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AL ARABIYA Raein Akbar Khanzadeh has written the smallest copy of the Islamic holy book Quran. (Photo courtesy of Mihrabislamicart.com) DUBAI---Dubai-based Iranian artist Raein Akbar Khanzadeh was blessed with an incredible gift from birth. He can read and write letters 30x smaller than those visible to the naked eyes. He has copied the Quran in its entirety every year for the last 12 years and has created a new record every time. This year he has displayed his gift by copying the whole Quran, which consists of 114 chapters – and in most copies covers 604 pages –, on one-and-half sheet of silver that are smaller than A4 size paper. Khanzadeh dedicates all of his works to Allah. His latest transcription of the Quran has been engraved into two sheets of silver and platinum. [ link ]

THE HUFFINGTON POST By Lewis Richmond CALIFORNIA---In San Francisco's Asian Art Museum there is a stunning Chinese figure of a seated male Kuan-Yin (Bodhisattva of Compassion, Avalokitesvara in Sanskrit), with a powerful, implacable, yet sympathetic expression. Whenever I see this statue I think, "Don't mess with this guy"; and then I think, "In a real pickle, I'd go to him." In Mahayana Buddhism there are the 16 Bodhisattva precepts: the three refuges, the three pure precepts ("Do good, avoid evil, benefit beings") and the so-called ten prohibitory precepts ("Do not kill, do not lie, do not steal," and so on).

CHABAD By Yehuda Sugar Safed artist Yom Tov Blumenthal, whose works include an image of a  tree of esoteric wisdom emanating from a Torah scroll, will run workshops at the Ascent retreat. ISRAEL---When most people think of Safed, two things immediately come to mind, aside from the city’s sheer beauty and vistas, perched as it is atop Israel’s Upper Galilee region: Jewish mysticism and art. But until recently, an intensive program had yet to offer students a way to discover Kabbalistic wisdom through art. Enter Ascent, a Chabad-Lubavitch institution that is part hostel and part yeshiva to both local Israelis and foreign tourists. Its new mystical art retreat begins next week, taking a place alongside a program of tours, lectures, and inspirational gatherings that has been in development since Ascent’s founding in 1983. [ link ]

THE HUFFINGTON POST By Adelle Banks, RNS WASHINGTON---Planners of a Bible museum in Washington closed a $50 million deal Thursday (July 26) on a building two blocks from the National Mall. The Museum of the Bible, a nonprofit group planning the, as yet, unnamed museum, announced it will be housed at 300 D Street, SW, in what is now the Washington Design Center, a series of showrooms of luxury home furnishings. The museum, which will likely open in 2016, will highlight the collection of the billionaire Green family of Oklahoma. That collection features more than 55,000 items including biblical artifacts ranging from Dead Sea Scrolls to Torah scrolls that survived the Holocaust. [ link ]

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS By Ernest O. Britton Do you live by a set of truths? Yesterday at Indiana Interchurch Center we began a three-month interfaith journey with high school students to explore the joy of spiritual truths, and the freedom of creative expression. We had an exciting time: Muslim, Baptist & Catholic, Hindu, and Jew sharing their spiritual truths through the art & architecture of their lives. In November, the end result will be an exhibition as part of the 2012 Spirit & Place Festival in Indianapolis. Having a set of truths is a compass for avoiding being sidetracked, and a great ally in times of tough decision-making for youth of all ages. I will keep you updated, but this is why yesterday's interfaith arts program launch is our NEWS OF WEEK .

ARTLYST FRANCE---The Louvre is to launch their new Islamic Galleries on 22 September. The galleries will provide a permanent home for the Museum’s unrivalled Collection of Islamic Art, the largest in France and one of the most important in the world. Over 2,500 objects, many of which have never been on public display before, will occupy a surface of nearly 3,000 square meters. The galleries will present the entire cultural breadth of the Islamic world, from Spain to India, between the seventh and nineteenth century. [ link ]

69 NEWS | BERKS COUNTY By Susan Kalan Artist Eric Armusik with his "Temptation" painting. PENNSYLVANIA---Epic-sized paintings that portray moments of human experience appear as dramatic scenes in the style of 17th century master Caravaggio. For nearly two decades, Berks County artist Eric Armusik has been perfecting this technique, which translates into an emotional dialogue that "transcends culture, religion and time, itself." Armusik, 38, is an internationally-recognized artist who works from his Hamburg studio. His work reflects a mixture of traditional subjects – religious, mythical and historical. Armusik refers to himself as "a romantic artist" who fuses life experiences with art history. [ link ]

