New York City: A Melting Pot

A couple weeks after my visit to Central Park on my first endeavor searching for religious artifacts, my sister came into the city to visit me from New Jersey.  I mentioned to her that I was keeping an eye out for art work to examine for religious meaning so she didn’t think my looking purposefully all about as if it were my first time in NYC was odd.  I thought I’d take advantage of being in a different part of the city than I usually am in with a fresh set of eyes to find something relevant, yet more subliminal, since my first find turned out to be more obviously religiously significant than I thought it would be.  My sister and I began looking for a good authentic Spanish restaurant to get a bite to eat.  After extensive research, we wound up in El Barrio, also known as Spanish Harlem, which is thriving with history and strong community roots as a place of cultural pride.  Here I found there to be a diverse group of religious institutions that show the neighborhood’s interesting history: several Roman Catholic churches, mosques, a Greek Orthodox monastery, and a traditional Russian Orthodox church.  We got off at the 96th and Lexington subway stop and walked down to 3rd Avenue to be greeted by a large New York Mosque on the south border of Spanish Harlem at East 96th Street.  Apart from its beautiful exterior, I noticed an elegant crescent moon atop this mosque that lingered in my mind for quite some time. 

We kept along, as I wanted to find something more creative.  We traveled up towards the 100s, and to my surprise on the corner of 102nd and Lexington I saw this crescent moon again.  This time it was not placed on the dome of a building; rather, it was incorporated in a beautiful and detailed piece of graffiti.  I also found the composition of this piece fascinating.  The artwork depicted a woman holding her child in a way that resembled the iconic Mary and Baby Jesus.  So, I snapped a picture and after eating some delicious Spanish cuisine at a local Taquerías on 116th Street, I went home to find the origin of this moon and what this entire piece meant.

Islam emerged in Arabia where travel along the desert trade routes was mainly at night, and navigation depended upon the position of the moon and stars.  The moon represents the guidance of God on the path through life.  Although the crescent is indeed a very widespread motif in Islamic iconography, it is not Islamic in origin nor exclusive to that religion.  The emblem has been used in Christian art for many centuries in depictions of the Virgin Mary, for example.  If this piece of art were placed anywhere else in the city the message wouldn't be as strong.  Without being too obvious, this artist created a piece of art that incorporates all that Spanish Harlem is, a melting pot of all religions.  Here a modern woman stands proud holding her baby.  We don't know her religious beliefs, nor exactly what her race is, but we do get that El Barrio sense of cultural pride.

Although this artwork contains definite religious symbols, it becomes much more than that when it is put into context.  It is about embracing change, and accepting one's neighbor.  This piece reminds us that humanity is being faced with a stark reality: to evolve.  What I interpreted from this piece is that we need to live harmoniously, among one another despite all our differences.  This is about our similarities as human beings, reminding us to not let religion separate us, but rather unify us.