The wall texts are informative, but the revelation is how powerfully the works speak for themselves, and how varied Islamic art is.

ECONOMIST: Islamic galleries at the Met

Tens of thousands of viewers might then troop off to Trafalgar Square to see these works in the flesh, so to speak.

ECONOMIST: London's National Gallery

Popular western books such as The Bookseller of Kabul and the Dressmaker of Khair Khana speak to the entrepreneurial spirit of the Afghan people, and later works such as The Beauty School of Kabul illustrate the value of vocational training for women provided by such groups.

FORBES: 11 Years After 9/11: Looking Ahead At The Youth Of Afghanistan

The fact is that works of art, literature, works of history, they speak to our condition and they affirm our desire for something more and something better.

WHITEHOUSE: The 2010 National Medal of Arts and National Humanities Medal Ceremony | The White House