questions

1. Why do Muslims oppose icons and depictions of people? How is the Ka’ba a symbol of this idea?

2. How or why did calligraphy develop as an art form in Islam?

3. Why is math important in Islamic art?

4. What is the kiswa? Why has it been outlawed by the Saudi government?

5. When Muslim artists began painting more realistic art depicting people and animals (despite the prohibition against it), what was one of the ways that they compromised with religious scholars/clerics who were opposed to the depiction of people?

6. How does the Shi’i approach to icons/depictions of people differ from Sunnis?

7. In the second half of the video, they focus on a ruler named Mansa Musa. Who was he? Why was his visit to Mecca important?

8. The video visits a village in Egypt (near Luxor) that is known for depicting images of hajj-visits on houses. Why is this interesting? What was one way that one of the artists/experts explained why this tradition came about?

9. Towards the end of the video, they show several examples of contemporary art inspired by the Islamic world. Pick one example and tell me why you thought it was interesting.