God is Great #2 is a sculpture by the Zambian-born British artist John Latham. Created in 1991, the conceptual artwork featured copies of the Bible, Quran, and a volume of the Talmud, each cut in two and attached to a sheet of glass, giving the illusion of all three volumes being encased within the glass. Latham explained the work as referencing the common origin of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
In 2005 the sculpture was to be featured as part of a retrospective of Latham's work at the Tate Britain gallery in London. After the 7 July 2005 London bombings by Islamic militants, staff members at the gallery expressed concerns that Muslims offended by the work might carry out acts of violence at the gallery. Tate Britain decided not to include the piece in the exhibition. Latham was angered by the gallery's decision, requesting that they return the work to his possession. The controversy generated media interest and in November Tate Britain held a panel debate regarding the issue. The Tate's decision not to display the work was widely criticised, including by Muslim groups and commentators, who accused the gallery of promoting the idea that Muslims were fanatical, intolerant, and volatile.
Background
God is Great (no. 2) was one of a series of artworks created by Latham which investigated relations between Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. It features a copy of the Qur'an, the Christian Bible, and a volume from the Talmud, all appearing as if they are embedded within a sheet of glass. This effect had been achieved by cutting each of the books in two and having each side glued to the glass.
Latham stated that "it shows that all religious teaching comes from the same source, whatever name you give to it". To The Independent he commented that the sculpture's "literal meaning" was "that all inspirational belief systems derive from a single source, represented by the glass, from which all utterances are drawn on a vast number of now numerate levels". The scholar of religion S. Brent Plate thought that there was an "interpretative ambiguity" to the work, in that the viewer is left to decide for themselves whether it is "critical or accepting" of the religious traditions featured.
In the years after it had been made, the work was part of a series that had gone on display at Oxford's Museum of Modern Art, London's Lisson gallery and at the Venice Biennale.
Tate Britain debate
The Tate Britain gallery in London held a retrospective of the artist's work, John Latham in Focus, between September 2005 and February 2006. In the wake of the 7 July 2005 bombings on the London transport system, carried out by Islamic militants, Tate Britain made the decision not to include God is Great (no. 2) in the exhibition, as they had originally planned. The gallery were aware that the act of cutting the sacred texts in two might cause offense to some members of these religious groups, although the gallery's director, Stephen Deuchar, stated that the decision was made not out of fear of offending anyone, but out of fear that someone who had been offended might respond violently. Following on from the June bombings, gallery staff had expressed concern that they might be attacked because of the artwork.
Deuchar added that it was "a very difficult decision, but we made it due to the exceptional circumstances of this summer and in the light of opinions that we value regarding religious sensitivities." The Tate had contacted Islamic scholars who had stated that the work could be seen as an abuse of the Quran, although the gallery had not consulted either the Metropolitan Police or the Muslim Council of Britain before making their decision. A notice was placed in the exhibit explaining that God is Great (no. 2) had been omitted.
The incident followed on from several religious controversies that took place in Britain during the preceding year, including Christian demonstrations against Jerry Springer: The Opera and Sikh demonstrations against the play Behzti, which eventually resulted in the latter's cancellation by the Birmingham Repertory Theatre.