Al-Sharaa v. Venus? The Islamist Obsession With Statues Is Alive In “Liberated” Syria

-OpEd-

BEIRUT — In a move that was quickly reversed and claimed to have been “corrected,” Syria’s provisional government, led by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), removed the term “gods” and images of statues from the school curriculum. The divine statues that bore witness to ancient history with their stony eyes are still being persecuted, in classic Islamic-extremist style, under the pretext that believers might deviate from Al-Waahid, or “the one,” to “the many.”

In the early days of Islamic art and architecture, the simplicity of design — which the Islamic ideology thought adopted and promoted — stood in sharp contrast to the icon-rich Byzantine aesthetics.

With the fall of Constantinople, an architectural revolution began from within the walls of churches, decorated with images of angels, wide-eyed saints, Mary’s gentle smile and the body of Christ. This revolution sought to liberate the meaning and message from the constraints of iconography.

This departure from iconography to capture the being — that has no form, no gender and no boundaries — constituted a revolution that penetrated the cathedrals, and inspired the construction of mosques around them.

The axis of Islamic architecture was the “invisible,” which turned into a force of gravity and a center of balance that dictated to the cement how to twist around it, to the mosaics in which orbit to turn, and to the Arabic script to which dimension to extend until it linked the beginning and the end, the meaning and the mediator, and embodied the unity of everything.

Statue paranoia

Muslims did not adopt the term Mohammedans, meaning “the people of prophet Mohammed,” that was given to them in Europe. And no statues of any prophet or messenger were built in the Islamic world, not only due to its prohibition but also out of fear of confining the “meaning” once again within a “form.” That fear quickly turned into an obsession and paranoia about any statue or symbol.

Islam has inspired some of the greatest architectural achievements in history. These structures were not always built in peace, nor were they always in keeping with the idea of Al-Waahid.

Fear has imprisoned the freedom of “meaning.” Statues of other religions have been destroyed, temples have been vandalized, and churches have been burned. At the same time, images of leaders and the names of companions of the Prophet Mohammed and imams have been plastered on the walls of mosques, as unwanted advertisements for those seeking peace and tranquility.

What began as an effort to free the meaning from iconography has ended up trapping it.

What began as an effort to free the meaning from iconography has ended up trapping it within fear, power, greed and the usual social, political and economic structures.

Psychologist and psychiatrist Carl Jung said that the discovery of psychology as the last of the empirical sciences is not surprising, because humanity has taken so long to document the inner world of man. Social, personal and political structures have always been the most difficult icons to break; the most complex mazes in which to search for meaning — if there is any meaning at all.

The frames that hold the meaning have evolved. Today’s temples look like banks and corporations. In a world full of uncertainty, it is natural for us to stay close to the fence, wary of falling and breaking our necks.

Fear of freedom

The point of liberating the meaning was to recognize that these structures are designed to be fences, not destinations. Meaning is free only when it is not constrained and belief in it is not forced. Meaning is free when it can be embodied as a goddess, a butterfly, a circle or any shape that serves the function. Meaning is free when economic classes are free to join together, communities meet in love, and leaders are elected through fair and free elections.

Meaning is free when a man is not afraid of a woman — note to the Taliban. Those in Afghanistan know very well how to build the tightest prisons. These Islamists ordered all the windows closed in the rooms occupied by women, to imprison them not only in their homes, within their “family” and their social role — but also in the shadow of the man.

Ahmed al-Sharaa will never be able to compete with Athena, the goddess of wisdom.

Man is also an icon. Throughout history, he has been the most prominent symbol of oppression, fear and destruction. Man destroys statues so that the statues do not destroy him. Likewise, the removal of ancient gods by HTS, stripping them of their images and their rightful place in history as an essential part of the development of meaning and femininity as well, is a dangerous call to war against truth and equality.

Can’t compete

Why are Islamists scared of the old gods? Certainly, they know that their icons as men — built on the backs of women and marginalized groups — cannot challenge the test of time the way other gods have done.

HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharaa will never be able to compete with Athena, the goddess of wisdom. He will never be able to look into the eyes of Venus, the goddess of beauty, and admire her without capturing her. He will not hunt better than Diana, the goddess of the hunt.

Dear, al-Sharaa, those who are scared cannot be free or call for freedom. Let Athena teach you a few things. Do not be afraid to kiss Venus and run with Diana. Only then you will be free.