United Press International – September 5, 2007
SYDNEY, Sep 5, 2007 (UPI via COMTEX) — An exhibit of Christian religious icons infused with Islamic overtones, including an image of Osama bin Laden as Jesus, has raised a stir in a Sydney gallery.
At first look, “Bearded Orientals: Making the Empire Cross” appears to be a portrait of Jesus. If viewers move a few feet to the side, however, the image changes into the face of bin Laden, the man behind the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks against the United States, The Washington Times reported Wednesday.
Bin Laden is shown in in the same pose as Jesus, with his eyes looking heavenward and a halo above his head.
“Well, people are obsessed with both, Christ and bin Laden; there’s no difference,” said a young art student who identified herself to the Times as Dominique. She said the piece is intended to be viewed as “a comparison of fundamentalism.”
The artwork, one of more than 600 entries in the Blake Prize for Religious Art, was displayed days before U.S. President George Bush arrived in Sydney for a series of meetings with Australian leaders and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.
Copyright 2007 by United Press International