between Arabic poetry and the Quran, and between poetry and thought. He also assesses the challenges of modernism and the impact of western culture on the Arab poetic tradition. Artwork Adonis started making images using calligraphy, color and figurative gestures around the year 2002, in 2012 A major tribute to Adonis, including an exhibition of his drawings and a series of literary events was organized in The Mosaic Rooms in West London. On 19 May 2014 Salwa Zeidan Gallery in Abu Dhabi, was home to another noted exhibition by Adonis: Muallaqat (in reference to the original pre-Islamic era literary works Mu'allaqat), consisted of 10 calligraphy drawings of big format (150x50cm). Other art exhibitions 2000: Berlin – Institute for Advanced Studies 2000: Paris – L`Institut du Monde Arabe 2003: Paris – Area Gallery 2007: Amman -Shuman`s Gallery (co-exhibition With Haydar) 2008: Damascus – Atassy Gallery, exh. For 4 Poets-Painters (with works of Fateh Mudarress, Etel Adnan, Samir Sayegh) 2008: Paris – Le Louvre des Antiquaires : Calligraphies d`Orient. (Collectif) 2020: Berlin – Galerie Pankow: Adonis "Vom Wort zum Bild" Controversy Expulsion from the Arab Writers' Union On 27 January 1995, Adonis was expelled from the Arab Writers Union for having met with Israelis at an UNESCO sponsored meeting in Granada, Spain, in 1993. His expulsion generated bitter debate among writers and artists across the Middle East. Two of Syria's leading writers, Saadallah Wannous and Hanna Mina, resigned from the union in solidarity with Adonis. Death threats A known critic of Islamic religious values and traditions, who describes himself as a non-religious person, Adonis has previously received a number of death threats in consequence of his denouncement by the known Egyptian Salafi sheikh Mohamad Said Raslan who accused him of leaving his Muslim name (Ali) and taking a pagan name, in a circulated video he accused him as well of being a warrior against Islam and demanded his books to be banned describing him as a thing and an infidel. In May 2012, a statement issued on one of the Syrian opposition's Facebook pages, supporters of the Syrian opposition argued that the literary icon deserved to die on three counts. First, he is Alawite. Second he is also opposed to the Muslim religion. Third, he criticizes the opposition and rejects foreign military intervention in Syria. In May 2012, a group of Lebanese and Syrian intellectuals issued an online condemnation in the wake