In My Name is Red, the characters reflect on the disconcerting atmosphere of Istanbul which is mostly attributed to the spread of extremist opinions about Islamic beliefs. I find the most deplorable part of this account is that the wrong beliefs are spread by a cleric who claims piety as a way to influence the people and achieve the reputation he wants for himself as a respected leader.
The concept that the stories in the Koran cannot be represented does not mean that Islam is against any artistic representation and beautiful talents. The idea of the supremacy of God’s words to an extent that makes it indescribable, more sophisticated than human abilities of visualization is, among other reasons, for the purpose of leading humans to not be limited by a certain mundane representation of God that they created with their own hands. What God says remains His only, people listen to His words, contemplate their meanings and avoid restricting these meanings to artworks. This way, the relationship between people and God remains wholly spiritual and completely detached from any embodied representation. The of God are beyond human verbal abilities, no one can write so eloquently; therefore, so is the visual representation of these verses beyond any conceivable abilities. However, that does not mean that any person who does that is killed in Islam, that is not correct. The fact that the people were doing that secretly draws a false comparison between The Book of Kells and the attempt to represent the Koran, making it seem like a fully justified act by a group of ambitious artists. This is inaccurate because the Koran is not made to be recreated, but rather to be read and contemplated and that is the greatest fruit that one can gain from this Holy Book. In fact, it is rather a disrespectful attempt. There is a great meaning that ultimately dictates the sacredness of the Koran: for man to expand his relationship with God in the broadest possible sense.
The tense atmosphere was not just because there was a great controversy about what opinions correspond most accurately to Islam, but also because artists were racing to prove their abilities. The artist himself experienced frenzied worry about leaving behind a blissfully ornamented world, fully picturing the scene of his death, a very unsettling experience it must have been living in Turkey at that time. I believe the murdered reached a point of extreme infatuation of his talent that he thought he was too good to keep doing simple works and “aspired” to create something glorious. But he certainly went too far and as a result of his guilt, he freaked out and killed his brother. The artist became obsessed with his talent.
