THE MIDEAST IN THE NEWS

The Illustrious Gold Mine: Ramadan Conference

For those who are not aware in brief Ramadan is considered to be one of the five main pillars of Islam and is a yearly fixture in the Muslim calendar. The month of Ramadan see's Muslims from all around the world fasting by abstaining from food and water from sunrise to sunset. The aim among other things of Ramadan is to teach Muslims about the importance of patience, spirituality and humility whilst also acting as a means of solidarity with the poor.

The event will be hosting a range of distinguished artists and speakers from a wide variety of backgrounds. Amongst them is the well-known MP for Islington North, Jeremy Corbyn, who will be holding a talk on the positive impact and contributions Muslims have made to the community. This will be a considerably topical talk since it wasn’t too long ago that David Cameron drew criticism for his iconic “multiculturalism has failed in Britain” speech. Drawing attention to the positive impact Muslims have made to the community would be a welcome counter to the negative stereotypes and images that are unfortunately highlighted by the media leading to the actions of a few to be readily associated with Muslims as a whole in Britain.

Alongside the more serious talks there will also be a range of light-hearted entertainment from comedy from Prince Abdi who has appeared on ITV’s ‘Show me the Funny’ to a performance by the famous Palestinian vocalist and Oud player Nizar Al-Issa who has played in countless festivals around the world. His naturally powerful and passionate voice combined with his composing and songwriting abilities has led him to be dubbed the authentic sound of the Middle East.

Overall, the event looks set to provide an entertaining but more importantly, illuminating evening. This is because with the devastating events that had occurred in London with the 7/7 bombings the portrayal and depiction of Muslims has been generally misconstrued. Conferences and events like this help in breaking down some of these misunderstandings by raising awareness over what Islam actually is to Muslims and how aspects of it are practised. Through these events bridges of understanding and mutual respect can be built across the walls of hate and prejudice. As the greatest fuel for hate and prejudice is the fear of the unknown and by bringing people together this unknown becomes known and therefore familiar and accepted rather than feared and misunderstood.

The event will be covered by Aslan Media and for more details on the conference please click here

*Photo Credit: Al Amin