In the Qur’an, tolerance of other religions is an undeniable theme: Allah instills in His followers the belief that all faiths should be respected. In 60:8, it is clearly stated that “Allah does not forbid that you be kind and just to those who did not fight against you on account of religion, nor drove you out of your homes.” In other words, you should not persecute those who practice different faiths and have not harmed or attacked you. Furthermore, elsewhere in the Qur’an, it explicitly states “there shall be no coercion in matters of faith” (2:256). There are countless more examples of phrases such as these sprinkled throughout the Qur’an, and together they have the effect of associating belief in Allah with religious tolerance. 

My calligram showcases this association by superimposing the Om symbol from Hinduism on the calligraphy of Allah. Viewed as it is oriented above, the Allah calligraphy in green is the right-way up, but when the image is rotated 90 degrees to the left, the red Om symbol is the right-way up. It is meant to represent the coexistence of the two religions as two different perspectives, and which have historically been the root of many violent conflicts. Religious tolerance, as is associated with Allah in Islam, is a necessity for coexistence in a peaceful way. The flowers/vines around these symbols in the center are supposed to indicate the peaceful harmony of these religions, because gardens are often associated with peace. The green vines represent Islam and the red flowers represent Hinduism.