ARIZONA DAILY STAR By Gerald Gay "Blessings of Peace" ARIZONA--- Mordecai Colodner finds faith just as important a tool as any brush, canvas or easel when it comes to creating art. His paintings vary, from abstract pieces to serene Southwest scenes, but his primary inspiration derives from the teachings of the Torah. Every room in his home just north of Oro Valley contains framed acrylic works, each relating to a different story from the Hebrew Bible. His unique paintings, mostly done in acrylics, have popped up in private collections nationally as well as in local institutions, such as the Tucson Jewish Community Center, 3800 E. River Road. [ link ]

MAINLINE MEDIA By John Beeler PENNSYLVANIA---There are many ways to say, “Peace be upon you.” In Semitic languages, “Shalom aleichem” in Hebrew and “Salaam alaikum” in Arabic. Of course you can say it nonverbally if you like, through art... such as backflips and human pyramids? That, specifically, acrobatics, was the unusual but fun means the Galilee Circus used in its goodwill performance tour of the Philadelphia area July 18-22, including two shows July 19 at Main Line Reform Temple in Wynnewood, spreading the message that peace is possible in strife-riven Israel. As the troupe’s literature explains, “The Galilee Circus includes Arab and Jewish youth of ages 6-19, from the town of Karmiel in the heart of the Galilee and the villages around it.[ link ]

INDIANAPOLIS STAR By Erika D. Smith INDIANA---When most people talk about the arts, they talk in terms of entertainment. Of enjoyment and beauty.We gush over a documentary we watched at the Indianapolis Museum of Art as part of the Indy Film Fest. Or we praise performances by the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra or at IndyFringe. Or we stop and stare at the murals painted in honor of the Super Bowl. All of these things add value to Indianapolis. But what kind of value? How much is it worth? The answer is about $384 million a year. That's the finding of a study released Wednesday by Americans for the Arts. Honestly, I was surprised. [ link ]

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS By Tahlib This week has been chock full of religious art news, ancient religious relics stolen or deteriorating cry out for the worlds attention, and hidden truths as well as undisguised hatred raises questions about religious identity. A memorable religious art week usually descends upon religious groups without warning, and may take on a life of its own. Even religious institutions or governments with big PR departments are often left completely unprepared. In this week’s 5 Faiths Friday post — a curated selection of the week’s most provocative religious art news — we feature five religious art stories that are destined to be talked about for a very long time coming.

MERCURY NEWS By Julia Prodis Sulek CALIFORNIA---In the months before his death, Thomas Kinkade was "extremely focused" on establishing a museum of his artwork at his Monte Sereno home, his embattled girlfriend said in court papers filed Thursday. "Thomas appreciated that while his art never received critical acclaim, he had legions of fans who were moved and uplifted by his art," Amy Pinto-Walsh wrote in a declaration filed in Santa Clara County probate court. "Thomas wanted to create this museum for his fans." [ link ]

THE HINDU By Pushpa Chari Shilpguru L Rathakrishnan with one of his creations. Photo: R Shivaji Rao INDIA---The magic of shilp guru Rathakrishnan’s artistry comes alive in his imposing Nataraja icons. The Nataraja icon has been variously described as “the most perfect representation of rhythmic movement in art,” “a visual sermon expounding compassion and universal power” and as portraying the “very essence of the ongoing unending cycle of life, death and rebirth.” In his superbly crafted collection of Natarajas now on view at an exhibition, shilp guru L. Rathakrishnan captures the anatomical perfection of the Chola icon, its total balance and supreme grace. [ link ]

DECCAN CHRONICLE By DC Correspondent | Visakhapatnam Ancient Buddhist shrine in Vizag, India. Image courtesy of Caper Travel INDIA---Even though the north Andhra region including Vizag has four protected monuments of Buddhism, whose glorious past was revealed through various excavations by the Archae-ological Survey of India (ASI), not a single site was included in the list of either the state or the country’s heritage sites. Numerous Buddhist remains dating to the 3rd century BC to the 2nd century AD were unearthed in four sites – Thotlakonda, Bhavikonda in Vizag district and Dantapuram and Salihundam in Srikakulam district, during excavatio-ns between 1980s and 2000 by the archaeology department. “We are unable to recommend these sites for inclusion in the heritage site list in the absence of poor preservation of monuments. Staff crisis haunts us against promising conservation of Vizag’s sites also,” says assistant director of ASI, K. Chittababu. [ link ]

HOUSTON CHRONICLE | ICONIA By Menachem Wecker Feminine Mystique. Debora Raichman. Stained glass mural, Mikveh (ritual bath) Taharas Yisroel, Houston. Courtesy of the artist. TEXAS---Growing up in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Deborah Raichman was exposed to people of many nationalities and cultures, “who helped make the city an exciting metropolis,” says the Houston-based Jewish artist. Many Holocaust survivors and Jewish refugees — including Raichman’s parents — came in the 1950s to Brazil, which Raichman describes as a country with a “strong Catholic majority” that is “mostly tolerant of its minorities.” The artist, who considers her work to be Jewish art, defines that genre as “an art that is imbued with Jewish tradition and values, with subject matter that is relevant to Jewish and Jewish life.” [ link ]

