The Ongoing Controversey of Art vs. Islam

THE YEMEN TIMES
By Mohammed Al-Khayat

One Yemeni artist was beaten for having painted a woman wearing a traditional Yemenis dess (pictured).

YEMEN---Artist Radfan Al-Mohammadi, who is also the head of the Arabian Forum for Fine Arts, has paid a high-price for his art, including the breaking-off of an engagement when the uncle of his future bride learned of his profession. Like concerned relatives around the world, he feared that Al-Mohammadi would not be able to support his daughter. There was a secondary concern as well. Like many—but not all—Muslims, he feared that his daughter’s fiancé was pursuing a haram (“forbidden”) activity under Islamic doctrine. The subject has been widely debated by religious scholars. [link]