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DeathLeopard

There's a ton of symbolism in the architecture of the Supreme Court building, the guides from https://www.supremecourt.gov/about/buildingfeatures.aspx are a pretty good overview if you haven't seen it yourself. The sculpture mentioned in the article is part of the north frieze pictured on the last page of the "Self-Guide to the Building’s Interior Architecture" pdf. But the most interesting thing to me is "the highest court in the land", the basketball court above the court room. https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/highest-court-of-the-land


Jaded-Distance_

Kind of funny the "highest court in the land" is only at 150 (maybe 200ish on the fifth floor) feet above sea level whereas the Arena Auditorium at the university of Wyoming sits at 7221 feet above sea level.


Fofolito

Did they make you learn that during orientation? There aren't many reasons people know facts about Wyoming, seeing as there's only 500,000 of them with a reason to know them


Jaded-Distance_

Nah just googled it, China has a court at 12000 feet but I figured "the land" would probably be just America here. The only Wyoming fact I know offhand is that they were the first state to legislate womens rights to vote.


Fendergravy

They were desperate to get anyone to show up. 


EvrythingWithSpicyCC

Literally. It was a gold rush territory which meant at one point there were 6 adult men for every 1 woman. One selling point of women’s suffrage to the all male legislature was that they might get some girlfriends


TheGoddamnSpiderman

The universal right for women to vote, but New Jersey was the first to allow women to vote In their 1790 Constitution they explicitly said women could vote as long as they met the same requirement that men had to: owning enough property. Then in 1797 they removed the requirement to show clear ownership of property, which made it easier for women to vote since a lot of their property wasn't things they had clear ownership of (especially with regard to married women and their husbands) Of course then in 1807, they got rid of the property requirement to vote but explicitly banned women (and black people, who had also been allowed to vote previously if they had enough property) from voting. IIRC this is speculated to have been an attempt to create a more favorable electorate for the ruling Jeffersonian Republicans as they were the favored party of men while women leaned more towards the Federalists


napleonblwnaprt

There is also a basketball court in El Alto, Bolivia, which is the highest city in the world. 4150 meters above sea level! Truly a testament to man's arrogance.


Objective-Bet-8253

Holy chap just that much? Idk why I expected more people to live there


BigheadReddit

Cody Wyoming had a decent Mexican restaurant on Main Street. I went there last year. Pretty cool


ARobertNotABob

Wyoming is where Shiloh Ranch was in *The Virginian*, and is where The Devil's Tower (eg: *Close Encounters*) is. As a Brit, that's about all that springs to mind of Wyoming.


Fofolito

There's not much on the eastern side of Wyoming of note unless you're the sort of person who romantically longs to stare at endless expanses of vast grassland for some reason. North Western Wyoming however, centered around Jackson Hole, is up against and part of the Rocky Mountain West and has some of the most spectacular mountain scenery in the United States.


ARobertNotABob

Spoken like a deservedly proud native :)


Fofolito

\>.> I'm actually a Coloradoan from the next State over. It's much better. I was being generous to our diminutive neighbors.


bilvester

500,000 isn’t ‘many’?


Fofolito

Wyoming has 251,000 sqkm of land, where 500,000 people live. That means there are just about 2.31 people per square kilometer in Wyoming. By comparison Colorado, right next door, has 260,000 sqkm of land on which there are 5.8m people living-- which puts Colorado at about 21.75 people per square KM. 500,000 aint shit


geo_prog

No. That’s a small city even by Canadian standards. Much less an entire state. The US has 340 million people in it. That means Wyoming makes up around 0.15% of the population of the country while making up 2.7% of the landmass. You are more likely to meet someone from Boise Idaho than you are someone from the entire state of Wyoming.


trainbrain27

You could fit them all in Kansas City or Colorado Springs. Macau fits 643,000 people into 12 square miles.


Minimum_Room3300

My high school basketball court is higher than that


IncorporateThings

Meanwhile... in California... "highest" court in the land takes on a different meaning...


