21 Nov 2005 - Islam Awareness Week
The 2005 National Launch of Islam Awareness Week will take place on Monday 21st November. This year the launch is being hosted in the heart of London by Mayor Ken Livingstone in the Living Room at City Hall.
This year's theme of "Past and Present: 1000 years of Islam in Britain", highlights the contribution of present day British Muslims, as well as exploring the rich history of interaction between Islam and Britain that extends over a thousand years. All too often, awareness of the contributions made by British Muslims to the welfare and cultural wealth of this country are lost in our politicised climate. This results in a lack of understanding between communities, mutual respect and tolerance. Some of the reactions following 9/11 and the recent events on 7th July in London have highlighted this all too well. We hope that this event will make a positive contribution to redressing the balance. Our objective is to challenge the misconceptions and encourage cross-community dialogue.
To tie in with the theme of 1000 years of Islam in Britain, we are thrilled to have as our key guest speaker, Professor Nabil I Matar. Nabil Matar is a Professor of English and Head of the Humanities and Communication department at the Florida Institute of Technology.
An authority of Islam in 16th and 17th century England, Professor Matar is the author of Turks, Moors and Englishmen in the age of discovery (Columbia, 1999), Islam in Britain: 1558-1685 (Cambridge, 1998) and most recently, In the lands of the Christians (New York, London, 2003), a selection of seventeenth-century Arabic travel writing.
There will be a series of events occurring throughout the country and we would like to encourage you all to attend events in your locality. Please see www.iaw.org.uk/ for further information.
This year's theme of "Past and Present: 1000 years of Islam in Britain", highlights the contribution of present day British Muslims, as well as exploring the rich history of interaction between Islam and Britain that extends over a thousand years. All too often, awareness of the contributions made by British Muslims to the welfare and cultural wealth of this country are lost in our politicised climate. This results in a lack of understanding between communities, mutual respect and tolerance. Some of the reactions following 9/11 and the recent events on 7th July in London have highlighted this all too well. We hope that this event will make a positive contribution to redressing the balance. Our objective is to challenge the misconceptions and encourage cross-community dialogue.
To tie in with the theme of 1000 years of Islam in Britain, we are thrilled to have as our key guest speaker, Professor Nabil I Matar. Nabil Matar is a Professor of English and Head of the Humanities and Communication department at the Florida Institute of Technology.
An authority of Islam in 16th and 17th century England, Professor Matar is the author of Turks, Moors and Englishmen in the age of discovery (Columbia, 1999), Islam in Britain: 1558-1685 (Cambridge, 1998) and most recently, In the lands of the Christians (New York, London, 2003), a selection of seventeenth-century Arabic travel writing.
There will be a series of events occurring throughout the country and we would like to encourage you all to attend events in your locality. Please see www.iaw.org.uk/ for further information.