Sublime or Silly?

Click here (TheFinancialist) to read about Mecca's recent mega-infrastructure upgrades...

Do you think this contributes to the sacred heritage of Islam's holiest site? Or does it undermine it?

And the Winner Is...

 

Click here (blogspot.com) to test your Biblical and Quranic textual knowledge!

How'd you end up doing?

Orientalist Art

Click on the links below to view a sampling of sumptuous portraits involving the lands of the Ummah...

Ludwig Deutsch (Austrian, 1855-1935)

John Frederick Lewis (English, 1804-1876)

Eugene Fromentin (French, 1820-1876)

Orientalist art is enjoying a resurgence lately, despite (or because of?) scholarly criticisms of its tendency to caricature peoples & cultures according to Western (pre)conceptions. Your thoughts about the art? About the politics?

Biography of the Prophet

Click here (PBS), and follow the links, to gain an overview of major mileposts during Muhammad's lifetime...

A life of destiny? of good fortune? or bits of both??

A Recitation Too Far

[ADVISORY: disturbing contents]

Click here (BBC) to read about a criminal trial in Britain involving a mother, a child, and the Quran...

Who is to blame for such a thing? What pressures (real or perceived, external or self-imposed) appear to have fueled this incident? Why do you think that sacred scriptures (both Biblical and Quranic) sometimes ignite such extreme actions within some individuals?

What Sayeth Barnabas?

Click here (alarabiya.net) to read about the so-called Gospel of Barnabas, which purports to predict the historical coming of Islam...

A genuine prophecy? Or an after-the-fact projection?

Quranic Pilgrimage

 

Click here (NatGeo) to view a brief video depicting the Hajj, Islam's holiest annual pilgrimage, which is spoken about in the Quran, and which (in another form) predates the religion of Muhammad...

Why do new religions so often 'borrow' from earlier traditions? What potential frictions can this cause, especially concerning the Abrahamic traditions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam?

Recite! In the Name of Allah . . .

Click here (BBC) for a nice & succinct overview of Islam's holiest text...

Do you have any theories/speculations about why such great veneration of the material text is not itself viewed by Muslims as shirk (idolatry)?

Picturing the Prophet

 

Click here (zombietime.com), and follow the links, for an outstanding collection of portraits depicting Muhammad, to greater or lesser extents...

What are your observations & thoughts regarding how Islam's greatest prophet has (or has not) been illustrated over the centuries? What does this suggest about changing notions of religious propriety regarding iconic depictions?

Masjid al-Aqsa

 
Click here (biblewalks.com) to view some beautiful pictures of the Dome of the Rock, the late 7th Century CE Muslim shrine commemorating Muhammad's Night Journey in Surah 17 from the 'Sacred Mosque' (in Mecca) to the 'Distant Mosque' (interpreted as Jerusalem)...

This site of the former Jewish Temple had been desecrated by Byzantine Christians during preceding centuries. Why do you suppose the Muslims would have sought to claim it as their own, upon their arrival in Jerusalem?

Playing with Fire

 
Click here (alarabiya.net) to read about how Egyptian President Muhammad Mursi has (mis)quoted from the Quran, in efforts to defend his recent consolidation of powers...

What are your thoughts/reactions about invoking religious scriptures for political purposes?

Medium as Message

Click here (metmuseum), and follow the links, to view beautiful examples of Islamic calligraphy from across the ages...

Why might the Arabic language have achieved such high artistic regard, given Islam's core character as a Quranic, monotheistic, and anti-idolatry religion?

Jannah on Earth

Click here (zeenews) to read about how ecology and religion will converge inside a Quranic botanical garden at Qatar...

Do you think this type of initiative might get more people interested in the complex issues surrounding climate disruption?

Three Abrahams?

Click here (WallStreetJournal) to read a piece about the similarities vs. differences in heritage between Judaism, Christianity, and Islam...

What are your thoughts/reactions to Levinson's claims? Is he overly pessimistic? or realistic?

Art of the Ummah

Click here (LACountyMuseum), and follow the links, to browse a fine collection of Islamic artwork spanning the centuries...

Any favorites? 

Sacred Pen and Ink

Click on the following YouTube links to learn about the oldest known Biblical and Quranic manuscripts:

Jewish Testament (Dead Sea Scrolls)
Christian Testament (Codex Sinaiticus)
Quran (Yemeni Codex) 

What are your initial thoughts/reactions about the early 'fluidity' of sacred textual traditions? Does this enforce or undermine their claimed authority? Why so?