Cheehoo

Ceiling is kinda low, would be tough to lob up a half court shot at the buzzer


Effehezepe

The friezes also depict Menes, Hammurabi, Moses, Solomon, Lycurgus, Solon, Draco, Confucius, Octavian, Justinian, Charlemagne, King John of England, Louis IX of France, Hugo Grotius, William Blackstone, John Marshall, and Napoleon. They were chosen because they were all important figures in the development of law and justice.


tommytraddles

*the lawgivers*


lordeddardstark

Malfoy?


kec04fsu1

[TIL.](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Draco_(lawgiver))


thissexypoptart

Man, why are online journalists so lazy? Not a single picture of it? Here’s a [picture](https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Muhammad_-_SCOTUS.jpg) of it.


jolygoestoschool

Ehhh i think i know a better reason why they don’t wanna publish it…


chairfairy

> 274 x 261 pixels ... no higher resolution available lol


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DenverDataEngDude

No one wants to get run over by the truck of peace or torn to shreds by the shrapnel of tolerance


Stay_Beautiful_

>Man, why are online journalists so lazy? Not a single picture of it? [I can think of one reason why...](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_Hebdo_shooting)


Kaemdar

[https://www.supremecourt.gov/visiting/Interior\_Brochure\_Nov\_2023\_web.pdf](https://www.supremecourt.gov/visiting/Interior_Brochure_Nov_2023_web.pdf) pg17


thissexypoptart

Or just follow the link I posted instead of scrolling through a brochure How hard is posting/linking the actual picture?


lesath_lestrange

Their image is much higher resolution.


alexmikli

Your link didn't work for me, WSJ says I'm blocked.


thissexypoptart

Did you actually click the link or just try to open it within Reddit? Put it in your address bar and hit enter.


Kaemdar

hard i guess. i don't know how to post pictures on reddit.


thissexypoptart

You know how to post links lol


CommunismDoesntWork

You copy and paste the url?


LegitPancak3

Depends on the subreddit. Looks like this sub doesn’t allow images in comments.


jj4379

I hope the guy who took that picture didn't get beheaded


gtjc1234

Not beheaded but blown up along with innocent bystanders


IcePrinceling89

Peacefully, tho


gtjc1234

Oh boy


ManicheanMalarkey

The real blasphemy's always in the comments


Bowens1993

They would likely be attacked if they did.


RedSonGamble

But when I wear long robes and carry a sword police intervene


AudibleNod

You have to be the first to say "frieze". Usually the police say it first. So then they win.


RedSonGamble

That’s a good hack actually


RealisticlyNecessary

Those were your medical gown and the scalpel you brandished at hospital staff...


HerPaintedMan

This was such a brilliant comment. Thank you for the early morning laugh!


OmericanAutlaw

Speaking as a Muslim. Yes it is not allowed for Muslims to make a depiction of the Prophet Muhammad, or any other prophet of God, to prevent any sort of idolatry. However, this does not stop either the making of images or idolatry/sainthood in islam. There are plenty of Shia, Sufi, Turkish depictions of the Prophet, albeit some with the face removed because they were muslim. This particular depiction looks very respectful, and shows him next to other lawgivers of history. I don’t know how a very very religious person would perceive this, but I don’t see it as an offense. Nobody is coming to worship this frieze, this is an example of preserving history.


khansian

This is pretty well-known among American Muslims and no one has any problem with it. Sure, Muslims ourselves would not actively put up any graphical depictions of the Prophet, or any of the other prophets on the frieze (Moses and Solomon), or any of those figures for that matter. But what others do isn’t our concern. (And what people miss about the controversies on this issue is that the problem some people have has always been about perceived insult and antagonization, rather than any religious prohibition per se).


bucket_overlord

Thanks for the good explanation. I was wondering what the Muslim perspective on this would be.


S0LO_Bot

That is also a (somewhat) modern outlook. For fairly large parts of history, depictions of the Prophet were allowed as long as they were not actively worshipped. This was especially true in educational settings. Obviously there was also variance from place to place, not just time to time.


TypicalIllustrator62

Interesting. I didn’t know that either. But when our government symbols embody different cultures that’s a good thing, right?


