Which is the “best” religion?
This mobile-like piece is a representation of the three Abrahamic religions and their attempts to control and govern the alley in Children of the Alley. I have drawn Jesus, Moses, and the prophet Mohammed, along with Albert Einstein as a symbol of the “god” of science. These four entities each compete with futuwwat for ultimate leadership of the alley, yet the ultimately the alley always returns to chaos. Even Arafa, the symbol of science, cannot beat the futuwwat in the quest for ultimate control of the alley. This lead me to wonder what the best faith is, or even if there is a “best faith” at all. Additionally, this outcome demonstrates the author’s somewhat unorthodox view of Islam. I drew pictures of each of the four ruling entities in their god-like representation because I felt it was important to highlight their religious interpretations, since in Children of the Alley Mahfouz somewhat stripped them of their religious power. They are all depicted as suspended above ground because of their immortal qualities that show that deities may not really have power on Earth. While this is a somewhat radical thought, after having read Children of the Alley I felt that it is more powerful and effective for morals to follow religion as a guide to empowerment, than it is to have the prophets live among the humans on ground level. To represent this, I have suspended each of them in air, available for their followers to choose from according to their individual cultures and beliefs.