Aisha’s Cushion: Religious Art, Perception, and Practice in IslamBy Jamal J. Elias

Aisha’s Cushion challenges the Western perception of Islam as inherently iconoclastic, revealing instead a nuanced and dynamic relationship with religious art. The book explores how Islamic discourses—religious, philosophical, scientific, and mystical—shape perceptual practices, debunking the trope that Islam universally rejects imagery. By analyzing diverse Islamic traditions, it demonstrates that perception is not static but evolves within a complex discursive culture. Unlike conventional studies that focus on historical origins or anthropological practice, this work induces curiosity about Islam by examining its subjective parameters, offering a rare perspective that avoids external definitions and instead delves into the religion's internal subjectivity.

Shaw, W. (2015). Aisha’s Cushion: Religious Art, Perception, and Practice in IslamBy Jamal J. Elias. Journal of Islamic Studies, 26(3), 391–393. https://doi.org/10.1093/jis/etv072