Interconnectedness, Hate, Love, & Ahimsa (Non Violence)

I took the trip of a lifetime to Portugal, Spain, & Andorra (the teeny tiny country sandwiched between Spain & France that no one seems to have heard of, but it’s always been a dream of mine to visit! With a population of only 78K people they sent 3 athletes to the Winter Olympic games, meanwhile, India with a population of 1.38 billion sent 1 dude from Kashmir proudly waving the Indian flag to the Olympics! Hahaha I just HAD to visit)

I spent nearly 4 weeks traveling soaking up the incredible architecture, culture, people, religions, and food of these BEAUTIFUL countries. How the hell did I lose 10 pounds, when my daily diet consisted of pastries, cheese, chocolate, and cake, God only knows!

I was the former head designer for the Metropolitan Museum of Art and when the Islamic Galleries reopened (where my journey into Arabic/Islamic calligraphy began) so many artifacts and stunning works of art came from the Iberian Peninsula, I had a chance to study the culture and religion and was beyond inspired and fascinated. I just had to visit to see for myself! Plus I watched waaaay too many Spanish language dramas on Netflix during Quarantine!

As a lifelong practicing Hindu who adheres to the principle of Ahimsa, which means “nonviolence” meaning not to harm any living creature with your words, thoughts, or physically (but let’s be real, I live in Manhattan, and I feel like smacking someone crossing busy avenues on a daily basis, BUT I don’t hate anyone, hating just gives you wrinkles hahaha, I get annoyed not angry) it boggles my mind that the 3 great Abrahamic faiths of the world Christianity, Judaism, and Islam lived in relative peace and unity, gave the world beautiful art, architecture, and an interconnected culture before someone drank CUCKOO juice, decided to fill their minds/hearts/brains/souls with hatred and expelled Jews and Muslims, which led to the bloody Spanish inquisition of 1492! NONE of these religions preach HATRED towards the other one but are faiths of peace and service to mankind.

These are my reflections of the interconnectedness, unity, inspiration, and beauty, I saw through religion, faith, culture, and art.

Moor is a collective term that refers to all people from North Africa (including the Amazigh, NOT BERBER (that’s a colonizer term means “Barbarian” STOP using it, call them Amazigh or Imazighen (plural) and the Arab countries and they brought Islam to the Iberian Penninsula.

My first stop was the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima in Fatima, Portugal. Fatima is another name for the Virgin Mary who appeared before 3 Shepard children in 1916. Fatima is also the name of the Prophet Muhammad’s (Peace and blessings be upon him) daughter, she is one of the exalted women of Islam. Fatima is named after a Moorish princess who fell in love with a Christian knight captor and the area is named after her.

This one of the largest pilgrimage sites in the world. Folks walk on their knees to the sanctum, this reminds me of the Hindu practice in Tirupati Temple in Andra Pradesh, India where folks do a rolling namaskaram. The spiritual significance is worshiping the all mighty divine mind, body, and soul. I LOVED it here, so quiet and peaceful, and definitely felt the presence of Mother Mary.

The “Arab Room” in the Stock Exchange Palace in Porto Portugal was STUNNING. Beautiful gilding, Arabic Calligraphy, and Arabesque (swirls/patterns) motifs covered the walls! One of the most FASCINATING motifs I discovered and FELL IN LOVE WITH in Portugal was the Heart of Viana or the sacred heart of Jesus. The “filigree” work of the jewelry was brought by Muslims via India. Goa, India was a Portuguese colony at one time. Its meaning has changed over time. For a long time, this jewel was used as a religious symbol of dedication and worship to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, but over time, its popularity became a symbol of romantic love. The heart motif is found across Portugal from soccer team uniforms to hospitals, churches, schools, and even food wrappings. I LOVE that the Portuguese are inspired by LOVE!

