Follow-up: Art exhibit that offended Muslims at Harper College

I blogged about this story last month. An art exhibit at Harper College in Palatine, IL was shut down just a few hours after it opened because of complaints from Muslim students.

An excerpt from the Daily Herald:

Saba Ahmed attended a Tuesday afternoon forum at Harper College to hear a Chicago artist’s explanation as to why he included photos of nude Muslim women in a photo exhibit last month at the Palatine-based community college.

But she left the forum with more questions than answers.

Ahmed, a 19-year-old Harper student from Island Lake, said the professional artist, Amir Normandi, didn’t fully answer questions regarding his works that included photos of nude Muslim women.

“We wanted to know what was his intentions behind that. That was the main reason why we were so shocked: Muslim women naked,” Ahmed said. “If the main question wasn’t answered then I really didn’t get too much out of the forum.”

The 90-minute forum was the first opportunity for Normandi to explain in person his use of nude Muslim women, along with other images at which some Muslim students at Harper took offense, since college officials abruptly closed the exhibit on Oct. 27.

Normandi, who is of Iranian descent, told a group of about 100 attendees — many Muslim Harper students — that he did not intend to offend anyone in his exhibit titled “No Veil Is Required.”

Normandi said his aim was to draw attention to the plight some Muslim women face in countries where they are required to wear a hijab.

“If it is chosen by a person, that is democracy. If it is forced on somebody, it is oppression,” said Normandi, who runs d’Last Studio in Chicago.

Technorati tags: IranHarper Art Culture Muslims