Stars are to gather in Abu Dhabi later this week to celebrate love for the Prophet Mohammed, in a festival of Islamic art conceived in the aftermath of a global uprising against images published in Danish newspapers.
The Al Mahabba Awards, to be held at the Al Raha Theatre from April 24-26, was launched in 2006 to promote artistic expressions of love for the Prophet Mohammed following worldwide protests against the cartoons.
Two years later, hundreds of works have been submitted for nomination, with a handful nominated for awards in nine categories including songs, advertisements, films, documentaries and TV, books, photography, graphic arts, mass media, and event of the year.
Winners will be chosen by a panel of seven judges including Ahmed Kostas, director of Islamic affairs at the Ministry of Religious Affairs in Morocco, Abdullah Schleifer, Al Arabiya’s Washington DC bureau chief, and Haroon Sugich, executive vice president and COO of UAE Trans-Arabian Creative Communication.
Among the guests attending the awards are the former Egyptian actress and singer Mona Abdelghani, pop stars Ehab Tawfik, Mohammed Foad and Hamada Helal, and actors Saeed Saleh, Mahmoud Gendy, Gamal Ismael and Mahmoud Yassin.
Other guests include the Egyptian preacher and TV personality Amr Khaled and Mohammed Riyad, the first Muslim candidate for the Conservative Party in Britain.
A series of concerts will feature acts from across the globe, including Nasheed artist Zain Bhaka from South Africa, African-American band Native Deen from the US, Nasheed Artist Kurtus from Macedonia and popular Arabic singer Mohammed Al Mazem from the UAE.
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