America used to have statues of Muhammad all over the place. I think there are still a few in NYC. It's sad that that the majority have since been torn down.
The historical record shows two notable instances of Muhammad depictions in U.S. public spaces, with differing outcomes:
New York Courthouse Statue (1902–1955)
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Location: Eight-foot marble statue by Charles Albert Lopez adorned the Appellate Division Courthouse at Madison Avenue and 25th Street
3 9.
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Design: Depicted Muhammad holding a Quran (left hand) and scimitar (right hand), intended as one of ten "great lawgivers" including Moses and Confucius
5 8.
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Removal: Taken down in 1953-1955 after diplomatic pressure from Egypt, Indonesia, and Pakistan, who objected to the representation of Muhammad. The statue was stored in a Newark warehouse and later replaced with Zoroaster
5 8 9.
U.S. Supreme Court Frieze (1935–present)
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Location: Marble relief by Adolph Weinman in the courtroom's north wall frieze, depicting Muhammad among 18 historical lawgivers
1 10.
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Controversy: In 1997, CAIR requested its removal, citing Islamic prohibitions against depicting prophets and concerns about reinforcing stereotypes (sword imagery). Chief Justice Rehnquist denied the request, stating it honored Muhammad's legal influence without idolatrous intent
4 8 10.
Key Points
- Limited Scope: Only two confirmed major public depictions existed - one removed (NY) and one retained (DC) 1 3 10.
- Intent vs. Perception: Both were created as tributes to Islamic legal contributions, but later seen as violating Islamic tradition 5 8 9.
- Current Status: No evidence suggests widespread historical proliferation or remaining NYC statues beyond these cases. The Supreme Court depiction remains intact with modified educational materials 10 8.
The removal of the New York statue reflected mid-20th century diplomatic sensitivities rather than domestic policy shifts, while the Supreme Court's retention demonstrates evolving approaches to balancing artistic intent and religious respect.
Citations:
Code:
[1] http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2015/01/14/muhammad-sculpture-inside-supreme-court-a-gesture-of-goodwill/
[2] http://religiousreader.org/a-sculpture-of-muhammad-has-sat-in-the-u-s-supreme-court-since-the-1930s/
[3] https://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/10/nyregion/a-statue-of-muhammad-on-a-new-york-courthouse-taken-down-years-ago.html
[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depictions_of_Muhammad
[5] https://telegrafi.com/en/pse-ishte-hequr-statuja-e-muhamedit-ne-new-york/
[6] https://www.nytimes.com/times-insider/2015/01/15/1974-after-showing-an-image-of-the-prophet-the-times-apologized/
[7] https://www.reddit.com/r/facepalm/comments/hwco11/get_your_facts_clear/
[8] https://www.meforum.org/destroying-sculptures-of-muhammad-4491
[9] https://www.city-journal.org/article/the-prophet-represented
[10] https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/17802/how-mohammad-statue-ended-supreme-court
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Answer from Perplexity:
https://www.perplexity.ai/search/am...bcyXnQEWSVGmEjmClSL.7A?utm_source=copy_output
