THE BURQA PROJECT 911 (2001-2003)

Photographer and visual artist Mansoora Hassan was born in Pakistan and lives in Egypt. She is a member of the board of directors for various American art institutions and has participated in more than fifty exhibitions all over the world. In her confrontational BURQA PROJECT 911 she combines icons of the Eastern and Western world. Hassan photographed herself in a burka in front of American monuments such as the Capitol, the Lincoln Memorial and Ground Zero. The result is to be seen as a commentary on the dogmas of Islam, on retaining one’s own identity in cosmopolitan cities and on the limitations on individual freedom in the context of the hunt on terrorists. At a more personal level the photographs deal with the mysterious aura of the burka, an item of clothing that enables someone to see without being seen. On the basis of THE BURQA PROJECT 911 Mansoora Hassan was interrogated by the FBI.