NY POST By Jamie Schram, Laura Italiano and Dan Mangan One of the statues on display at Chandra Kapoor's "Art of the Past" gallery on Madison Avenue. NEW YORK---An Upper East Side art dealer today was charged with receiving more than $20 million worth of stolen Indian antiquities -- as federal authorities raided his Manhattan storage facility and seized a stunning haul of religious artifacts looted from temples. Subash Chandra Kapoor, 63, owner of the Art of the Past gallery on Madison Avenue, is currently in custody in his native India on a related case of antiquities theft. He had been arrested on an Interpol warrant in Germany last fall, and was extradited to India two weeks ago. Kapoor, who has done business on the Upper East Side since 1976, appeared in a court in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu on Tuesday. [ link ]

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS By Tahlib Image from Jordi Cohen's Vodou celebration series: "Bassin Saint Jacques Pilgrimage" Every July in Haiti, tens of thousands of believers participate in mass rituals, sacrifice animals and pray to voodoo spirits and the dead for help. Most believers are both Catholic-Christians and Vodouists, a blending of belief systems rooted in a time when African religious practice was actively suppressed, and enslaved Africans were forced to convert to Christianity.

CBS NEWS INDIANA---The Indianapolis Museum of Art is preparing to host an exhibit of the arts in Islamic society. " Beauty and Belief: Crossing Bridges with the Arts of Islamic Culture " will open Nov. 2 and include calligraphy, ceramics, paintings, woodcarvings and textiles. The exhibit will run through Jan. 13, 2013. Museum officials say the exhibit will give visitors an opportunity to explore Islamic culture and explore artworks never seen in the United States. The exhibition was built from collections around the world. It includes a 26-foot calligraphic scroll dating from the 14th or 15th century, a 13th-century bowl from Iran and a Syrian glass flask believed to date from as early as the seventh century. The exhibit will move to a museum in Newark, N.J., after leaving Indianapolis. [ link ]

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS By Greg Disney CHINA---The National Museum of History in Taiwan presents, " Faces of Dharma: Selected Works of Tibetan Buddhist Art " through August 19, 2012. The art of Tibetan Buddhism was influenced by arts of India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Kashimir. The exhibition shows connections to the art of Han Buddhism. Tibetan Buddhism and its highly symbolic icons and art forms reflect the particular culture, religion, and folklores in Tibet and are highly attractive for the world over. For this exhibition, the National Museum of History has selected 70 pieces of sculptures, Thangka paintings, and scripture covers to lead visitors through the world history of Tibetan Buddhist art.

DAILY TIMES PAKISTAN---Khalid Ishaq Rathore’s Islamic calligraphy exhibition opened at Alhamra Art Gallery on Monday. A total of 47 paintings are displayed at the exhibition. Maulana Raghib Hussain Naeemi of Jamia Naeemia inaugurated the exhibition and appreciated the calligraphy work of Khalid Rathore and his attachment with Islamic art. According to Rathore, his calligraphy work is not traditional, claiming that he had broken the new horizons of artistic wonders, worked very hard and took six months to display his artwork. The exhibition would continue until July 28. [ link ]

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS By Verneida I. Britton I am always looking for fascinating spiritual items to send my son. This one was sent to me this week in anticipation of a 2013 release. It's a well researched and beautifully shot 3D screen film, entitled " JERUSALEM ". Enjoy this spectacular aerial tour throughout Israel/Palestine, the Holy Land and the city many believers still consider the center of the world.

SAN DIEGO MAGAZINE Image courtesy of Art & Artists CALIFORNIA---The small Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan is home to the most intact and vital Buddhist art tradition in the world. In this lecture, John Johnston, Coates-Cowden-Brown Curator of Asian Art at the San Antonio Museum of Art, will discuss the development of Buddhist art in Bhutan and will discuss the role Buddhist images play in monastic rituals. John Johnston lived in Bhutan for three years researching Buddhist art for the major international exhibition "The Dragon's Gift: The Sacred Arts of Bhutan" for which he served as co-curator and catalogue co-author. San Diego Museum of Art , 1450 El Prado, San Diego, CA. [ link ]

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS By Tahlib "My Pig" (2004) by Nezaket Ekici   (b. Turkey) GERMANY---Born in Turkey, Nezaket Ekici has lived in Germany since 1973 and is one of 11 artists exploring religious taboos in a new exhibition this summer in Berlin entitled “ Journey to Jerusalem: Artistic Positions Between Religion, Tradition and Taboo ”.  Spanning photography, painting, video, and installation, the works on show at the Kunstraum Kreuzberg/Bethanien reviews have been positive while reflecting the challenging nature of the imagery. Because it is Ramadan, I am particularly intrigued by the messaging of Nezaket Ekici’s portraits of a woman dressed in a fully-covering chador and petting a piglet. It is neither comical or blasphemous but it certainly makes you uncomfortable, and is totally in keeping with the exhibition aim to explore common themes in Judaism, Christianity and Islam. I wish I could see more of it for myself but in the meantime, I wi...

