Islamic Calendar Project Needs Your Support

"Our work enlarges upon the traditional Islamic idea of beginning the new month when the first crescent is observed in the evening sky, as reported by two reliable witnesses. The concept of the limiting horizon is introduced as defined by the time interval between sunset and the early morning prayer in Makkah at each birth of the new moon. Any visibility of crescent within the limiting horizon, at any intermediate horizon, is considered as visibility at Makkah itself. The concept of the limiting horizon permits the use of plotted crescent visibility curves in order to predict the visibility of the early crescent to a high degree of accuracy."

1433 downloadable calendar

"This website wants to shed a new light on the Islamic Calendar for Makkah. This very practical problem has impact on the lives of millions of pilgrims across the world because the date of the Hajj, or the great annual pilgrimage, depends on an accurate islamic calendar. Modern astronomical methods make it quite possible to establish an accurate islamic calendar for Makkah decades in advance."

1432 downloadable calendar

For this year my Islamic calendar is illustrated with photographs of Islamic art and architecture I found in the public domain online.

Click here to view 2010 calendar

We are all from different countries, speak different languages, practice different customs, and yet are united as Muslims, all praying to Allah, all facing the Kaaba when we pray, all reading Allah's words of guidance in Qur'an.

In today's political climate, most of the press depicts Islam as oppressive and Muslims as fanatical and violent. Islam has been so badly represented by the very few, and left the rest of the Muslim community to face terrible prejudice and misunderstanding.

I want to help show the world the true face (or faces) of Islam, of Muslims today. I want to educate the world about the beauty of Islam, that it's about peace and surrender to Allah's will. That far from oppressive, Islam preaches freedom, equality and democracy. That our diversity is a result of Allah's will and wisdom, for Allah says in Quran:

"Oh men, We created you from a male and female, and formed you into nations and tribes that you may know each other..."[49:13]. "Among other signs of His is the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the variety of your tongues and complexions..." [30:22]

Islam is one of the five major religions on Earth. We live on every continent in the world. And yet, our beautiful religion is hardly represented in mainstream society, not even in the small, subtle way as with a yearly calendar. I believe it's time for that to change.

When I thought about what may be the best way to obtain global images to illustrate the calendar, I realized that I should get fellow Muslims around the world involved. We believers in Islam, we represent Islam today. The way we practice our faith, live our lives, in all the beautifully diverse ways that we express our faith in Allah and appreciation for the life Allah has given us.

So I am calling on you all to submit images to this project, from wherever you are or have been. Any image that you feel relates to Islam and Muslims. These could include, for example, mosques, Muslim people (praying, celebrating Islamic holiday, etc.). Also, submit any related art you may have created; these could look wonderful too. If the artwork is 3D then submit a photo of it.

Please only submit images for which you own the copyright or have full permission to use in this way. For example, for any people who could be recognized, you need permission from them "the model" to use their picture.

Please send me an email with "Islamic Calendar" in Subject to amylynphoto@yahoo.com.

Attach image to email.

Image should be in jpg (jpeg) format and needs to have at least the following dimensions: 11" x 8.5" at 200 dpi.
That's 11 inches by 8.5 inches at 200 dots per inch. It's a resolution of 2200 x 1700.

Also, email me with any questions or suggestions you may have regarding this project. I welcome any and all input you can offer.

Thanks so much for helping to make this calendar as diverse and beautiful as it can be. :)

Well, I have bad news. Because I want to create a calendar with images of people, and in order to use images of recognizable people a model-release is needed, I won't be able to make this calendar for 2010. Short of traveling around the world, taking pictures of Muslim people everywhere, and obtaining model releases for each one, I couldn't possibly obtain the images I need without help from the Muslim community. That's why I created this lens, asking Muslims around the world to submit their images, but I have asked too late in the year. Absolutely no one has submitted an image thus far. I now know that I will need to work much harder to get the word out to enough people who will want to contribute their images to this calendar. So I will keep this lens up, making regular updates to it, showing the progress of the calendar, which will now for 2011.

Please help me to spread the word around the world so that I can get the most beautifully varied selection of images that will best represent the global umma.

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