Haldun ‘‘As-Sanaa’’ Tiikasalo is a 21 year old muslim, seeker of Islamic knowledge and visual artist based in Finland. Haldun became a muslim in 2021. ‘‘My religion is a huge part of my life, to be exact, it is my life, the essence of it, the purpose of it…’’

Currently Haldun is in the process of memorizing the Holy Qur’an. He also delivers Friday sermons and leads Friday prayers in the Islamic center of his home town.

As Haldun gets closer to his religion, the need for creating artwork is decreasing, it used to be the center of his life, but now, it is something he only does when he sees it as something inescapable.

‘‘I paint. I have been painting for several years on and off now. I don’t really enjoy painting, but I feel like I need to do it, lest my head fall apart. I usually only paint when I have a need to get these ideas out of my head and my mind.’’

‘‘My work is based on need and necessity. I have it inside my head and I need to get it out. Creating art is often not even necessarily enjoyable for me, rather a stressful process, but I need to do it, as it provides me relieve that can not be achieved otherwise.’’

Haldun changed his name after becoming a muslim. The name ‘‘Haldun’’ comes from the arabic root consonants د ل خ, from which come for example the words خلد and خلود that mean ‘‘eternity’’, thus the name Haldun (خلدون) means ‘‘someone who is eternal’’.

As for the addition to his name, ‘‘As-Sanaa’’ (السنا) has a meaning of bright light or brilliance.