Freedom / Harmony / Salvation

Killing two birds with one stone was not my intention, but when some divine power puts the opportunity in my way, I suppose that this class has taught me not to say no. As I walked further down the empty streets of Bushwick, and after snapping my first shot of the “urban church,” I happened upon another interesting mural: the image of an individual wearing a wrap or hijab-type of head covering, placed in the clouds with rainbows at the bottom. I say the word “individual” because while hijabs are customarily associated with women, the eyes look a bit more like a man’s. I feel like this can be considered deliberate, as well as the composition of the portrait and the overall outfit. This image, at least to me, is a combination of both religious and political aspects that seek to be harmonized within one place.

Quite generally, I think it relates back to Border Passage by Leila Ahmed quite well, for the simple fact that the image represents someone that would generally be considered of the Islamic faith based on dress and traditional custom. Aside from this, my thoughts had to undergo some picking apart. I had a difficult time reading Ahmed’s story, simply for the fact that I was fervently seeking a religious presence to be completely obvious to me right away, rather than taking the extra time to think abstractly and understand that it was present all at once - even when all I could point out was political and societal strife. This is where it relates to the mural.

One example of a political or societal issue that seems to be present today is in relation to the LGBTQ community. As generally as possible, the attire of the individual could be related to that, considering how rainbows are often used as a symbol of pride within that community. Combining that with a well known religious portrait is very much like the marriage between political and religious strife intertwined within Border Passage. The fact that the gender of the individual in the mural remains unspecified almost puts blinders on the two concepts brought together in one image, successfully nullifying any prejudices or biases that normally arise and instead making it a peaceful combination. Another interesting thing to note is the individual’s placement amongst clouds, perhaps signifying a separate note of the concept of heaven. In other words, no matter what things, parts, beliefs, or ideals constitute one person, everything can be united in tranquility while still achieving some sort of salvation.

In Border Passage, I never realized until conversations in class revealed to me just how many elements were present at one time. It’s ultimately the story of growth, and how a young girl spends her life maturing while trying to understand where she belongs in terms of religion, society, politics, and even gender. Surprisingly, while all of these things are often considered within their own rights, it seems that Ahmed encounters everything in combination. This mural signifies this quite well, in that sometimes certain issues or topics cannot just be considered in their own right. In order to gain understanding, or at least broaden perspective, one must be able to open their mind and take in all different perspectives. If anything, this piece of art is able to do just that - speaking volumes with no words at all. And at the end of the day, I think that’s what makes the biggest impact. That’s what people will remember.