Ceremony starts Islam festival

Published on Wednesday 1 August 2007 12:16

A MONTH-LONG Islamic festival got under way in the city today with a special ceremony.

The event at Edinburgh's Central Mosque, on Potterrow, was to be attended by council leader Jenny Dawe and Lothian and Borders chief constable David Strang.

The mosque is hosting the Discover Islam exhibition, the pivotal feature of the Islam Festival Edinburgh (IFe).

Ms Dawe was to officially open the exhibition, which is part of the Fringe.

The exhibition includes various poster-sets explaining aspects of the religion and culture of Muslims, as well as artistic exhibits.

Other events include talks on Islam in a contemporary context, as well as a melodic presentation of the recited Qur'an (The Glorious Recital, August 18).

A selling exhibition of Arabic calligraphy by Haji Noor Deen Mi Guangjiang from China will also take place later in the month.

Sohaib Saeed, IFe manager, said: "This is a significant contribution to our diverse society."