Arlington Calligrapher Writes His Way into History

October 26, 2003

Source: The Washington Post

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A17998-2003Oct25.html

On October 26, 2003 The Washington Post published a profile on Mohamed Zakariya, a master of Arabic calligraphy. "Zakariya, 61, is a practitioner of an art form that Muslims have used for centuries to express and enhance their faith. A convert to Islam, he trained under renowned master calligraphers in Turkey and is widely recognized as one of the most accomplished Islamic calligraphers in the United States. His work, exhibited across this country and in the Middle East, includes the 2001 design of the first U.S. Postal Service stamp marking an Islamic holiday. At its best, Zakariya said, calligraphy is a handmaiden to religious faith because the aesthetic experience of viewing beautifully written script illuminates the meaning of the words. 'Religion is a quest of trying to find out what things mean,' he said in a recent interview. 'Proper calligraphy is supposed to expand your heart to the meaning of a text.'"