Scottish Islamic Tartan
by
Jennifer
Cram Brisbane Marriage Celebrant ©
(21/07/2016)
Categories: Inclusive Weddings | Scottish Weddings
When you delve into the history of
tartans, and look at the official Register, it is
amazing what you find - proof positive that anyone,
regardless of faith or genetic background can have a
Tartan
Wedding.
One of my delights is crafting intercultural wedding
ceremonies, where we look for commonalities between the
cultures and celebrate those with a purpose-created
ceremony and rituals, so finding the Scottish Islamic
Tartan, which does that in a fabric, really speaks to my
heart.
The connection between Scotland and Islam has been
long-standing. Scots traveled to many countries with
Muslim populations over the centuries as merchants,
military men, and civil servants. The first Muslims to
come to Scotland were seamen and servants brought over
from India during the 18th century by the Scottish
merchant ships and the retiring Scottish officers of the
East India Company. Towards the end of the 19th Century
Muslim travellers began to settle in Scotland.
To celeb
rate
the link between Scotland and Islam, Dr Azeem Ibrahim,
after lengthy consultation and advice from leading
Islamic scholars, worked with top tartan designers at D
C Dalgliesh, the last specialist mill that still weaves
tartan cloth on traditional looms, to create the
Scottish Islamic Tartan.
The theological explanation of the design is: The blue
represents the Scottish flag and green represents the
colour of Islam. The five white lines represent the five
pillars of Islam. The six gold lines represent the six
articles of faith, and the black square represents the
holy Kabah. What a powerful statement.
Thanks for reading!