STATUE OF LADY JUSTICE REINSTALLED AT BANGLADESH’S SUPREME COURT

A statue of Lady Justice—clad in a sari and holding a sword and a scale, much like the representation of the Greek goddess Themis seen at courthouses throughout the world—was removed from Bangladesh’s Supreme Court on May 26 after right-wing Islamists complained that the work was idolatrous, reports the Associated Press. The piece was first installed at the courthouse in December 2016 and was re-erected May 28, hundreds of yards away from its original location. The sculptor, Mrinal Haque, said he was shocked by the work’s removal. He says its new place will now make it less visible.

Many see the reinstallation of the statue as a blow to right-wing Islamists, who are trying to gain power before the general elections next December. Though taking down the statue upset many of the country’s liberals and cultural groups, the rightist Hefazat-e-Islam political party was overjoyed and promised to stage more protests over public artworks it deemed objectionable. Secular law rules Bangladesh, a nation of 160 million people, but radical Islam is slowly gaining traction.