Only Other People Have “Culture”

Yousuf Saeed has posted a web page of his work on Islamic[ate] pop art in South Asia. He’s got a really good write-up with fantastic examples. Spend some time poke around. It’s an interesting discussion about the localization of universal aspects of Islam to a new cultural reality. From the site: Although most Muslim posters available in India portray the shrines at Mecca and Medina or the Quranic verses in calligraphy, one can also find the portraits of local saints, their tombs, and the miracles, represented as vividly as in a typical Hindu mythological scene. It is important to explore…

Over a four-day period, Mecca’s population is more than doubled, with legions of devout Muslims making their way shoulder to shoulder through the dozen rituals that comprise Hajj. If it weren’t for the solemn and religious underpinnings, it would be an unnerving assembly of human beings for such a concentrated space Vice Guide to Travel: Mecca Diaries – CNN.com.