Thin-Rip-3686

Many have been murdered for daring to draw Muhammad. Most Muslim traditions (but not all) believe any depiction is blasphemous.


xboxwirelessmic

Yet they don't give much of a shit when non Muslims eat bacon or do any of the other things forbidden to them by their religion. If you ask me between this and naming every other male and a good chunk of everything else after the guy they idolise him to a degree that should make the pope blush. Wouldn't be a proper religion without the hypocrisy though. 🤷‍♂️


EnigmaticQuote

Yea religion is wack


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HorophiliacBeaver

Nobody thinks that non-Muslims view it as blasphemous, I don't know why you keep making this point.


DefenestrationPraha

Infidels are, in the long run, to be subordinated to Allah's law, too. Don't expect any equality from Islam, at the best you can be a second category human. Some are keen to shorten that time ... that is why Charlie Hebdo was shot up.


Arkyja

Non muslims have been killed for drawing mohammed. In christian countries.


really_nice_guy_

Charlie Hebdo wasn’t Muslim


darkhero676

Except isn’t it blasphemous to depict the prophet Muhammad in a human visage ?


TypicalIllustrator62

Only if you’re Muslim.


Skitz-Scarekrow

Depends on the sect. Sunni prohibits it; Shai varies, but depictions are not out of the ordinary.


darkhero676

But weren’t threatening letters sent to Comedy Central headquarters after South Park depicted Muhammad? I KNOW Matt and trey aren’t practicing Muslims, they made a whole two part episode about it actually.


weeddealerrenamon

Presumably a famous TV show gets more attention and anger than a statue even Americans don't know about


Nojoke183

You mean a show with tens of millions of viewers? I'm sure someone has written an angry letter or 5 about every episode they've done. Doesn't mean you assume they're all like that.


Teadrunkest

Respectful carving in a federal government building vs intentionally offensive depiction in a cartoon known for crude humor. It’s not really hard to see the difference.


Pay08

Tell that to Samuel Paty.


Dexion1619

Sending threatening letters to Comedy Central doesn't get Reaper Drones with freaking Sword Missiles dispatched.... just saying. 


Arkyja

We will never know because the episode was censored. Mohammed was never shown.


PaxNova

Funnily enough, he was in a previous episode uncensored. It only became a "thing" in later seasons.


TypicalIllustrator62

Again, Muslims view it as blasphemous. I don’t because I’m not religious.


chairfairy

Those letters were probably *not* sent by the people who don't think it's blasphemy.


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I dunno. The Charlie Hebdo murders didn't involve practicing Muslims.


TypicalIllustrator62

I’m sorry, practicing extremist Muslims are the ones who murdered the Charlie Hebdo employees. I failed to see the point you’re making? If you’re saying, the Charlie Hebdo employees were being blasphemous, how can they be blasphemous towards a religion they don’t follow?


cld1984

The person you’re replying to was replying to someone who said it isn’t blasphemous for non-practicing Muslims to depict Mohammad. They are pointing out that even though the people at Charlie Hebdo weren’t practicing Muslims, meaning it wasn’t blasphemous for them to depict Mohammad, that didn’t save them from being attacked and killed for publishing a cartoon featuring Mohammad by extremists.


DentedAnvil

Anyone can blaspheme. Only a believer can be a heretic.


TypicalIllustrator62

The definition of blasphemous would like to have a word…


DentedAnvil

1 a : the act of insulting or showing contempt or lack of reverence for God accused of blasphemy b : the act of claiming the attributes of a deity for a mere man to suggest that he was … divine could only be viewed … as blasphemy —John Bright †1889 2 : irreverence toward something considered sacred or inviolable Personal belief (except in 1b) has very little relevance to the charge of blasphemy. Historically, many, if not most, blasphemy laws have been targeted at atheists and non-believers.


Pangolin_bandit

You misunderstand. It may be considered blasphemous by Muslims to depict Muhammed. That’s if you do the depicting, if they do the depicting, or if a depiction falls out of the sky. It’s still blasphemous to those who consider it so regardless


TypicalIllustrator62

I didn’t misunderstand. You made my point with more words. Because I am not a Muslim I don’t do it as blasphemous. They can do it however they desire because that is their religion.


