Wafaa Bilal

The New York Civil Liberties Union has filed a federal lawsuit against the City of Troy and Public Works Commissioner Robert Mirch for shutting down The Sanctuary for Independent Media on purported code violations from March through April 2008.

Hudson Mohawk Indymedia produced a definitive account of the whirlwind of events surrounding Wafaa Bilal's controversial art exhibit, "Virtual Jihadi," which can be viewed on our website by clicking here.

"Art ≠ Terrorism" goes beyond the sound bites to find out what happened when an Iraqi artist came to Troy, NY only to be censored--not once, but twice.

First, Wafaa Bilal's exhibit was shut down by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute after his anti-war artwork was attacked as terrorist propaganda by Campus Republicans.

When the work was given refuge by The Sanctuary for Independent Media, the City of Troy responded by closing us down. A massive outpouring of community support enabled us to re-open six weeks later.

Iraqi–American digital artist Wafaa Bilal’s new book “Shoot an Iraqi: Life, Art and Resistance Under the Gun” tells the story of the Domestic Tension project that placed him 24/7 on the receiving end of a paintball gun accessible online to a global audience—and what really happened on his infamous visit to Troy NY last spring.  He's returning to Troy to talk about his experiences and the new book.

Missed the controversy last year?  See the photos and watch the oniine documentary!

Our press release:

"Virtual Jihadi" artist returns to Capital Region with new book;
 Wafaa Bilal braves fear of RPI/Troy censorship to speak again!

On Monday, March 10, Iraq-born video artist Wafaa Bilal was on hand for a reception at 6 PM followed at 7 PM by a presentation about his installation "Virtual Jihadi" which was to have been displayed at The Sanctuary for Independent Media.

The installation was scheduled to be open to the public through Friday, March 15 from noon to 2 PM as well as before and after regularly scheduled events through April 4, 2008.

The exhibit was shut down--along with The Sanctuary for Independent Media itself--on trumped-up code violation charges by City of Troy officials on the morning of Tuesday, March 11, just minutes before the show was to open to the public. The Sanctuary remained closed until a grand re-opening celebration on April 26 capped off two months of fundraising and renovations.