Awarding excellence in Islamic art

The stars are out to shine at a special celebration of Islamic arts in Abu Dhabi

The Al Mahabba Awards Festival, one of the largest events celebrating Islamic arts, will be held at Al Raha Beach Theatre in Abu Dhabi from Thursday.

The three-day event will feature stars from across the world and include erformances by popular Arab singers, Mohammad Al Mazem, Ehab Tawfiq and Native Deen.

Special guests are Mona Abdul Gani, Egyptian actress and singer, and actors Saeed Saleh, Mahmoud Gendy, Gamal Esmail, and Mahmoud Yassin.

The festival is open to all and will include Islamic recitals, conferences, lectures and films.

Nashwa Al Ruwaini, director of the Middle East International Film Festival and CEO of organisers Pyramedia, was among the speakers at a press conference held at the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH) on Wednesday.

She said: "I believe strongly in this project as not only will it highlight to the world the unity of Muslims through music but it will also help bridge cultures and help to combat the negative images of the Islamic world."

Special guests

Other special guests participating in the festival include well-known Egyptian preacher and TV personality Amr Khaled and Dr Abla Al Kahlawi, Dean of Islamic and Arabic Studies at Al Azhar University in Egypt.

Malek Akkad, son of the late film director Mustafa Akkad will attend again this year with Ahmad Beder, Director of the Central Florida Office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, and Mohammad Riyad, the first Muslim candidate for the Conservative Party in Britain.

The programme

Events begin with an opening ceremony tomorrow featuring a number of stars and the festival will draw to a close on Saturday with a large awards ceremony.

Concerts will feature acts from around the globe performing their latest hits for the love of the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH).

The youth concert will include artist Zain Bhaka, from South Africa, African-American band Native Deen from the US, artist Kurtus, from Macedonia, and popular Arabic singer Mohammad Al Mazem from the UAE.

Audiences will also hear the nine nominees in the songs category perform and will be given the opportunity to vote for the winners live at the Al Raha Beach theatre.

The Islamic Film Conference, to be held on Friday, April 25, at the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH), will feature several speakers including Pyramedia CEO and Director of the Middle East International Film Festival,

Nashwa Al Ruwaini; award-winning British-Yemeni film director Bader Ben Hirsi; Professor Cynthia Schneider from Georgetown University; and President of Festival Networks, Chris Shields.

A classical concert will follow the conference at Al Raha Beach Theatre and will feature Moroccan band Al Safa, singer Al Maled and Malaysian group Raihan.

On the last day of the festival there will be a special women-only concert with appearances by several artists, stage performers and speakers.

Finally, the festival will wrap up with a closing ceremony on Saturday at which the winners of the awards will be honoured.

Personality of the year

His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, will be awarded with the Personality of the Year Award at Al Mahabbah Awards 2008 in recognition of his plans to build a museum for the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) in Dubai.

Announced in March 2008, the museum will be dedicated to the life and message of the Prophet who, for Muslims, is the last messenger of God.

The project aims to shed light on the life and legacy of the Prophet for the world's 1.3 billion Muslims through a series of stages.

The museum, implemented by the recently established Dubai Authority for Culture and Arts headed by its Chairman, Shaikh Majid Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum and founded by Shaikh Mohammad, will be the first of its kind in the world.

The museum will chronicle the life of the Prophet starting from the pre-Islamic era up until his death. It will be designed in such a way that visitors will move through it learning about the different milestones in his life from his birth to his marriage to Khadija, to his revelations of the Quran and prophecy and onto the first Hijrah from Makkah to Madinah, and the conquest of Makkah, ending with the farewell pilgrimage and his death.

There will also be a wing within the museum with sections explaining the Muslim pilgrimages of the Haj and Umrah and the pillars of Islam for visitors to truly understand the message of love and peace the Prophet stood for.

Shaikh Mohammad will receive the award at the closing ceremony of the Al Mahabbah Awards at 7.30pm on Saturday at Al Raha Beach Theatre.

How it all began

The idea for the Al Mahabba Awards Festival was sparked two years ago, when a series of cartoons published in a Danish Newspaper depicted the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) in a disrespectful manner.

While the cartoons created uproar and unrest among Muslims around the world, it prompted some circles to take positive action to counter the perceived insult.

Thus the Al Mahabbah Awards Festival was born as a massive celebration of the love and devotion shown by Muslims towards their Prophet.

The first event was held at the Grand Hyatt hotel in Dubai on October 26, 2006, and this week's festival will be the second.

The event brings together some of the most famous stars, filmmakers and Islamic figures from around the globe who have come to the UAE to show their love of the Prophet through music, Islamic lectures, exhibitions and concerts.

This year, hundreds of works have been submitted for nomination and only a select few have been chosen to be part of the event.

More than 200 entries from 28 countries and five continents entered the Al Mahabba Awards 2008.