Fearing Islam

'The Dart Game', oil pastels on paper
approx 16" x 18"

At a very deep level I fear Islam because

a) I fear Sharia Law and

b) I fear burquas, niquabs and hijabs because they 

seem to represent Sharia law.

I want that to be perfectly clear because it is true.

But I don't believe the state has the right to tell 

women what they can or can't wear so I accept the 

head coverings.

I also understand that my fear is often driven by 

social media.

And I know that there are many Muslims who have 

worked/are working to free themselves and their 

religion from the misogynistic trappings that it 

somehow developed,

( see http://www.monaeltahawy.com/ )

just the way there are Christians who have 

worked/are working worked to bring equality 

and social justice to Christianity.

Consequently my compassion is stronger than my 

fear.

Therefore I believe that Canada should be taking 

immediate steps to help alleviate the refugee crisis 

in Europe.

Not next year, next month or even tomorrow.

Today.


***

The Ghosts That Haunt Me

The Ghosts That Haunt Me

oil pastels on paper

approx 17" x 20"

I was looking down at a goat that was strung up by its legs.  

The goat was beautiful. 

It had shiny black fur and the most gentle
Christlike look on its face.

I had cut the skin off its head from the eyes back and I was slicing and eating pieces of its 'meat'. 

Suddenly I saw that the goat was only unconscious.

I realized that I would have to take its heart out and kill it because it would suffer terribly if I put the scalp back on particularly as I had eaten part of it.

It was a horrifying dilemma.

I couldn't kill the goat but I couldn't let it suffer either.


*** 

The black goat represents my unconscious.  

That was easy to figure out - the word 'unconscious' 
was the word I used myself in the dream to describe it.

Peeling back the unconscious (the scalp) and eating 
parts of it (taking in) suggests to me that there are 
some shadow issues I've integrated into my conscious personality.

But the rest of the dream is more problematic.

And "getting to the heart of everything" is going to be a bloody, painful mess.