Art show on Sidra opens at VCU-Q

AN art exhibition, featuring photographer Rashed al-Muhannadi’s and painter Ali al-Sharif’s works focused on the Sidra tree, has begun at Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar (VCU-Q) gallery.

Sheikh Hasan bin Mohamed bin Ali al-Thani, president of the arts and culture committee at the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF), inaugurated the exhibition on Thursday.

QF vice chairperson Dr Saif al-Hajari, Rashed al-Muhannadi and a number of other guests were present on the occasion.

The event is the first annual exhibition organised by VCU-Q featuring Qatari artists. Rashed al-Muhannadi and Ali al-Sharif were commissioned by VCU-Q to do the works that are on display.

Al-Muhannadi, currently attached to the Qatar Tourism Authority, has shot black and white photos portraying a clean and simple look at the beauty of Sidra tree and surrounding landscapes.

This is the first-ever exhibition for al-Sharif, who has featured the grace of the Sidra tree along with an occasional representation of native life. The exhibition is open till Thursday.

 Taken From:http://www.gulf-times.com/2003/09/06/locals.htm

Muslims bouyed by conference where civil rights a focus

CHICAGO

At the start of school this year, Samah Choudhury was looking around the classroom when she had a sobering realization.

Samah was among the more than 50,000 Muslims who flocked to Chicago over Labor Day weekend to mix with others of the same faith to pray, attend various sessions and in some cases set a new political agenda.

Two Muslims groups met in Chicago, the Islamic Society of North America and the American Muslim Society, which is composed mainly of black Muslims.

Taken From: http://www.mlive.com/news/kzgazette/index.ssf?/base/news-0/10628436523160.xml

Iranian organ wins ISESCO’s 2003 award

The Iranian « Literacy Movement Organization » has won the ISESCO Literacy Prize for the year 2003. The project being implemented by this organization in the field of promoting literacy and reading skills on a wider scale for the benefit of women and girls in Iran, as part of the literacy courses aiming at promoting culture and upholding Islamic values within society, has been designated among the projects nominated by the English-speaking Member States of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO).

The Iranian award-winning project was launched in 1997 in various Iranian areas, It aims at spreading Islamic values, upgrading the skills of women learners in managing their daily life matters, and strengthening the bonds of cooperation in society, through learning reading and writing in Persian, which is the national language inIran and which is transcribed in Arabic script.

The project also aims at encouraging these women and girls to learn the Holy Koran and to get acquainted with the means of preserving health and proper nutrition, as well as protecting water against pollution.

The Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization had consecrated the ISESCO Literacy Prize for 2001 to the organizations, associations and bodies operating in the field of literacy in the French-speaking Member States, while the same prize for 2002 was assigned to such organizations and bodies in the Arabic-speaking countries.

Taken From: http://www.islamicnews.org/english/en_daily.html