Khaled Hourani
Allah Mahaba
In Khaled Hourani's “Allah Mahaba” (God is Love) (2007) green fluorescent signs were distributed throughout the Old City in outdoor public areas. Hanging above shop doors, on lamp posts, on electric wiring between one wall and another, these signs were created as a commentary on the Islamic tradition of displaying religious "reminders" throughout the city and especially near holy sights, meant to remind passersby of the importance of always remembering God in everything, meant to encourage religious belief and the good practice of devout faith. Hourani's sign however was not met with similar encouragement among the Jerusalem public, who misunderstood the sign as being a harsh criticism against their personal religious practice, as condemnation of Muslim faith. Misunderstanding Hourani's signs as something converging on the sacrilegious, the signs were anonymously cut exactly in half (within two days of their exhibit) to expose one word alone, that of "Allah" (God), and replaced in their original location as a permanent fixture.
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