Global Peace and Unity

The Global Peace and Unity event (often abbreviated to GPU) is an annual two-day conference held at the ExCeL Exhibition Centre in London and organized by the Islam Channel. It is the largest Muslim conference of its kind in Europe, having attracted over 55,000 visitors from 5 continents during the 2006 event.cite news |first=Anealla |last=Safdar |title=The untold good news story about Muslims |url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2006/dec/04/mondaymediasection1 |work=Dispatches |publisher=The Guardian |date=2006-12-04 |accessdate=2007-10-27 ] There have been two conferences since its inception in 2005, with another scheduled for November 2007. The conference includes an Islamic exhibition, an evening "nashīd" concert, as well as a series of lectures from international speakers spanning the two days.cite web |url=http://www.theglobalunity.com/|title=Global Peace & Unity Event 2007 |accessdate=2007-10-27 ]

Purpose

According to the official website, the Global Peace and Unity event is designed to promote "global cohesion across all communities", as well as "break barriers and build bridges between the variety of cultures and groups that follow the Islamic faith." According to Khurram Mujtaba, director of operations of Islam Channel, the event is a means through which to promote dialogue.

Features

The event consists of three main parts. One is an exhibition which houses numerous stalls, selling Islamic gifts and serving cuisines emanating from a variety of cultures. Other stalls promote Islamic business, while yet others are reserved for the collection of charity donations for organizations like Muslim Aid and Islamic Relief. The other two parts of the event are comprised of an evening concert on the first day and series of talks and lectures by international speakers on the second. Throughout both days artists provide entertainment on-stage in the form of "nashīd" pieces or comedy sketches. [cite news |first=Fahad |last=Mayet |title=Global Peace and Unity Event, London |url=http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?c=Article_C&cid=1165994313617&pagename=Zone-English-Youth/YTELayout |publisher=IslamOnline |date=2006-12-31 |accessdate=2007-10-27 ]

peakers and "nashīd" performances

Numerous individuals have spoken at the event, including political figures such as London mayor Ken Livingstone, Respect MP George Galloway, former MCB Secretary-General Iqbal Sacranie; ex-sportsmen such as Saeed Anwar and Imran Khan; as well as Islamic scholars such as Jamal Badawi, Zakir Naik and Yasir Qadhi.cite news |first=Joanna |last=Bale |title=Muslim peace rally attracts thousands |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article745910.ece |publisher=The Times |date=2005-12-05 |accessdate=2007-10-27 ] cite web |url=http://www.moftak.com/gu06/|title=Global Peace & Unity Event - 25th & 26th November 2006 |accessdate=2007-10-27 ] Nashid artists to have performed at the GPU include Junaid Jamshed, Dawud Wharnsby, and Native Deen.

References

ee also

*Ummah
*Amman Message

External links

* [http://www.theglobalunity.com/ Global Peace & Unity Event 2007] - Official website
* [http://www.dca.gov.uk/speeches/2005/sp051204.htm Speech given by Lord Falconer of Thoroton at the 2005 conference] - Department for Constitutional Affairs
* [http://64.233.183.104/search?q=cache:keMdywbsJdkJ:iccuk.org/media/reports/we_want_world_peace.htm&hl=en&strip=1 "We want world peace" - Conference message from British Muslims At the Global Peace & Unity Conference in London] - The Islamic Cultural Centre & London Central Mosque
* [http://www.currentviewpoint.com/cgibin/news.cgi?id=11&command=shownews&newsid=826 Account of 2005 conference]