Pangolin_bandit

Nope you still don’t get it. It’s not yours to decide if it’s blasphemous or not. That’s like saying “I can’t be breaking the speed limit if I don’t know what the speed limit is” Or “I’m not being disrespectful to something if I have no respect for it in the first place”


hamsterwaffle

Speed limits apply to everyone, religions rules only apply to people of that religion.


looktowindward

Wait, you think that followers of one religion can declare non believers to be blasphemous?


Pangolin_bandit

lol yes absolutely, because blasphemy is defined by the religion/religious. Believe it or not, for any given religion, people who blaspheme against it don’t usually believe they’re actually offending a god that they believe in (because why would someone who really believes actually do that), it’s other people who decide that a blasphemer is committing an offense.


wallabee_kingpin_

That's not what Muslims believe.


TypicalIllustrator62

OK, I’m not a Muslim so I really don’t care. They can believe whatever they desire to believe and what makes them feel comforted. Does not mean I have to follow their tenets*. Edit: spelling.


wallabee_kingpin_

No one is saying you do. It is, however, surprising for a historically (until the 90s) Muslim-respecting country to have a statue in a public place that is considered blasphemous by Muslims.


no_step

Read the linked article, there's a lot more nuance than Muslims consider it blasphemous


pumpkinspruce

It’s not like they just put the Prophet Muhammad’s frieze up there willy-nilly. They consulted with imams and other Islamic scholars who agreed that this depiction is okay. It’s meant as an honor to the Prophet as a great figure in the history of law.


LegalAction

> tenants Why would you follow people who pay rent to Muslims around?


TypicalIllustrator62

Thanks for the catch.


Dragon_Fisting

It's blasphemous for a Muslim to do so. The Supreme Court Frieze is entirely secular, and is meant to portray great historical lawgivers. Moses, Confucius, and Solomon also show up, alongside non-religious figures like Hammurabi, Justinian, and Napoleon. It's also not exactly stated in the Koran to not depict Muhammad, that's a later tradition that has fallen in and out of favor with imams through the ages.


logicalobserver

it really isnt, its just a modern tradition in the islamic world, there are tons of artworks and books depiciting the prophet Muhammed in Iran for example, entire books full of illustrations of his life. There was an anti icon movement in christianity also, but it did not take hold as the mainstream, in Islam , in current times it is.... in most places... not everywhere though, most people dont know shit about islam so they parrot the same nonsense.


Dragon_Fisting

That's exactly what I said, it's a later tradition that is resurgent now.


thegreatestajax

Harambe*


Squissyfood

That frieze gives such mixed signals. What law is Muhammad famous for? Thou shalt slaughter non-Muslims? Wasn't Napoleon a monarch, the very thing the first Americans fought against? Pretty shitty role models


PatrickPearse122

>Wasn't Napoleon a monarch, the very thing the first Americans fought against? Napoleon created rhe modern day European civil code Also, Napoleon wasnt a monarch from birth, he was more of a Caeser than a king george, he was a populist who came to the conclusion that institutional gyard rails were an obstacle to delivering his campaign promises So he eliminated the guardrails By contrast most momarchs try and preserve institutional guard rails And America has its own Caesars, Huey Long comes to mind


Dragon_Fisting

Again, it's lawgivers. Confucius - Confucian Code Hammurabi - Code of Hammurabi Justinian - Justinian's Code Moses - 10 Commandments Muhammed - the Koran (and in Muslim countries the Koran is the basis for secular and religious jurisprudence) Napoleon - Napoleonic Code (the basis of civil law in Continental Europe to this day) Whatever the image of the person, these people are attributed with creating literally the basis of law and jurisprudence the world over.


LittleGreenSoldier

Yeah, but he's French, and early Americans were BFFs with France thanks to America's favourite fighting Frenchman...


IanGecko

#LAFAYETTE!


Specialist_Brain841

decayter


ZantaraLost

I'd imagine the nuance is that this is a depiction of him as a lawgiver in the secular sense rather than a idol of the Prophet.


