This piece was inspired by The Prophetic Succession, a section
of Suleyman Celebi’s Turkish poem, Mevlid-i Sharif, which
describes the transmission of God’s light through all of the
great prophets. The poem underscores the idea that this light
makes its truest manifestation in the Prophet Muhammad, but that
it is the same light that is passed down from Adam and Eve and
to other prominent figures in Judaism and Christianity. I was
struck by this imagery, and by the idea that so many of the
major religions are deeply interconnected and dependent upon one
another for completion. Additionally, I was intrigued by
Professor Asani’s “Infidel of Love: Exploring Muslim
Understandings of Islam” in which he outlines common
misconceptions of Islam and emphasizes the true tenants of the
faith to be peace and social justice. Every major religion, to
some extent has known similar misconceptions from outsiders and
deviations from its core values by proclaimed “followers.” The
focus of the piece is a composite face that is (f