Have No Fear: Islamophobia in the 21st Century

Ramallah/New York (2004-2005) by Emily Jacir draws parallels
between life in the West Bank town of Ramallah and New York

Our group went to the second floor rotunda of the Old Capitol Museum to view the exibit Have No Fear: Islamophobia in the 21st Century which was curated by Rachel Winter and Evan McCarthy.

Those who choose to believe in the Islamic faith are commonly misunderstood individuals. Due to these misunderstandings Muslims are often subjected to fear, apprehension, and discrimination. Have No Fear: Islamophobia in the 21st Century attempted to alleviate some of those misunderstandings by showcasing various facets of the lives of different kinds of Muslims. The showcase included a timeline of brief Islamic history, artwork and literary quotes by Muslim artists and scholars and children, and photographs of ordinary people in a crisis-stricken Syria.

Art from the street artist Banksy is featured in this display

One of the goals of the exibit is to erase fear of Muslims through contemporary art. The pieces in the exibit each cover various conflicts such as how the Middle East is demonized by Western media and the Israel Palestine conflict. The variety of topics and mediums that are used make this exibit very interested and very relatable to a variety of audiences. I was pleasantly surprised to see some of the works of Banksy featured here. From photos and drawings to poetry, there is something for everyone to see in this small exibit. If you have a few minutes, stop in, enjoy the artwork, and reflect on it. This exibit will be on display until December 31st so there is still some time to check it out if you haven't already!