Spring Literature Festival: Cultural Confluences

Spring Literature Festival: Cultural Confluences

Imagining Muslims in South Asia and the Diaspora: Secularism, Religion, Representations

Claire Chambers discusses her new co-edited book, Imagining Muslims in South Asia and the Diaspora: Secularism, Religion, Representation (Routledge 2014). Topics in the discussion include: the impact of Islamophobia as reflected in literature; questions of ‘authenticity’ and the right to speak; the longer history of the South Asian Muslim presence in Britain and the emergence of distinctive cultures; the rise of Muslim-themed film and television comedy; the recent flowering of Pakistani writing in English and the relationship between variants of practice and belief, from devout to ‘cultural’ or ‘secular’ Muslims. Claire also gives an outline of the themes covered in the book’s cialis generique essays, such as: women’s fiction; the representation of young Muslims; the legacy of Al Andalus; the Kashmir controversy; Islamophobia and stereotypes; and queer Muslim identities.

The Art of Integration

‘Islam in England's green and pleasant land'

Photographs by Peter Sanders

21st April – 20th June 2015

'The Art of Integration, Islam in England's green and pleasant land', shows an alternative picture of Muslims integrated completely within British society and is a graceful and visually poetic reminder that Muslims have been part of British life for well over a century, have made and continue to make an important contribution to the United Kingdom’s rich cultural diversity. Contrary to the headlines and editorializing, the vast majority of Muslims live peacefully and productively in Britain and many have significantly enriched the intellectual and cultural landscape of this great island nation.

Peter Sanders captures a few of these wonderful people: physicians, scholars, writers, teachers, calligraphers, rock and folk-rock icons, a city councilor, award-winning architect, publisher, sculptor, graffiti artist, cosmetician, police constable, fashion designer, driver, Etonians, Oxbridgians, and many others. The architectural influences from the Muslim world expressed in Leighton House, the Shah Jehan Mosque in Woking and a Turkish bath in the shadow of the Gherkin contribute to the pageant of images in this beautiful and vibrant photographic essay.

The book 'The Art of Integration, Islam in England's green and pleasant land' will be available from the SOAS Bookshop and more information on the project can be found at: http://www.artofintegration.co.uk for more information about Peter Sanders and his work, please visit: www.petersanders.com

The exhibition has been made possible with the support of the Muslims, Trust and Cultural Dialogue research project in collaboration with the Centre for the Study of Pakistan, SOAS and Mosaic Associates.

There will be an accompanying panel discussion ‘You've seen the bad news, now see the good’ on the 5th May with speakers: Peter Sanders, Farah Pandith, Navid Akhtar, Imam Monawar and Shaykh Babakir. Further details will be available here: http://www.soas.ac.uk/csp/

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Positioning Sufiana Kalam at Bradford Literature Festival

Irna Qureshi and Syima Aslam

Abstract

There has been a rise in the popularity of the public performance of Sufi poetry among diasporic South Asian communities, including among more orthodox Muslim Pakistanis in England. Renowned Pakistani singers such as Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Abida Parveen have not only popularised the form in Pakistan and India, but among world music circles too. Earlier this year, British Asian music’s biggest stars, Yo Yo Honey Singh and Mika Singh’s version of the centuries old classic Sufi anthem, ‘Damadum Mast Kalandar’ reached the top of the BBC Asian Network’s download chart, and in doing so, introduced Sufiana Kalam to a new generation of Hindu, Muslim and Sikh listeners.

Against the backdrop of Islamophobic stereotypes in Britain today, Sufism remains the attractive, accessible and liberal face of Islam. With this in mind, the directors of a ground breaking literature festival in Bradford are looking to use the devotional verse of Muslim mystics to promote respect and understanding between the different communities in Bradford, and to change the perception of the city’s Muslims.

The Bradford Literature Festival had its launch weekend in September 2014 and will run next year from 15th to 24th May 2015. The festival is a celebration of the written and spoken word, reflecting the cultural sensibilities of Bradford’s diverse demographic. According to the 2011 Census, Bradford is home to the largest proportion (20.4%) of Pakistanis in England, a quarter of the district’s population, and making it the fourth highest proportion of Muslims in the UK.

It is therefore fitting that the festival should devote a significant proportion of programming to celebrating Pakistan’s literary heritage, culture and languages, as well as emphasising Islam’s rich literary and artistic tradition. The aim is to dispel Islamophobic stereotypes, contribute to the Muslim community’s self-esteem, reduce feelings of marginalisation and encourage engagement with viagra belgique the arts.

This seminar will focus on the potential of Sufiana Kalam to help young British Muslims to develop a sense of identity and pride in their cultural heritage; to help older generations to cut across barriers of class, literacy and cultural engagement; as well as appeal to the literature festival’s broader non-Muslim audience throughout West Yorkshire. The literary festival engages with themes of trust and dialogue, given our audience base and the particular issues we face in Bradford. In this combined presentation we offer a community perspective from the ground.

Biography

Irna Qureshi

Irna Qureshi is co-director of the Bradford Literature Festival. As an ethnographer, writer and oral historian, she specialises in British Asian arts, culture and identity. She has collaborated on several exhibitions and books on these themes, including ‘Coming of Age: 21 Years of Mela in the UK’ and ‘The Grand Trunk Road: From Delhi to the Khyber Pass’. Her personal essays have appeared in Critical Muslim, South Asian Popular Culture, The Guardian’s Northerner Blog and New Statesman.

Syima Aslam

Syima Aslam has over 15 years’ experience as a marketeer, specialising in grassroots and multi-channel marketing. As an audience engagement specialist based in Bradford, she has programmed numerous arts and cultural events for diverse communities. Currently, she is combining her background and expertise with her love of literature - classic as well as contemporary, English as well as Urdu - to develop a groundbreaking literature festival for Bradford. The festival as well providing mainstream events devotes a significant proportion of its programming to celebrating Pakistan’s literary heritage, culture and languages, and emphasising Islam’s rich literary and artistic tradition through accessible mediums such as Sufiana Kalam.