A new exhibition of Islamic art from across the Muslim world aims to do far more than unite unusual, luxurious and rarely-seen objects. Organizers of this London event say that they hope that the illuminated Qur’ans, the perfume bottle carved from rock crystal and the leaf skeleton decorated with sacred text will change the way people think about Islam. The Spirit & Life exhibition, Masterpieces of Islamic Art from the Aga Khan Museum Collection, is currently on display at London’s Ismaili Centre until 31st August 2007.

I’ve always admired the strong Islamic architecture of the TH Selborn building and so, when the opportunity presents itself, I did not miss it. Took this a few weeks ago during a slight traffic jam on the flyover at Jalan Tun Abdul Razak. I don’t think there would be any such opportunity that presents itself to be able to capture the Islamic art on the TH Selborn building.

I went with Asdren Zajmi, a brother from Kosovo, with his wife, to the International Islamic Fair (IIF) 2007 which was held in PWTC. It was actually an eerie feeling when I walked along the corridors of power in the UMNO building, even though we were heading towards the booth area.

The following poem is the translation of a part of the Persian Dîwân by Mawlânâ Diyâ’ ad-dîn Khâlid al-Baghdadî (qaddas-Allâhu ta’âlâ sirrah al-’azîz).

If they want to turn Malaysia into a secular state, it can only be done over my dead body.

This is a sponsored post.