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At The Museum Of Fine Arts, Boston-Area Muslims Reflect On The Quran

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The Bible has inspired countless works of art: paintings, sculptures and murals that transform the text of Christianity into images. But turn your attention to Islam, and you'll find that the religious text is the art itself. The pages of the Quran are often richly decorated, with elaborate Arabic calligraphy that balances visual appeal with spiritual significance.

A selection of rare and ancient Quran pages are on display at Boston's Museum of Fine Arts right now, in an exhibit called "Sacred Pages: Conversations About The Qur'an." The pages come from across the Islamic world, but the exhibit also gives visitors a glimpse of how the Quran resonates among Muslims right here in Boston. The MFA asked 24 people from the city's Islamic community to write personal reactions to a Quran page of their choice, and their words hang on the walls of the gallery alongside the works of calligraphy.

"Sacred Pages: Conversations about the Quran" is on display at the Museum of Fine Arts until next February.

Guests

Betul Cam, an economist originally from TurkeyRahman Oladigbolu, a filmmaker originally from  Nigeria

Laura Weinstein, Ananda Coomaraswamy Curator of South Asian and Islamic Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

The recitation you hear at the beginning of the piece is courtesy of Michael Sells. Approaching the Quran: The Early Revelations. Ashland, Oregon: White Cloud Press, 2007.

This segment aired on August 22, 2013.

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