World Day of Muslim Culture, Peace, Dialogue and Film

World Day of Muslim Culture, Peace, Dialogue and Film was created in 2010 by Javed Mohammed, of Milpitas, California, who proclaimed the day and week of March 15, each year as a special observance to share and discuss Muslim culture.

Background In a post cold-war and 9-11 era, with the “war on terror” going on in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan and other parts of the world a different approach other than military and political action needs to occur. When everyone is talking at the “other,” we must amongst other things turn to the universal language and themes that bring people together. Art is a part of culture that encompasses literature and the visual and performing arts like music, drama, dance and film. The visual arts are art forms that create works which are chiefly visual in nature. Examples are ceramics, drawing, painting, sculpture, architecture, printmaking, design and crafts as well as modern visual arts (photography, video, and filmmaking.) Muslims have a strong history and presence in various art forms including calligraphy, ceramics, architecture, literature, and more. Some areas are developing such as filmmaking.

The observance of the day contributes to a better understanding of the diversity in Muslim culture, in initiating dialogue with people of other faiths, resulting in a more just and peaceful world. The holiday and its observance is modeled after the May 21 - World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development, recognized by the UN.

Celebrating the Day You can celebrate this day by holding events in schools, libraries, community centers and places of worship. Examples include Islamic Art day and Muslim Cultural day where clothing, food, pottery, and other wares are exhibited. Another option is to hold a Muslim Film festival to entertain, educate and discuss different Muslim cultures.You can show one of the Top 101 films from Muslim Cinema that are compiled from the site MyFavoriteReview.com 1 at the following link Muslim Cinema and Top 101 Muslim Theme Films2

By using culture, art and film we can create bridges of dialogue and understanding, which can result in a more peaceful world. Please help to make World Day of Muslim Culture, Peace, Dialogue and Film a success.

References and External Links

World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Day_for_Cultural_Diversity_for_Dialogue_and_Development

Artshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arts

Visual Artshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visual_arts