I will devote the space for this post to educate concerning the controversial statues that are named Now (2023) and Witness (2023) by artist Shahzia Sikander. As noted when I began posts on this web site, my purpose is to inform and educate, to keep the reader up to date on relevant pro-life topics. This one is certainly mired in all kinds of misinformation and controversy. It all started when the statue Now was displayed in New York, and much has been said and written about it.

It probably would have been well to just ignore the thing as a weird piece of art. However, the artist has attempted to explain it with several comments on symbolism that are wrapped up in controversial political issues, and the imagery itself suggests all kinds of things that the artist apparently did not intend. Therefore, it is fair to say that the object makes no statement regarding anything good, and it seems also fair to say that the artist has simply injected into the piece her own political opinions and cultural perspective. People viewing the statue will not know what she is thinking, so she has had to try to explain it, and that has led to even more controversy.

It is best to let the artist and her critics speak for themselves:

First, a January 28, 2023 article from the Catholic News Agency: https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253489/how-the-satanic-new-york-city-courthouse-statue-is-all-about-abortion “An unusual new 8-foot-tall golden statue standing on top of a New York City courthouse has sparked controversy, with many across the country reacting to its unveiling with shock and disgust. One media outlet even called it a ‘satanic golden medusa.’ ” “According to the artist who created the statue, it’s a symbol of women’s empowerment and an expression of support for abortion. The “satanic” imagery so many have pointed out closely resembles that employed by a pro-abortion group dedicated to banning religion from the public square.” The article goes on and is worth reading.

An article published by Fox News on January 26, 2023, says:

‘Satanic golden medusa’ abortion statue outside New York City courthouse ruthlessly mocked: ‘Monstrosity’

The sculpture is meant to represent the fight for abortion rights

…and goes on to say:

“Twitter [at that time still “Twitter”] users ruthlessly mocked and condemned a new statue installed atop a New York City courthouse, with many claiming that it had allusions to “demonic” imagery.

The new eight-foot-tall golden statue by Pakistani American artist Shahzia Sikander now stands on the roof of the state courthouse in New York’s Flatiron district next to previous statues of respected lawmakers [sic] Moses, Confucius and Zoroaster [the latter two dubiously included by the author as “lawmakers”]. 

The Now statute, with curling braids and tentacle-like arms rises from a lotus flower, was created to pay homage to Ruth Bader Ginsburg and her fight for abortion. The statue is adorned with the late Supreme Court Justice’s signature lace collar. 

Sikander said the statue is part of an “urgent and necessary cultural reckoning underway as New York reconsiders traditional representations of power in public spaces and recasts civic structures to better reflect 21st-century social mores.’”

“Was there any public input whatsoever before a satanic golden medusa demon with tentacle arms was installed atop a downtown courthouse?,” NYC Councilwoman Vickie Paladino asked. “Christopher Bedford, the executive editor of an upcoming journal at Common Sense Society, compared the statue to a demon and a “terrifying” civilization that practiced human sacrifice found inside an archeological dig.” “

“Speaking more to the statue, the artist said the statue was called Now because it is needed in a moment when women’s reproductive rights are under siege. “

“She is a fierce woman and a form of resistance in a space that has historically been dominated by patriarchal representation,” she added.

That is how the controversy started. But, Sikander is Muslim, so she may have inadvertently (or perhaps not) set into motion another angle on the statue. February 3, 2023, Umm Jafar wrote in MuslimSkeptic:

“Shahzia Sikander, 53, the paradigm-busting Pakistani American artist behind the work, said the sculpture was part of an urgent and necessary cultural reckoning underway as New York, along with cities across the world, reconsiders traditional representations of power in public spaces and recasts civic structures to better reflect 21st-century social mores.”

“It’s also no coincidence that a “Muslim” artist was commissioned to design this statue, one that is dedicated to the fight for unrestricted abortion rights. Not only is it a blatant effort towards warping this idea that Muslims are dedicated to their traditional values and morals, but it is also a clear attempt to socially engineer and further liberalize Muslims through the normalizing and propping up of degenerate Muslims.”

“Sikander claims the horns represent female “sovereignty” and “autonomy.” The body “loops out and into itself” representing the idea that the body cannot be “fixed, grounded, or stereotyped.” “

“This satanic monstrosity, dedicated to promoting the murder of unborn children, symbolizes much of what the West’s new religion is. It is a religion emphasizing the worship of the self.”

“Indeed, the artist was correct in morphing the female shape into an animal-like form since the worship of the self along with its desires removes oneself from being human. It morphs you into an untamable beast, endlessly ramming your horns into all values and morals just to attain the thing you desire the most at that moment in time.”

There is some wisdom there, which is shared by many holding Christian beliefs, but it risks to impugn Western society at multiple levels, denigrating the good with the bad.

On June 21, 2023, Bible Discovery jumped into the fray: https://biblediscoverytv.com/commentary/2023/satanic-nationalism-and-the-pitchfork-in-the-road/

On February 12, 2024, I received an email from Houston Coalition for Life advising me that “A deplorable 8 ft. tall statue celebrating abortion and honoring Ruth Bader Ginsburg was brought to the University of Houston main campus [Cullen Family Plaza] under the stealth of night last Thursday [February 8]. It was supposed to be installed there on February 28th [and displayed through October 31]. The university probably thought that if it was brought earlier they could avoid any protest.”

