Why can't they see us?

Artist(s): Doaa Jamal

Producer: Vancouver Mural Festival

Category: Geometric, Heritage, Lettering

Completed: 2018

A community partnership project between Van Mural Fest, the Centre for Comparative Muslim Studies and artist Doaa Jamal, the mural is Arabic square Kufic script illustrating a verse from the Qur’an:
“We have created you from male and female and we made you into tribes and nations that you may know each other” (49:13).
The piece was made by community members who gathered to tape the stencil, paint, and share feedback. Jamal wanted to create a design that encapsulates the diversity of Muslims in Vancouver, and speaks to the burdens minorities and immigrants face when navigating cultural and identity differences.