As I traveled into Spain (starting from the South - Seville - Granada - Cordoba - Madrid - Toledo - Barcelona - Bilbao - San Sebastian) my heart lept with joy! I loved seeing the Islamic / Jewish influences all around me reflected in the churches, synagogues, museums, architecture, and streets. The Muslim dynasties ruled the Iberian Peninsula for nearly 3 centuries staying in Spain for 7 centuries overall. Under their rule art, religion, architecture, etc. flourished! Communities of different faiths lived in relative peace. Many of the Muslim kings had Jewish prime ministers and Christian army commanders. I binged watched a lot of historical Spanish dramas on Netflix during Quarantine including the legend of El Cid (A Castillian warlord who fought for both Chrisitan and Muslim kings) and La Catedral del mar (About the building of a Cathedral in Barcelona and the expulsion of the Jews so PAINFUL to watch).

Watching these dramas I was both fascinated and horrified. How could 3 religions who all trace their lineage back to the (SAME) Prophet Abraham and who lived at one time in peace and harmony have so much animosity towards each other? As a Hindu, it’s mind-boggling to me. Hinduism originated in South Asia, it does not believe in “conversion” is the OLDEST living faith in the world, and firmly believes “ALL FAITHS OF THE WORLD” lead to the same divine, are equal, and doesn’t believe that “Hinduism” is the greatest religion of them all, and Hindu armies never “invaded” other nations (they just tended to fight amongst themselves within South Asia lol)

As I learned about the history of Spain I was horrified to see what happened to the Jewish and Muslim people. Muslims at least had armies to fight back, Jewish people did not (it’s painful/horrifying to learn about what happened to them!) The Christians were jealous of the Jews because they were doctors, highly educated, and controlled finances. Rumors started that Jews started the black plague which is so not true which led to the bloody Spanish Inquisition. They were also jealous that Muslims and Jews were much cleaner (Jewish and Muslim religious rites require cleansing one’s body before prayer) and that their communities were in better health. Remember during the middle ages folks hardly took a bath and diseases spread easily! Hearing and learning about the expulsion of the Jews and Muslims from the Iberian Peninsula has always been PAINFUL for me.

But I chose to see the beauty of what they left behind. Christian Monarchs loved the style of Islamic designs and incorporated them into their buildings, churches, and palaces. I saw many many Churches with Jewish and Muslim influences incorporated into the design including the star of David and Arabesque patterns.

I had a chance to hang out at the Jewish Museum in Cordoba and learn about the history of the Jewish people. I LOVE Sephardic Jewish music and it was a treat to learn about their traditions at this museum.

I saw Minarets converted into Church bell towers and synagogues built by Muslims. The strong influence of North Africa and their famous “Zalige” pattern is everywhere! The Alhambra is one of the most incredible places on earth. The famous “lion” fountain was given to the Muslim king by his Jewish citizens representing the 7 tribes of Israel. I THOROUGHLY enjoyed myself in Granada, I never wanted to leave!

The art and architecture of these 3 great faiths coming together is STUNNING! I was walking around with my mouth hanging open admiring the beauty everywhere!

Hate is something I will never EVER understand. It makes my heart and brain hurt that on social media accounts, the accounts that spread hate and animosity and are always angry seem to have the largest followings (in addition to the usual superficial nonsense lol) Yes human history has a deep, dark, ugly past filled with hate and has left many nasty scars but it is up to the future generations to heal and move past this.

I don’t want my baby nephews growing up in a world with Islamophobia, Antisemitism, Sexism, Homophobia, or any kind of fear and hatred.

I strongly believe that ignorance and misinformation is what leads to hate. Calling Jews cheap and Muslims terrorists is WRONG. I wonder where the hell all these hated-filled thoughts and stereotypes came from or were started? How did the Inquisition just happen like that? How could folks mercilessly turn on their Jewish and Muslim neighbors and expel them?

Educating and sharing about your culture, faith, and way of thinking in a POSITIVE LIGHT is what leads to unity, understanding, and peace. For me, this trip wasn’t just about “eat, pray, love” (Ok fine it kind of was!) lol, it was eye-opening and inspiring. Hate and ignorance can continue to flourish and affect generations to come if the world doesn’t do something about it! We have to come together to educate and really truly understand each other in order to build a more compassionate and understanding world. And for me, that’s through the beauty and interconnectedness of art and design inspired by faith which is LOVE!