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'I'm fascinated by people who believe'

The career of the acclaimed Iranian photojournalist Abbas has taken him from the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City to perhaps the greatest boxing match of all time -- Muhammad Ali versus George Foreman. But it is his documentation of religion and its influence on culture, that's perhaps the most personally relevant to Abbas. An avowed nonbeliever, Abbas says he cannot comprehend religious fervour, and that's why he photographs it. A retrospective of his religious imagery, called 'Children of Abraham,' is underway at the University of Pennsylvania's Arthur Ross Gallery.

(Photo: Female students at Al Azhar College in Jakarta, Indonesia, attend Friday prayer in auditorium, 1989. Credit: Abbas/Magnum Photos)

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2 minutes