Sakina Design Brings an Environmental Conscience to Islamic Art

By Sara Elghobashy

April 8, 2010

Since we already know that Muslims were green before it was cool, it’s nice to learn that we are still continuing the tradition of being environmentally friendly. Young Muslims everywhere are participating in the worldwide movement to save the planet. Some do their part by recycling, some work together to educate their communities about the environment and others have launched environmentally-friendly businesses inspired by their faith. One Muslim couple in particular has combined environmental consciousness with sleek, modern design to create contemporary Islamic art and a company with a cause.

Sakina Design was created by the husband and wife team of Jontie and Pik. Jontie handles the business side, while his wife, Pik, designs beautiful wall art and greeting cards with Islamic themes. Jontie belongs to a Circassian family that emigrated from Syria to New York , where he met Pik. Pik is originally from Hong Kong, but came to the U.S. to study graphic design at New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology. It was during college that she converted to Islam and afterward married Jontie. They eventually moved out to California and started their own business combining their passion for art and the environment – though their business idea sort of came by accident.

“We both love Islamic art and contemporary art/minimalism, however we weren’t able to find any decorations for our home that fit this style. So, we ended up making our own art. People complemented it and this eventually inspired the idea to create our own home decor business,” explains Jontie.

Jontie and Pik ensured that Sakina Design stayed true to their values and interests. “Once the decision was made to start the business, we really felt the responsibility that came with it. One idea kept crossing our minds, ‘One day we will have to stand before Allah and answer for our business decisions.’ We were forced to think about how our decisions affected our customers, the environment and [our] communities,” says Jontie.

To create their wall art, Sakina Design uses recycled wood from a manufacturer that houses plant-including furnaces to burn the leftover sawdust. For their greeting cards, they use 100% post-consumer recycled and unbleached paper and soy-based ink. Their packaging is composed of recycled cardboard and polyethylene packing material. In addition, they use local suppliers to minimize pollution from shipping products over a long distance.

But Jontie and Pik don’t just limit “being green” to their business, they do so in their everyday life as well. They also hope to use Sakina Design as a platform to start a movement.

“Currently we’re organizing an Earth Day event with our local masjid and Green Deen, an eco-friendly Muslim group. It will provide information to the Muslim community about being green, both the spiritual and practical side. We will also highlight some local businesses that are taking steps to be eco-friendly. We hope to increase awareness in the Muslim community and encourage businesses to be a part of this movement. Part of this program will be a composting workshop we hope will be implemented by the masjid and by ourselves, as well as other members of the Muslim community,” explains Jontie.

As Sakina Design takes their business idea and launches it as a “green” movement in the Muslim community, they are also working on broadening their services. They plan to expand the type of products they create and will soon launch a graphic design firm. You can catch them at the Reviving the Islamic Spirit convention in Long Beach , CA for a sneak peek of their secret new line of artwork.

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