Global Peace and Unity
| Global Peace and Unity | |
|---|---|
| Status | Active |
| Genre | Conference |
| Dates | Third week of an Autumn month |
| Begins | Saturday |
| Ends | Sunday |
| Venue | ExCeL Exhibition Centre |
| Location(s) | Royal Victoria Dock, London, England |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Years active | 2005–present |
| Inaugurated | 2005 |
| Most recent | 2013 |
| Attendance | Over 50,000 |
| Organised by | Islam Channel |
| Website | |
| www |
|
The Global Peace and Unity event/festival (often abbreviated as GPU) is a recurring two-day conference held at the ExCeL Exhibition Centre in Royal Victoria Dock, London, England and organized by the Islam Channel. It is the largest Muslim, interfaith and multicultural event of its kind in Europe, having attracted over 55,000 visitors from five continents during the 2006 event. There have been six conferences since its inception in the inaugural event held on 4 December 2005, with others in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010 and 2013. The conference includes an Islamic exhibition, an evening nasheed concert, as well as a series of talks, workshops, seminars and lectures from international speakers spanning the two days.
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." As well as giving Muslims the opportunity to enjoy themselves and provide a platform for them to learn more about their religion. The event aspires to spread peace and foster unity between like-minded representatives of communities in the UK and worldwide. It aims to bring together people from all spheres of the British society in order to inform and educate them about Islam and Muslims, and through this help to bridge the gaps between Muslims and non-Muslims and improve community relations.
According to Khurram Mujtaba, director of operations of Islam Channel, "the event is a means through which to promote dialogue." According to Mohamed Ali Harrath, chairman of the event and Islam Channel’s CEO, "the event offers a crucial platform for demanding change through peaceful interfaith dialogue, and positive exchange of ideas and interaction towards fostering mutual understanding between people from every culture, faith and background in a bid for greater community cohesion in a multicultural society."
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 composed 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 nasheed pieces or comedy sketches.
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Wikipedia