“It has been referred to as a “satanic golden medusa” with tentacle-like arms. The hair is parted in the middle and twisted into braids similar to the goat horns of the baphomet [a goat-headed horned pagan deity, also used as a symbol for Satanic organizations].” Thus, it is particularly offensive to Christian religious groups.

HCL has asked people to call university officials and/or sent email expressing opinions on the issue, and I have already done so, politely:

“Therefore, I encourage the university to display the object just long enough to stimulate discussion, and then to move it along…it will have served its purpose.  Keeping the object displayed for a prolonged period of time will inevitably be seen in a negative way as an attempt to influence the direction of debates and to stir up acrimonious exchanges and to influence political elections.  People will be drawn into the one hot button issue; the university would be seen as a partner with those who do not see the value in every human life.

If the university wants to take a stand in public, let it be said that the university respects the life and dignity of all persons in all stages of life, in all conditions, and in all circumstances.

That would cover issues of race, religion, sexuality, special needs, disability, elderly, etc, and also the issues faced by those women who choose motherhood and those women who are pregnant in very difficult circumstances.  Let us debate how we can draw humankind together, how we can understand and respect one another, and how we can help women with unplanned and unwanted pregnancies.  Those who know anything about the issue know that abortion is not the solution that solves all the problems a woman has with an unplanned and unwanted pregnancy. 

Let us not simplify the issue to that of “to abort or not to abort,” especially if it is advanced for the purposes of money and power.  Let us not just decide one way or another and then walk away from these women as objects in a debate, leaving them in the same untenable circumstances, but even further damaged.”

The work was co-commissioned by Public Art UHS (underwritten by the Brown Foundation) and the Madison Square Park Conservancy. Now remains displayed in New York. The statue Witness is temporarily on display at U of H.

The U of H web site explains the statue Witness as “a grand allegorical female figure that allows for multiple meanings and possibilities. With its unrooted arms and legs, the figure is literally ungrounded, floating, resisting permanence. She is part of a diaspora whose home is where one chooses to put roots. Her skirt is made to mimic the domed and stained glass ceiling of the Manhattan Appellate Courthouse, and also operates as the figure’s uplifting protection. It also references longitudinal and latitudinal lines.This skirt is adorned with Arabic writing (“havah”) that is decorated with mosaics composed of many small colorful tiles. The golden figure shines in the sun and glows in the night’s light, with a radiance appropriate for an everyday-goddess. Her head is decorated with golden rams horns—two thick braids—that form a crown of female potency.” https://publicartuhs.org/event/shahzia-sikander The reasons advanced to explain why Sikander’s work was chosen to be displayed are contained under “Frequently Asked Questions.”

Despite the explanation of the art, the central figure in the sculpture closely resembles the statue Now, and has evoked similar controversy. From Hyperallergic.com: “Referencing the death of RBG [Justice Ginsburg] and the recent overturning of Roe v. Wade, Sikander also speaks to the fact that those very rights afforded to women are at imminent risk. “In the process, it is the dismissal, too, of the indefatigable spirit of the women, who have been collectively fighting for their right to their own bodies over generations,” Sikander said. “However, the enduring power lies with the people who step into and remain in the fight for equality. That spirit and grit is what I want to capture in both the sculptures.” “

As is often the case with controversial subjects, there are elements in her statements with which reasonable people can agree…women, along with men, often exhibit an “indefatigable spirit” and “grit.” But, she missed the fact that equality of opportunity for women and men is already encoded in US law. However, the “right” of women to have an abortion is measured against the right of children in development in the womb not to be killed by their mother. She may view pregnancy as an inconvenience and that a woman should have the right to kill the child growing within her, but pro-life advocates view that incipient life as a person from the moment of conception, thus entitled to protection of its life under the US Constitution.

Sikander’s failure to recognize the value of every human life and that most women embrace motherhood as an honor and that most men respect and honor women for their role as wives and mothers (not to exclude their right to a career) is at the core of the controversy. Western civilizations do not denigrate women and oppress them systemically and do not cause women to struggle the way they do in some Muslim societies. Sikander should take her message on the road and let it be heard in those societies.

Houston Coalition for Life held a “peaceful prayer vigil” at Cullen Family Plaza on February 13 at 3:00 pm. Most of us could not be there, but let us all make our voices heard by phone or emails. HCL asks us to please call and email the President of the University

Mrs. Renu Khator

President, University of Houston

Email: president@uh.edu

Phone: (713)-743-8839

And please emailthe contacts for the Arts department at U of H:

Emily Messa- eamessa@central.uh.edu (Senior Associate Vice Chancellor and Senior Associate Vice President for Administration)

Rachel Mohl- rgmohl@central.uh.edu (Executive Director and Chief Curator for Public Art UHS)

Joseph Blanchard- jsblanch@cougarnet.uh.edu (GA representative on the UHS Public Art Committee)