THE HUFFINGTON POST "Illuminations" series of gay muslims CANADA---As Muslims around the world embark on the celebration of Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar when dedicated believers around the world reflect on their lives, [Yalda] Pashai's stunning depiction pays tribute to the diversity and depth of Muslim culture. A recent project by Iranian-born photographer Yalda Pashai, is attempting to bring awareness to the lives of LGBT Muslims and the realities of practicing religion as an openly gay community member. In a recent photo series titled "Illuminations," Pashai captures 11 subjects who identify as both gay and Muslim, demonstrating the range of sexual expression and devotion to faith present, and boldly challenging the stereotypical ideas surrounding what and who constitutes the Islamic community. [ link ]

PEW RESEARCH Released July 19, 2012 As their numbers rise, Asian Americans are contributing to the diversity of the U.S. religious landscape. From less than 1% of the total U.S. population (including children) in 1965, Asian Americans have increased to 5.8% (or 18.2 million children and adults in 2011, according to the U.S. Census). In the process, they have been largely responsible for the growth of non-Abrahamic faiths in the United States, particularly Buddhism and Hinduism. Counted together, Buddhists and Hindus today account for about the same share of the U.S. public as Jews (roughly 2%). At the same time, most Asian Americans belong to the country's two largest religious groups: Christians (42%), and people who say they have no particular religious affiliation (26%). [ link ]

INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE PAKISTAN---The police and archaeology experts seem to be at loggerheads over the actual number of Gandhara relics seized earlier in the month. Amid press reports that some artefacts have been stolen from the Awami Colony police station, both parties associated with the case are coming up with a different total for the statues. Many of the Buddhist relics thought to be of the third century turned out to be fake, making it even more difficult for archaeologists to determine their exact origin. [ link ]

DAILY NEWS & ANALYSIS Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara in the form of Amoghapasha Lokeshvara, Nepal, Late Malla period, 16th - 17th century HONG KONG---An exhibition titled " Transforming Minds: Buddhism in Art ", which is showcasing in Hong Kong is featuring two prominent buddhas, originally from India. On view are 13 ancient artworks from the Rockefeller Collection dating back to the 6th century, along with some contemporary works by leading Asian and Asian-American artists. The exhibition that celebrates religious art, shows how traditional Buddhist art has been adapted and interpreted by local cultures from India across Asia over time. Since the exhibit opened in February this year, it has seen over 10,000 visitors from all over the world. [ link ]

THE NEW YORK TIMES By Sharon Otterman A statue at the National Kateri Tekakwitha Shrine in Fonda, N.Y., where the inclusion of American Indian practices is stressed. NEW YORK--- This October the Vatican will canonize a fourth saint from the Mohawk Valley: Kateri Tekakwitha , a Mohawk woman born in 1656. In the valley where Kateri grew up, two very different shrines honor her. At the Shrine of Our Lady of Martyrs in Auriesville, built to honor the slain Jesuits, there is a wooden altar to Kateri inside the 6,500-seat iron-and-brick coliseum. Across the river, the much smaller shrine in Fonda focuses on devotion to Kateri. It has an impressive name — the National Kateri Tekakwitha Shrine — but the sanctuary is up in the eaves of a simple 200-year-old barn, where a faded museum of Native American artifacts occupies the ground floor. [ link ]

CANTON DAILY LEDGER By Larry Eskridge ILLINOIS---For most people today, art is something that is secular and cutting edge, breaking with the past to lead people into new ways of thinking and away from authority of any sort. But for most of human history, art was both an important part of religious worship and an homage to what has gone on before, a link to the past. Those aspects are well illustrated at St. Michael's Catholic Church in St. David, where the art work not only inspires but helps parishioners connect with the older traditions of the faith in Illinois. [ link ]

HOUSTON CHRONICLE | ICONIA By Menachem Wecker "The Worship" (2011) by Norberto Clemente Oil on canvas. 35 x 40 inches. Credit/Lawndale Art Center TEXAS---When an artist friend of Norberto Clemente‘s told him about The Big Show–an exhibit of 69 works by 61 artists at the Lawndale Art Center in Houston–Clemente was surprised. Clemente’s painting The Worship (2011) made the cut for the show, which received 915 submissions from 381 artists. The Worship, Clemente’s painting, is “the most overtly religious in theme” in the show, says Dennis Nance, exhibitions and programming director at Lawndale. The Big Show, Lawndale Art Center, 4912 Main Street, Houston, On View through August 11, 2012 [ link ]

