CAIRO, JANUARY 28, 2006 (IslamOnline.net) – Egypt will play host to a several days' British cultural gala, Nazra, shedding light on the lives of Muslims in Britain and reflecting the views of a variety of British Muslims involved in music, art, media, politics and business.

"We were looking for one word that would sum up the festival. The Arabic word Nazra means a look, a glance or a reflection and that’s what our festival is all about – taking a look at what life is like for Muslims in the UK," Claire Halprine, the head of the Press & Public Affairs Section at the British Embassy in Cairo, told IslamOnline.net on Saturday, January 28.

The cultural gala, to run from 31 January to 12 February 2006, is organized by the embassy in conjunction with the British Council.

It features, to name but a few, concerts by British Muslim singer Sami Yusuf, a photography exhibition by Peter Sanders, depicting scenes from British Muslim life, performances by Egyptian storyteller Chirine Al Ansary, who has studied and performed in the UK, screenings of British films and discussions with Egyptian filmmakers about the issues arising.

"This is the first recent event in an Arab country which focuses on perspectives of British Muslims in particular and brings over a delegation of British Muslims in the context of a wider cultural event," Halprine said.

She added that the main goal of organizing a festival on Muslims in Britain in an Arab Muslim country like Egypt is "to build better mutual understanding between countries and communities across the world, including Muslim and non-Muslim countries, and countries where the majority of the population is Muslim."

The British official asserted that the organizers want to give people a glimpse of what life is like for Muslims in Britain.

"There is no one perspective – every Briton, every British Muslim, has a different story to tell," she maintained.

To reflect the views of a variety of British Muslims involved in different arenas, Nazra invited a delegation of British Muslims to visit Egypt and to discuss their experiences.

"We wanted a delegation with diverse backgrounds to appeal to as many people here as possible," Halprine said of the criteria for choosing the delegation's members.

"The delegation will take part in a live web dialogue on IslamOnline.net (at 12 GMT on Tuesday, 31 January) and in several platform debates to live audiences, and will be meeting a number of members of Egyptian society, including journalists and the Sheikh of Al Azhar," she added.

The events of the British cultural gala will be taking place in the Egyptian capital Cairo and the beautiful Mediterranean city of Alexandria, the country's main harbour and second biggest city.

Halprine said the two cities were chosen for their "interested and vibrant population, whom we hope will be keen to attend our events and to take part in some challenging discussions."

Better Understanding

For its organizers, Nazra is not purely a cultural festival but an opportunity to discuss what it means to be a British Muslim.

"There are more than 2 million Muslims in the UK, and these communities make a vital contribution to every aspect of British life – from sports and the arts to business and politics," Halprine emphasized.

After last July's London bombings the British government took many steps in different directions to confront extremism.

The organizers of Nazra hope it will help understanding more about the role that British Muslims play in society.

They believe that it is also true that the diverse nature of British society means that events such as the London bombings attack Muslims too and that the UK is determined to work in partnership with its Muslim population to counter terrorism.

Asking whether the culture channel is more effective than the political and the legal channels to better the British Muslims integration, Halprine answered "our purpose is to cultivate understanding between different nationalities and different cultures, and we believe this can be done most effectively by using all available channels. Cultural activity is one way of sharing experience."

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