Personal

This is a 16th- or 17th-century Ottoman depiction of Ali ibn al-Husayn in the caliphal court of Damascus (roughly 680 CE). He was about 22 years old. His family had been massacred about three weeks earlier.

I'm deeply interested in the history of religion, especially the history of early Islamic civilization. The Muslim intellectual tradition is brilliant and beautiful. There are some not-so-brilliant-or-beautiful elements, for sure, but the tradition as a whole certainly deserves better than fools like this (watch from 1:10 onward).

If I find the time, I'd like to share my interest on this platform.  We'll see.