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS By Gregory A. Disney Pioneer painting by C.C.A. Christensen depicts Latter-day Saints crossing frozen Mississippi river. The main specifically Mormon holiday (Not "Holy") is Pioneer Day , celebrated on July 24 of each year. Pioneer Day celebrates the first entry of Mormons into Salt Lake Valley in 1847, after the long journey westward to escape religious persecution. While the holiday has strong links to the LDS Church, it is a secular celebration of everyone, regardless of faith and nationality.

THE HUFFINGTON POST Mock-up for the planned billboard NEW YORK---An anti-Islam activist has won a preliminary round in her First Amendment fight to place New York City bus ads calling enemies of Israel "savages." Federal Judge Paul Engelmayer in Manhattan says he agrees with blogger Pamela Geller. He says the Metropolitan Transportation Authority should not have rejected Geller's ad. Geller is the executive director of the American Freedom Defense Initiative. She publishes a blog called Atlas Shrugged that warns of growing "Islamization." The MTA rejected the group's bus ad. [ link ]

CANADA A scene from the film Chariots of Fire: a time when the Olympics could be driven by personal ethics over money. Photograph by: Handout , Vancouver Sun UNITED KINGDOM---There may be ethical dilemmas, but there has been very little controversy over the entire 2012 Olympic Games having been scheduled to take place while observant Muslim athletes are fasting for Ramadan. Nor is there any question today about whether Christian or Jewish competitors will compete on their Sabbaths during the London Games. They will. With billions of dollars in play and national prestige on the line, what has become the greatest show on earth goes on no matter the religious beliefs of the participants. It was not always thus. During the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris, Scottish sprinter and pre-race favourite Eric Liddell passed up his chance to take part in the 100 metres because one heat fell on a Sunday. Liddell's faith and idealism and the purity of sport were central themes of Chariots of Fir...

HOUSTON CHRONICLE | ICONIA By Menachem Wecker "Destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem" (1635-1636) by Nicolas Poussin Last Friday was the first day ( Rosh Chodesh in Hebrew) of the Jewish month of Av, which marks the beginning of a nine-day mourning period in Jewish law. That period culminates in the fast of the Ninth of Av , which, since if falls on a Sabbath-Saturday this year, is observed on the 10th of Av, Sunday July 29. [ link ] According to rabbinic tradition six actions are to be avoided during this period including enjoyment of the Arts.

THE TOWN WALK By Cathy Lynn Grossman, USA Today "Americans famously say they believe in some variation of God. Over 90 percent do," Chaves says. "But it used to be 99 percent decades ago. The change is slow, but we can see it coming." Unbelief is on the uptick. People who check "None" for their religious affiliation are now nearly one in five Americans (19 percent), the highest ever documented, according to the Pew Center for the People and the Press. How high the Nones numbers might go depends on demographics, says Mark Chaves, professor of Sociology, Religion and Divinity at Duke University, an expert on the General Social Survey. [ link ]

VENTURA COUNTY STAR By Alicia Doyle Samantha Hochhauser wipes away dirt that has accumulated on a canvas painting at the St. John's Seminary in Camarillo. CALIFORNIA---"They were done by the renowned religious artist Hector Serbaroli in 1943," said Monsignor Craig A. Cox, rector and president of St. John's Seminary . The artist painted the images in a studio before transferring them to the seminary. The paintings are located in the oratory, a place of prayer that is part of the chapel complex at the seminary. "Each of the paintings captures something precious in our Catholic faith," Cox said. The restoration, which began July 9 and is expected to take about two months to complete, will cost about $25,000. [ link ]

DAILY NEWS & ANALYSIS INDIA---Situated in Bihar, it has the Mahabodhi temple and the bodhi tree, a cousin of the original tree under which Shakyamuni is beleived to have attained enlightenment some 2,500 years ago. Bodh Gaya is among the most visited tourist sites in the country. The surrounding town is dusty and noisy, but for devout Buddhists, this hardly seems to matter. [ link ]

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS By Tahlib The Rastafari movement recognizes July 23, 1892, the personal birthday of Haile Selassie as a religious holiday. This former Emperor of Ethiopia is revered as the returned messiah of the Bible and Christian God called "Jah"  incarnate. He died on   August 27, 1975  following a military coup, the last of a 3,000 year old family dynasty.

