Doorways to Peace

Doorways to Peace by artists Joe Brenman and Cathleen Hughes is painted on the Al Aqsa Islamic Society located in the Olde Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This mural was part of a citywide initiative called MasterPeace that involved schools, religious congregations and communities in identifying a peace or justice issue that was significant for their community.

The Islamic community experienced increased alienation after September 11, 2001. In exploring project alternatives with the Arts & Spirituality Center, Al Aqsa leaders expressed the desire to choose something that would enable them to reach out to their neighbors and invite a collaboration that would bridge cultural barriers. This led to the discussion to create a community mural on the public side of their building. They envision this project as a way to elicit the distinctive beauty of each cultural group, depict the experience of a shared humanity and desire for peace, while creating needed beauty in their neighborhood.

The Al Aqsa student body included members who are West Indian, East Indian, African American, Moroccan, Egyptian, Lebanese, Palestinian, Sudanese, Bangladeshi, Pakistani, Sri Lankan and European American. A curriculum was developed to study the idea of peace in the Abrahamic tradition. Hundreds of tiles with the 99 names of Allah were painted, some with geometric shapes, others with Arabic and English lettering. These were incorporated on the south side of the new mosque facade.