the image of the caliph Abd al-Malik (r.685–
705). Verses of the Quran appeared on tiles
with peacocks as late as 1308; Persian dishes
from the 1600s, possibly from Muslim hunt-
ing lodges, were decorated with pheasants.
This love of beauty and divinity did not
shy away from human desire. The Brit-
ish Museum has a copy of the Mughal’s
Hamzanama (Book of Hamza), an epic
romance inspired by the Prophet’s uncle
Amir Hamza. Also on display is the other
classic tale of deep yearning, the story of
Layla and Majnun, lovers who met at school
and have inspired generations of Muslims.
That true love is remembered at the Brit-
ish Museum. Although Layla loves Majnun,
the two are forbidden to marry — the eter-
nal story.
Where is that Islam of love, compassion
and coexistence? Hasan al-Basri, an 8th-
century Muslim thinker from Basra, was so
frustrated with the Muslims of his day, com-
pared with earlier believers, that he wrote:
‘The Muslims are all in their graves and
Islam is only to be found in books.’ In Brit-
ain today, it seems that real Islam is only to
be found in the British Museum.
Radio
Sounds investment
Kate Chisholm
You may have noticed that BBC iPlayer
(for radio programmes) has been replaced
this week with the new BBC Sounds
platform. Instead of simply finding your
favourite programmes on playback, BBC
Sounds will offer you the chance to person-
alise your listening, discover programmes
recommended ‘just for you’, catch up with
the latest podcasts. On Monday, James Pur-
nell, director of radio and education at the
BBC, talked up the new venture with Mar-
tha Kearney on the Today programme. ‘All
of BBC audio will be at your fingertips,’
he promised. ‘We will do the hard work of
getting the right programmes to you at the
right time.’
‘Won’t this involve taking money away
from existing budgets?’ asked Kearney,
concerned that ‘live’ radio will miss out in
this drive to create more online-only con-
tent. The director assured her that BBC
Sounds ‘will be something that benefits
everyone’, with its podcasts and music
mixes, personalised content and easy
accessibility. But he then insisted: ‘We
can’t preserve BBC radio in aspic.’ If weThis gallery offers a compelling
corrective to current popular notions
of Islam as an idea and a civilisationdo that, Purnell believes, then in ten to 20
years’ time there will be no radio because
of the stiff competition that now exists out
there in podcast land. ‘This is about chang-
ing to deliver our mission,’ said Purnell.
Even such a flagship Radio 4 programme
as Today now has to have its own online-
only podcast called Beyond Today. ‘I won’t
be making any comments about blowing
smoke,’ said Kearney.
Meanwhile Desert Island Discs consist-
ently remains in the top ten UK podcasts
in spite of, or perhaps because of, being
essentially a broadcast. Now with Lauren
Laverne temporarily at the helm (while
Kirsty Young recuperates from illness) the
range of guests appears even more aston-
ishingly varied. Last week she talked to
Venki Ramakrishnan, Nobel Prize-win-
ning biologist and president of the Royal
Society; on Sunday her guest was Jacque-
line Gold, CEO of the lingerie and sex-toys
chain Ann Summers. Laverne carried off
both sessions with equal aplomb, careful-
ly refraining from salacious giggles as she
delved into black lace and vibrators with
Gold while chatting to her just as if she
were also an esteemed scientist, a trick not
easy to pull off. By the end of each pro-
gramme it was notable how little Laverne
had said herself as she slid into the back-
ground, gently pushing the conversationGarlic & Onions, oil on canvas 20 x 24 in.EDMUND
CHAMBERLAIN
7 November – 30 November 2018
Monday - Friday 10.00-5.30
Saturday by appointment