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS NEWS By TAHLIB "Peace be with you," is a common greeting among Muslims, and it has special significance this week. This week, the Islamic  holydays of Ramadan began in the USA with a message of peace and assurance from the American government. After a two year battle with extremist opponents in Tennessee who tried to halt construction of a new mosque, a federal judge ruled that the congregation has a right to worship there. During Ramadan, Muslims are expected to make peace with their dear ones even though the latter may have wronged them. During this week of words of intolerance targeting Muslims , Mormons , and Gays , along with the senseless actions that took place in a Colorado  movie theater, may the words and actions of a federal judge signal a new period of peacemaking and forgiveness as the NEWS OF WEEK .

THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE By lisa schencker UTAH---A day after canceling a Christian concert because of a threatened lawsuit, the Draper mayor and City Council decided Wednesday to hold the show as planned after all. Their decision followed criticism from a Utah evangelical group that equated scrapping the concert to an assault on religious liberty. But Draper Councilman Troy Walker said the increased attention didn’t play into the city’s about-face. "As we thought about it and analyzed it, we don’t feel like we’re promoting a religion," Walker said. "We feel like we’re putting on a performance like we do every summer." [ link ]

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS By Tahlib "Midnight Prayers" by Helen Zughaib Ramadan is the annual monthly of Holydays celebrating the revelation of the Quran, the word of Allah, given to the Prophet Muhammad . The word Ramadan comes from the Arabic root “ramida” or “ar-ramad,” which means scorching heat or dryness.

THE WASHINGTON POST By Ann Hornaday The chief question to be answered regarding “The Dark Knight Rises,” Christopher Nolan’s deliriously anticipated third and final installation of his Batman films, isn’t “Is it any good?” or even, as has been bandied about since it went into production, “Is it a Best Picture contender ?” Most important, does “The Dark Knight Rises” achieve the impossible, which is to bring a cherished cinematic chapter to a close, yet manage to leave fans feeling not desolate but cheered? To that all-important question, the answer is an unequivocal yes. [ link ]

BANGKOK POST "The Imaginary of Buddhist Art II" will be on view until Aug 9 BANGKOK---Following the success of "The Imaginary of Buddhist Art" exhibition, which attracted many art lovers and collectors two years ago, a second exhibition of the same title will mark the Buddha Jayanti celebrations. This time around the "The Imaginary of Buddhist Art II" will showcase more than 50 paintings, drawings and sculptures by 23 leading artists. The works are a tribute in reverence of the goodness and gracefulness of Buddhist monks. [ link ]

MSNBC | NBC NEWS A worker walks out of a mosque being built in Murfreesboro, Tenn., on June 21, 2012. The mosque has been the subject of a lawsuit since 2010. TENNESSEE---A federal judge has ruled that Muslims in a Tennessee congregation have a right to occupy their newly built mosque, overruling a county judge's order that was keeping them out. The Islamic Center of Murfreesboro sued Rutherford County on Wednesday and U.S. District Judge Todd Campbell granted the mosque an emergency order to let worshippers into the building before the holy month of Ramadan starts at sundown Thursday. The future of the mosque had been in question since May, when a local judge overturned the county's approval of the mosque construction. This month, he ordered the county not to issue an occupancy permit for the 12,000-square-foot building. [ link ]

KRQE By Katie Kim NEW MEXICO---A New Mexico village mayor is accusing the federal government of censorship in a big battle over artwork the village wants to put on two bridges the feds are paying for. The artwork is religious, and according to Mayor Edmond Temple of Jemez Springs and a state transportation employee, the federal government ordered to remove the crosses. The Federal Highway Administration is picking up about 85 percent of the $2 million construction, which is set to start next spring. The artist who won the contest is working on another version of the sculpture without crosses. [ link ]

JEWISH WEEKLY By Emma Silvers "Love" by Will Deutsch CALIFORNIA---For many young couples planning a wedding, a ketubah may be far from the top of the to-do list. The traditional Jewish marriage contract, historically intended to protect the wife-to-be in the event of divorce or her husband’s death, can seem a bit archaic. Far from it, according to the founders of Ketuv , which aims to unite the world of Judaica with fine art. By connecting couples with independent artisans who create personal, custom-designed ketubahs based on customers’ wishes, Arielle Angel and Maya Joseph-Goteiner hope to spread the word about how beautiful and powerful a ketubah can be — for Jews and non-Jews alike. [ link ]

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS By Tahlib "Inspirer of Faith" by Andrew Kosorok Since this is the start of the Holydays of Ramadan, I am including Andrew Kosorok's Islamic inspired glass sculpture in this post even though it wasn't part of this week's news. I simply find it an appropriate way to honor these Islamic Holydays. Now, below are the actual images from this week's religious art news from around the world for A&O 5 Faiths Fridays : (1) In Germany, an exhibition about Taboos in Judaism, Islam, and Christianity; (2) In Bangkok, artists give tribute to the grace of Buddhist monks; (3) In America, Mormons are pitted against other Christians by the news media; (4) In Spain, an Indian artist wins two gold medals for his sand sculpture of a Hindu deity; (5) and in Istanbul, a palace gallery opens with an elaborate exhibition of Islamic Art for the Holydays of Ramadan.

