He Who Burns

9/11 Tenth Anniversary, "Ribbons Of Hope" Project – a set on Flickr.

Tracing Islamic History Through Its Scripts – NYTimes.com. The items, on display through Feb. 27, form part of the Aga Khan’s collection of Islamic art from the 8th to the 18th centuries, and will find a more permanent home when the Aga Khan Museum opens in Toronto in 2013. The founders say it will be the first major educational and exhibition center in North America dedicated to Muslim arts and culture.  Much of the writing displayed comes from Korans. Scribes faced the daunting task of precisely copying the Muslim holy book and in a way became early page designers, deciding…

Nice review of the state of architecture for Muslims (not necessarily Islamic architecture) in the US. I particularly like the point Maryam makes, let’s go back to praying together, instead of this modern notion of segregating the sexes. BBC News – Muslim America moves away from the minaret. Architect Maryam Eskandari, former associate director of the American Institute of Architects, is touring the US with a photo exhibition illustrating the transition of American mosques from traditional to postmodern design.  She says Islamic architecture has long been subject to personal interpretation and set in a cultural and historical context.