ART AND RELIGION

It is critical that Australians are provided with opportunities to learn and immerse themselves in Islamic creative culture by Greg Barn and Jane Rankin-Reed .

The recently deceased Palestinian intellectual, Edward W. Said, and Brazilian-born Jewish pianist and conductor Daniel Barenboim demonstrated that creative trust can do a power of good in reducing friction and misunderstanding between Islamic and Western societies and cultures. In 1999, Said and Barenboim forged an extraordinary partnership; the East West Divan Orchestra drew talented young Israeli and Palestinian musicians together to explore the common language of music through a series of workshops, rehearsals and concert presentations. This Arab-Israeli youth orchestra - the world's first - is a wonderful example of the importance of artists and artistic institutions harnessing the soft power of cultural excellence to help bring about harmony and understanding in communities. The Said-Barenboim initiative is a dynamic model for Victoria's thriving cultural sector to explore. The State, and particularly Melbourne, with its world class public galleries, theatres and music venues and ensembles has an ideal opportunity to help address the almost mono-dimensional image of Islamic life that Australians are presented with each day in the media. According to The New York Times writer Alan Riding, Islamic art is often treated as a poor relation to Greek and Roman antiquities. To correct this historical imbalance, several big international cultural institutions have unveiled plans to bring their Islamic art collections into public view. In 2002, French President Jacques Chirac announced plans to create a department of Islamic art at the Louvre, stating that he wanted to emphasise the essential contribution of Islamic civilisations to French culture. Former French Minister for Culture, Jacques Aillagan told US media that young people were the key to building cultural understanding and tolerance.

Since September 11, whenever Islam is highlighted in Western media, it is somehow inextricably linked with acts of terror.

Since September 11, whenever Islam is highlighted in Western media, it is somehow inextricably linked with acts of terror. Media images of Osama bin Laden, the Madrid bombings, suicide bombings in the Middle East and Shiite and Sunni Muslims clashing with the US Army in Iraq do little to help Australians understand that Islam is, like the Judeo-Christian tradition, historically rich in literature, visual culture and musical performance. Could the world be in danger of losing sight of Iraq's rich and ancient heritage? Hossein Valamanesh, an Iranian artist who has been living in Australia since 1973, is convinced of the capacity for culture to break through the media and political portrayals of Islamic culture and life. Valamanesh says that he sometimes finds people amazed that Iran produces artists when they meet him and see his work.

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