THE NEWS INTERNATIONAL Image courtesy of National Matter PAKISTAN---An Islamic Art and Calligraphic Exhibition was held at the Defence Authority Creek Club here on Monday. The masterpiece works of talented artists Muhammad Shafique and Asif Ghazali were put on display, according to a press statement issued by the Pakistan Defence Officers Housing Authority. This form of art encompasses visual arts, including oil paintings, calligraphy and ceramics. It mainly focuses on the depiction of patterns and Arabic calligraphy. The promoter of the event, Brig (Retd) Asif Ghazali, said that the idea behind the exhibition was to foster the old Islamic art and calligraphy skills which have a very rich heritage. [ link ]

BUSINESS RECORDER By Nargis Khanum, Karachi Smuggled Buddhist Art in Karachi PAKISTAN---The large number of relics and artifacts seized by Police last week, from a trailer-mounted container in Landhi and a godown in Korangi, indicates there is a flourishing market for Gandhara art. If there were no buyers, there would be no smugglers. The obliteration of Gandhara art seems to have the approval of religious fanatics. This is evident also from the fact that wary politicians, social leaders, our so-called intellectuals and art lovers did not express shock to learn about the huge number of relics and artifacts seized by the Police in Karachi . The theme of Gandhara art is Buddhism.  [ link ]

THE NEW YORK TIMES By Christopher F. Schuetze Oude Kerk, 14th-century church in red light district of Amsterdam AMSTERDAM---Although the pungent scent of hash, the roving stag parties and the red-light windows remain the dominant culture of De Wallen, Amsterdam's notorious district, the area is slowly becoming less louche. One of the most prominent markers of the changes in the area is the Oude Kerk — literally, the old church — the 14th-century Amsterdam landmark. About to celebrate a grand opening after decades of restoration the church is looking for a new, more meaningful role in the district. Starting in September 2013, new art installations will be unveiled inside the ancient walls. [ link ]

EURASIA REVIEW By Ruby Russell Courtesy of Goethe GERMANY---An exhibition showing this summer in Berlin entitled “Journey to Jerusalem: Artistic Positions Between Religion, Tradition and Taboo” brings together the work of ten artists who deal with the place of religion in contemporary life. Spanning photography, painting, video, and installation, the works on show at the Kunstraum Kreuzberg/Bethanien are often challenging. The exhibition’s curator, Stephane Bauer, says it aims to explore common themes in Judaism, Christianity and Islam, as well as create a visual dialogue between them. Originating from as far afield as Turkey, Russia, the U.S., and Israel, all the artists in the show now live and work in Berlin. [ link ]

INDIA DAILY NEWS Sand sculpture created by Sudarsan Pattnaik in Spain. SPAIN — Odisha-based sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik's sculpture of Hindu god Ganesha has won two gold medals at the just-concluded Solo International Sand Art Contest in Marbella, Spain, the artist said Wednesday. He was the only sand artist from India to participate in the contest held July 9-17. Other participants included artists from Spain, Italy, Ireland, Germany, Ukraine, Russia, Poland and Holland. [ link ]

THE NEW YORK TIMES By Samuel G. Freedman Visitors can spend the night at Saint John the Evangelist, a monastery in Cambridge, Mass., where Brother Kevin Hackett, 56, lives. MASSACHUSETTS---Saint John the Evangelist is not on a mountaintop, not in a desert sanctuary, not in a medieval stone village, but in that bastion of secular modernity known as Cambridge, Mass., home to both Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “People are drowning in words and drowning in information,” said Brother Geoffrey Tristram, 58, the superior of the monastery’s order, who used to lead a congregation as a priest. “Words are bombarding us from every side — to buy things, to believe things, to subscribe to things. We are trying to build a place to be still and silent. So many voices around us are shouting. God tends not to shout.” [ link ]

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS By TAHLIB Detail of "Lazarus's Soul Carried to Abraham" (1510-1520) CALIFORNIA---The J. Paul Getty Museum presents " Heaven, Hell, and Dying Well: Images of Death in the Middle Ages " through August 12, 2012 featuring a collection of remarkable imagery from illuminated manuscripts, stained glass, printed books, and paintings. Drawing primarily from the Getty Museum’s permanent collection and featuring several new acquisitions, the focus is the Middle Ages which produced many of the most fantastical and arresting images of death and the afterlife. Medieval depictions of cruel demons, valiant angels, and gruesome deaths continue to inform our visual understanding of the horrors of hell and the rewards of heaven. 

