One of the most difficult things Bert had to do in his life was paint this painting. He spent hundreds of hours painting the blood and gore of what was once a human being. Bert thought a lot about this young man and found it incredibly sad that his naievity had been exploited by some religious fanatic in order to achieve nothing.
Religion is shit. In particular Islam is shit. The first victims of Islam are Muslims so Bert doesn’t hate Muslims. There’s a distinction there.
Yes, Bert Ernie is an islamaphobe. But he does not hate Muslims at all. He pities them. He pities all people of faith. The same way he pities anyone who hasn’t got totally free of the need to be told how to think and feel.
Dimensions: 110x120cm
Painted: 2010
Materials: Acrylic on MDF board
Private collection
The story behind Suicide bomber
This painting of a suicide bomber was created because Bert felt the need to make a statement about the hideous idea of killing in the name of God. As an atheist, Bert finds the idea that a human can take a religious point of view and then use that to kill others absolutely abhorrent.
Suicide bombing is a new atrocity perpetrated by people of the Islamic faith. Having read the Koran, Bert believes that it is a discriminatory, intolerant, violent and often contradictory piece of writing. He chose this particular quote because it is just the sort of thing that would have been taught to this young man.
Bert believes in non-violence and freedom of speech (amongst many beliefs) and what he has done is take an image from rotten.com and added the Koranic text to create the final composition. Bert neither perpetrated this foolish act nor wrote the Koran, so if any Muslim/s find themselves offended then so be it. It wasn’t created with the intent of insulting any person at all (offence is always taken never given). It was, however, designed to say the following – Stop this disgusting violence in the name of God.
When Bert Ernie first came across this suicide bomber image, there was some text explaining the story behind the image. The photo was taken in Iraq by the soldier who shot him. The suicide bomber was walking up to a roadside checkpoint shouting “Allah Akhbar” (God is great), and despite being given several warnings, he continued. The result is as you can see.
Bert spent 215 hours painting this and thought a lot about the human whose name he didn’t know, who’s ‘portrait’ he was now painting. And genuinely felt sorry for him because he has made a stupid (and very morally wrong) decision at the point he has decided to put on that bomb vest. He’ll never achieve his martyrdom, and he’ll make little impact on the occupancy of the American armed forces and worst of all in the name of God he thought he was doing God’s will.
Source image: rotten.com
God has taken from the faithful their lives and worldly goods, and in return has promised them the Garden.
They will fight for the cause of God, they will slay and be slain.
Such is the true promise which He has made them in the Torah, the Gospel and the Koran.
And who is more true to his pledge than God?
Rejoice in the bargain you have made.
That is the supreme triumph.
Chapter 9:111, The Koran
Source image of realism painting Suicide bomber
