot of strain on many Muslim’s lives in the West; making

them vulnerable and subjected to verbal insults and physical intimidation. Unfortu-

nately, people like Osama bin Laden have been directly associated with Islam, although

in reality Islam condemns such people.

More than a decade after this worldwide calamity, and to this day, Islam is being

scolded, insulted, and blamed for terrorist attacks throughout the world.

Misinformed and mislead people believe that Islam is a religion that encourages

hostility and aggression against non–believers and non–Muslims, not realizing that

Islam in fact encourages peace between nations and different cultures.

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About MuslimaPromoting cultural understanding and tolerance is the main purpose behind Muslima; which introduces three Muslim figures to a Western audience of girls ages five to seven.

Muslima addReSses cuRr ent miScoNceptions and negative ster eotypeS to chaNge adverse attitudeS towards the muSlim cultuRe and cReate empathy aNd understandiNg.It combines the craft of doll making, illustrative storytelling and online support to provide information and insights that will counter the negative stereotypes associated with women in Islamic cultures.

MUSLIMA, THREE TALES OF HOPE

MuSlima BraNd MaRkThe brand mark is created from Arabic letters that have been altered to read the word Muslima in latin. The letter “M” if f lipped upside down reads the Arabic letter “S”, while the letter “S” if f lipped sideways reads the letter “T” in Arabic.

Muslima spelled–out in the Arabic language.

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character develoPment Sketches Valentina, the illustrator, and I worked hand–in–hand to create all three characters. Shown here is the character based on myself. We wanted to find a suitable style that’s friendly and inviting, and would appeal to my target audience. Since I wanted to add a subtle touch of showing that the character is Muslim, I created different patterns inspired from Islamic art across the Middle East and Europe, and collaged them as outfits.

MUSLIMA, THREE TALES OF HOPE

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Storybooks Three compelling stories on three nuances of Muslim females living in the U.S. targeting girls ages 5-7. The stories are written from my personal experience, or questions I have been asked many, many times over and over by curious Westerns, like what foods am I allowed to eat? Following the three stories is a Parental Guidebook on Islam, dispelling common myths on Islam, and showing the real face of Islam, in a brief way.

MUSLIMA, THREE TALES OF HOPE

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MUSLIMA, THREE TALES OF HOPE

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MUSLIMA, THREE TALES OF HOPE

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Rag Dolls Islam highly encourages Muslims to be friendly to their environment and keeping it clean. Because of that, I wanted to use eco–friendly materials for the dolls, something that is compostable, but also cute and cuddly.

MUSLIMA, THREE TALES OF HOPE

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Website Muslima website is dedicated to the parents of my target audience. It contains all the information on the project, its intent, and products. It also gives non–Muslims the opportunity to connect with Muslims living in the U.S. through a portal dedicated to building bridges, and creating familiarity between both cultures.

MUSLIMA, THREE TALES OF HOPE

www.muslimtale.com