PATCH | GLYNELLEN By Plamena Pesheva Photo courtesy of the artist ILLINOIS--- Suzanne Mancuso , the artist who set a world record last October by making a large scale Painting of the Virgin Mary, has set another goal—a second world record. To do so, she will paint 1,000 religious buildings worldwide, on the back of her original painting, which she has cut into small pieces. The idea came after a friend saw a picture of the canvas rolled in Mancuso's backyard and suggested that she put it into good use. If you'd like to help, you can send pictures of various religious buildings or information to the Grace Lutheran Church, 3830 Gomer St., Yorktown Heights, NY 10598. Or email Suzanne Mancuso at Shirleyinoz (@) aol.com. [ link ]

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS By Gregory Disney Christ in Majesty ILLINOIS---After two years of success at his current location, Daniel Mitsui  is reluctantly moving his artist studio/home. In his July newsletter the illustrator writes,  "This has been a lovely home for the past few years, one that has provided many fond memories (my younger son was born in the master bedroom) and bizarre stories (the previous tenant went to prison for murdering a homeless man)." He then adds, "The building was recently foreclosed, and the new owner (a bank 96% owned by the Walton family) has given us terms and conditions for staying that are less favorable that those for leaving. So I will be moving soon. I do not yet know to where." To cover the cost of the move, he is having a special sale of his original artwork and prints. This is a real opportunity for anyone fascinated with religious art generally, and especially for collectors of Mitsui's finely detailed work. Fo...

RELIGION ETHICS WEEKLY By Bob Abernathy Finally, something we almost never do here: report on a friend and benefactor on the occasion of his retirement. Since this program first went on the air 15 years ago, the Lilly Endowment of Indianapolis has been our principal funder. The head of the Endowment’s religion division has been Craig Dykstra, who is retiring from Lilly this summer. Dykstra’s friends say the Endowment’s grants and Dykstra’s personal religious convictions have had a profound influence on thousands of Christian believers and have helped restore vigor to many congregations, especially in the Protestant Mainline. Dr. Dykstra is returning next year to his first love: teaching—at the Duke University Divinity School. [ link ]

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS By Ernest O. Britton Last night, I finally finished Andrew Graham-Dixon's 445pg biography of Caravaggio, born Michelangelo Merisi. He's the Italian painter whose revolutionary technique of selective illumination became the hallmark of the Baroque movement, and in 1610, he died alone on the 18th of July. This densely researched book told the tragic tale of a religious artist who spent his life creating masterworks that revealed the "free" gift of God's love, but instead of focusing on that message, he died during his last desperate struggle to get what he craved more than God's love. He craved an idol of human recognition, and died without winning it.

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS By Tahlib Meditating Buddha from Lotus Sculpture CALIFORNIA---Lotus Sculpture has announced a partnership with the Chopra Center Marketplace, located at the La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, California, to sell one-of-a-kind, handcrafted Hindu God and Buddha statues, produced directly from Asian artisans.  Lotus Sculpture is an importer of the finest Hindu God and Buddha statues from India, Thailand, Bali, Cambodia and Nepal, with a collection crafted from bronze, brass, marble, stone, and wood. Over the eleven years in business, owner, Kyle Tortora has developed close relationships with Asian artisans, who have been practicing the craft for generations.

HüRRIYET NEWS TURKEY---A new exhibition featuring Islamic themes has opened at the Dolmabahçe Art Gallery with 31 works from 26 artists in 17 countries. The “Mukaddes Yolculuk” (Sacred Journey) exhibition, which was opened July 13 by Saudi Arabian Education Minister Prince Faysal Bin Abdullah Bin Mohammed al-Saud, presents works interpreting the al-Aqsa Mosque, the Kaaba and Medina’s al-Masjid an-Nabawi, which is often known as the Prophet’s Mosque. The exhibition will remain open until Aug. 16. [ link ]

JEWISH JOURNAL By Edmon Rodman A crypto-Jewish secret wedding by Anita Rodriguez. MEXICO---Artist Anita Rodriguez’s “aha” moment came after reading “ To the End of the Earth: A History of the Crypto-Jews of New Mexico .” The 2005 book by New Mexico’s former state historian, Stanley Hordes, tells the story of the Southwest’s Converso settlers and the elements of their Sephardic heritage – among them lighting candles on Friday night and refraining from eating pork—that were passed down over 500 years. Rodriguez is one of several artists planning to exhibit Crypto-Jewish-themed paintings and folk art at the conference of the Society for Crypto-Judaic Studies to be held July 22-24 in Albuquerque. “Artwork makes people want to know more about their own identity,” said Dolores Sloan, president of the society, which helped obtain grants to bring artists to the conference. [ link ]