thanks so much for the comment below
in my blog i rejoice in the beauty of all cultures and feel both extreme inspiration and awe for the pictures that catch my eye….respect in all ways
healingsakina:
bobowoodlake:
chintz of darkness
this is so beautiful. but i am really disturbed by it too. look at the gorgeous floor… now, i can’t read Arabic at all. there is only one word i recognize in Arabic script and that is “Allah”. Besides “Allah”, there are 99 names of Allah that are also sacred (they include, just to give you an idea, Ar-Rahman: The Compassionate, the Benificent, The Gracious; Ar-Rahim: The Merciful; As-Salaam: The Source of Peace; Al-Khaliq: The Creator).
well, so on this floor is the name “Allah”. for all i know there are other Names of Allah in the script, and it’s just that i don’t read Arabic so i can’t pick them out. and i don’t think it’s a difficult concept to recognize that we would not be cool with stepping on the Names of Allah (or the names of his Prophets, peace be upon them all, either - which might help clue you in to why sidewalk chalk drawings of our Prophet are so tacky).
so while i think the photo is gorgeous in every way, i’m really disturbed by the floor and assume that it is not a Muslim home/place of business but possibly an example of how those outside of a culture who admire the culture or aesthetic can go so WRONG in attempting to emulate it.