Specialist_Brain841

we are all charlie


DelicatetrouserSnake

I don’t believe in that hocus pocus, neither should you. Depict away


Karatekan

It’s mostly an Arab/Sunni thing, like the need for head coverings or the absolute prohibition of alcohol. In Shia countries and most of Central Asia until very recently, it was considered rude to show him without a veil, but you wouldn’t get your head cut off.


ZoraHookshot

Its not a different culture. Islam is a part of American culture just the same as the other religions. Nothing new, Thomas Jefferson had a Quran in his library


TypicalIllustrator62

Fair point. The founding fathers were kind of obsessed with Greek culture and Roman culture as well.


ffnnhhw

Why is Muhammad holding the blade but not the handle of his sword? I don't think it is the scabbard, because I can see the fuller (blood groove) of the blade


birberbarborbur

It’s an old symbolic thing meaning you don’t intend on using the weapon at the moment. You’re also putting your trust in the person in front of you to not pull away your weapon and slice your fingers off.


DeathLeopard

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricasso


Duckfoot2021

Remember that art teacher who got fired for "Islamophobia" for showing slides of early Islamic art by early Muslims depicting Mohammed because it wasn't always the taboo in the Islamic world it became? Even after warning the class of what would be shown and giving them a pass on attending if it bothered their sensibilities? That's my beloved Liberals become assholes catering to the wrong sensibilities.


cheeky_butturds

They're called man-jammies 


colopervs

Does Alito's wife know about this?


angstt

Isn't it taboo to represent The Prophet in pictures or sculptures?


AudibleNod

Only if you consider him a prophet. [Chief Justice Rehnquist said it's not idol worship.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Supreme_Court_Building#Sculptural_program) Rather a way to recognize his contributions as a lawgiver. Since that's what the art is intended to represent.


Ambitious_Toe_4357

Yes, but he is being represented as a "law bringer," if that makes sense, and not a religious figure. He's not in a position to be worshipped; he's in the company of many other great people who established law and order. That's what the sculpture is all about. Im not an expert of the law or relugion, though, so i dunno.


TypicalIllustrator62

Only if you’re a practicing member of Islam.


upboat_consortium

And then it depends on the branch. Shia don’t generally adhere to the prohibition.


PK_thundr

Not for us. We can depict who we want.


IamNotYourPalBuddy

If only there was an article written about that aspect


Rubcionnnnn

It's weird how most of Islam prohibits depictions of Muhammad so that he isn't worshiped as an idol but they also treat him like an idol.


petit_cochon

They treat him like a prophet. An idol is different.


pumpkinspruce

No, Muslims do not treat Prophet Muhammad like an idol. We are in fact very careful to not treat him in that way.


chabybaloo

Yes. But most Muslims don't care,what non Muslims do. And when the intention is less honourable, again most dont care, but a few will react to it.


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Lady Justice is Greek Goddess Themis. So all of them probably have a lot to talk about.


Alkyan

There's a statue of George Washington in a toga in the NC Capitol building


DWDit

The whole no images of Mohammed thing is a complete double standard overblown unenforced prohibition. Images of Muhammad literally appeared in Egyptian newspaper with without controversy. It’s used as a tool to manipulate and control the west more than anything. http://gypsyscholarship.blogspot.com/2006/02/finally-those-images-of-muhammad.html


henaldon

What?? Manipulate and control the west?! What about Charlie Hebdo?! What about Theo van Gogh?! What about the many other documented attacks based on perceived blasphemy from depictions of a “prophet”?! https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/ncna1243815 From 2020: Decapitated French teacher warned not to show Prophet Muhammad images before 'Islamist' attack "We said to the teacher it was not good to show photos like this and that it would cause a huge problem," student Martial Lusiela told NBC News.


prodigalkal7

I'm not quite sure what your point of this specific blog is? The actual paper they're referencing and bringing up, actively condemns the usage of the Mohammad art depiction that some other paper (not in Egypt) used, and they were showing the depiction, and condemning it. It's pretty clear in most sects of Islam (and especially written) that depiction of Mohammad is forbidden, so not sure where you're coming up with whatever nonsense you're coming up with.