[ April 26, 2024 ]
The problem with the Coralarium was that it depicted human figures, which is prohibited in Islam. Blowing yourself up in a crowd of infidels, beating your wife, inciting genocidal Jew-hatred — these things are not prohibited in Islam. But if you create the wrong kind of artwork, it will be denounced as a “threat to Islamic unity,” and summarily destroyed.
“Maldives marine artwork destroyed for being a ‘threat to Islamic unity,'” by Antonia Wilson, Guardian, September 24, 2018 (thanks to Lookmann):
A new sculptural work, Coralarium, created by artist and environmentalist Jason deCaires Taylor, was demolished last week after it was deemed anti-Islamic. The semi-submerged artwork was criticised by religious leaders and scholars in the Maldives, where Islam is the official religion. The depiction of human figures in art is discouraged under Islamic law.
Story continues below advertisementThe government ordered the destruction of the artwork, after a court ruled it to be a threat to “Islamic unity and the peace and interests of the Maldivian state”, the Maldives Independent reported, despite the authorities previously granting permission.
The project by DeCaires Taylor, who is known for his underwater sculptures and galleries around the world, was commissioned by the Fairmont Maldives Sirru Fen Fushi resort, owned by the Accor hotel group, as an “intertidal gallery”, and was completed in July. The large steel frame with cutouts aiming to mimic the marine world was intended to allow sea life to explore freely within, acting as a new habitat for coral and other species. Thirty human figures were positioned on top and inside the frame at tidal level, with others submerged beneath. The sculptures were based on life-casts of people, around half of them Maldivian, with some reimagined as hybrid forms including coral or root-like elements.
Nine months in the making, its creation involved a large teamof [sic] marine engineers, steel fabricators, divers and mould-makers. Specialist materials included pH-neutral steel, which is safe for use in a marine environment. Changing according to light and tides, the artwork was open to resort guests and day visitors.
However, on 21 September the work was destroyed under court order with pickaxes, saws and ropes.
“On Friday last week I was extremely shocked and heartbroken to learn that my sculptures have been destroyed by the Maldivian authorities at the Coralarium, despite continued consultations and dialogue,” deCaires Taylor said. “The Coralarium was conceived to connect humans to the environment and a nurturing space for marine life to thrive. Nothing else! The Maldives is still beautiful, with a warm and friendly population, but it was a sad day for art and a sad day for the environment.”
Soon after it was installed, a statement was released by the president’s office, stating that “due to significant public sentiment against the installation”, the ministry of tourism would facilitate the removal of the sculptures. Although the English statement describes the work as “sculptures”, the Maldivian uses the word “budhu”, which means idol, the worship of which is considered a sin in Islam….
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29 Comments
5 years ago
I just returned from a 30-day ban on Facebook, my 5th in the past year, for linking one of your articles.
So I just posted this new Maldives article and took a screen capture, in case Facebook bans me yet again.
5 years ago
Reply to
Matthew Bracken
Maybe it’s time that I finally got around to a fakebook account. Any odds of me lasting over five minutes?
5 years ago
Reply to
Achmed Mohandjob
I was thinking that it would take at least fifteen seconds for their algorithms to catch me. Although, you could readily be correct.
5 years ago
Reply to
Achmed Mohandjob
You’ll need about 5 different accounts because 4 will be in jail until they ban all your IP addresses
5 years ago
Reply to
Matthew Bracken
LOL ! you get 30 days bans. They got so fed up of my anti-left/jihadi posts they permanently banned me !
After facebook, twitter , even Google, youtube joins lslamofascist gang to support illegals and jihadis
suppress conservative free speech http://tinyurl.com/lgp28rs
saudi/qatar/OIC own part of twitter, Fox Network, fund CNN, MSNBC , buy out politicians , bureaucrats in education dept to push islam in schools/ colleges. Easiest way to brainwash and takeover country and shutdown free speech !
5 years ago
Reply to
Matthew Bracken
I wonder what your comment with the post was, I shared this with
“Destruction is Tolerance, to say otherwise is Islamophobic. Support the destruction of world treasures to appease those wishing to have a world in their image alone.” so far the Book of Faces seems ok with it.
I use ridicule for most of my Gellar shares, and only a few have been removed. I already have people on my newsfeed liking and commenting so it seems to be visible so far.
5 years ago
Reply to
Matthew Bracken
I’ve just gone through some of your work and thank you for all that you do Matt.
5 years ago
Reply to
Matthew Bracken
Wish there was! I use duckduckgo.com for searches. We don’t use Fascistbook.
I have heard of GAB but don’t know much about it. We do’t tweet or snap either.
5 years ago
Reply to
Matthew Bracken
You’re a fool for staying on Facebook. I’ve been off for 6 years. Best decision I’ve made after voting for Trump.
5 years ago
Reply to
Matthew Bracken
May I suggest http://www.gab.com as a free-speech alternative social network?
5 years ago
Afghanistan was a Buddhist area before the Arab Muslim invasion… Taliban Muslims – recently destroyed 2,000 year old Buddha statues.. to try to erase history..
5 years ago
Reply to
IzlamDownpressesHumanity
Mohammed beheaded 700 Jewish men in one day. The rest were tortured and murdered by his gang. The women and children were kept as sex slaves.
Muslims still brag about it, today .
5 years ago
Reply to
taxpayer22
I believe the Buddhist statues were the absolute, last remnant of Buddhism in Afghanistain, so the muslums there don’t have anything left to destroy.
5 years ago
Reply to
IzlamDownpressesHumanity
1984 – you are allowed no photographs of past events so you don’t really know what happened in the past except for your fuzzy memory…
5 years ago
Reply to
Cheryl
I agree 100% and for proof of that allah we have to do is look at what kind of “history” is being taught about islum in our nation’s institutions of “higher learning” aka. islamic propaganda camps.
5 years ago
Reply to
taxpayer22
Why do they allow pictures of people? You know camera’s, iphone camera’s, movies, etc? What hypocritical dumb clucks these moslems are…
5 years ago
Why do people keep giving into these sociopaths?
5 years ago
I really don’t like Muslims. Why does the left look the other way? Hatred of Israel can’t be the only reason.
5 years ago
Islam or Borg? Fawk it, lets call ’em the “Muslim Collective”
5 years ago
If “global warming” weren’t a total hoax, one BENEFIT thereof would be to see the Maldives sink below sea level like Atlantis.
5 years ago
How surprising that a muslum country would destroy works of art…NOT.
5 years ago
Islam has always been against all kinds of art, so this is hardly shocking.
5 years ago
Reply to
R. Arandas
i’m surprised they even gave the go-ahead in the first place, didn’t they know the sculpture would include depictions of people? What a..holes these “leaders” are…
5 years ago
I have some art work that perhaps the Maldives may want to display instead……
5 years ago
Now wait a minute, according to Al Gore and the climate change crowd the Maldives are supposed to be underwater in 2018. Truly wish it was.
