Overcoming religious prejudice by seeing artistic beauty

DAILY SABAH
By Vana Stellou

The Benaki Museum of Islamic Art

Ignorance is the root of all delusions and is thus the source of all fears. The most effective weapon against ignorance is education and, as Mark Twain said, "Education consists mainly of what we have learned." The same thing applies to religion. It is unawareness and lack of respect regarding religious values and views that leads to accusations of Islam being linked to terrorism. Instead of blaming Islam, it would be useful and is more important than ever, to try to depict Islam in a positive manner and show the beauty behind the religion and the huge accomplishments Muslim empires have been able to achieve in history. The two main reasons that have led to the widespread, stereotypical acceptance of this religious community are: a) systematic one-sided portrayal and b) ignorance of the richness of the polymorphic Islamic culture. [More]