ArT or BlasphemY?

Not many may know this little tidbit..Charlotte Obsever notes the centuries of Izlamic art.

"When the U.S. Supreme Court convenes in Washington, the justices sit in their grand courtroom beneath a carved marble frieze depicting 18 great lawgivers from the ages.
On the south wall are the ancients -- Confucius, Octavian and Moses holding the Ten Commandments. And on the north wall, along with Justice John Marshall and Napoleon Bonaparte, standing between Charlemagne and Justinian, is the Prophet Mu-hammad, cradling a sword and a copy of the Quran.
In the furor that has erupted since the publication of controversial Danish cartoons of Mu-hammad, many claims have circulated about Islam's prohibitions of artistic depictions of the "prophet."

This sculpture was chiseled in stone about 70 years ago.


In fact, in Iran, images of Mu-hammad are widely circulated among the predominantly Shia population. Furthermore - In the 15 centuries since Mu-hammad lived, Izlamic artists have portrayed the prophet in paintings now on display in the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco.

It appears there is quite a bit of controversy and dissention regarding this matter.The
1.3 billion Muslims hold contrary beliefs about religious imagery. Experts even say that human figures have appeared frequently in Izlamic art through the ages, particularly in Persia and in Turkey.

But even respectful images of Mu-haamad have proven to be offensive and problematic to some.

"Nine years ago, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (otherwise known as a front for terrorism by some...) demanded the Supreme Court remove the image of Mu-hammad from the marble frieze.

"While appreciating the fact that Mu-hammad was included in the court's pantheon of 18 prominent lawgivers of history, CAIR noted that Islam discouraged its followers from portraying any prophet in paintings, sculptures or other artistic representations," the organization said in a published history.

Then-Chief Justice William Rehnquist rejected the request to sandblast Mu-hammad, saying the artwork "was intended only to recognize him, among many other lawgivers, as an important figure in the history of law; it is not intended as a form of idol worship."

What say you of the image of Mu-haamad cradling his sword while holding a copy of the Quran.....in the marble frieze in our grand Courtroom?


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How about Izlamic hacking computer sites: see Middle America Worldview

For more on the cartoon controversy The Real Ugly American adds a new twist