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Utah exhibition to build bridges

SALT LAKE CITY, UT–”Beauty and Belief: Crossing Bridges with the Arts of Islamic Culture” opened Friday, February 24th at the Brigham Young University Museum of Art in Provo, UT. The show marks the first time that a major Mormon institution will present a show of Islamic art. Dr. Sabiha Al-Khemir, the project director, was the Founding Director of the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, Qatar.

The exhibition features more than 250 objects from 10 countries, 42 lending institutions and ten private collections. The largest lender is the Dar al-Athar-al-Islamiyyah (DAI) museum in Kuwait. The show will travel to three other museums across the United States including the Indianapolis Museum of Art, Newark Museum and Portland Art Museum, OR.

Brigham Young University Museum of Art ranks in the top 25 most attended art museums in North America, and is the most attended university art museum in the United States. Museum officials hope that the exhibition will build bridges of understanding and contribute to the local, national and international dialog focusing on the historic and creative contributions of Islamic Culture.

Traffic might delay mosque expansion plans

CLERMONT,FL–Expansion plans of the Islamic Centre of Clermont may be delayed due to parking concerns, claim local media reports.

The mosque wants a bigger building and a community center, to be called The Islamic Community Center, to provide a place for many indoor activities, said its administrator, Husman Bacchus.
“We have a small building that’s not adequate so this would be very good. We are a small congregation but growing,” Bacchus said, adding that plans for the community center include a squash court and many others community-minded things.

“There is no facility like this in the community,” he said.

Plans are being reviewed by the city’s Planning and Zoning Department before a recommendation is given to the Lake County Zoning Board, which meets this weel. The next step would be the Lake County Commission on March 27.

Boston hospital halal meals

BOSTON, MA–THE food at Boston’s Pilgrim Hospital has received a national award.

United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs the menu of Sibsey Road hospital, has won an award for Best Vegan Catering in the Care Sector in awards hosted by The Vegan Society.

All the meals for Boston, Lincoln, Grantham, Louth, Skegness and Spalding are prepared, packed and distributed from either Pilgrim central production unit in Boston or Lincoln County central production unit.

The award reflects the fact that the menus are diverse including being, vegetarian, halal and kosher food.

Catering manager John Spencer said: “The award is a fantastic accolade for us to receive, it reflects the hard work of our staff and demonstrates the high quality services our patients receive.”

Notre Dame MSA Qur’an recitation

NOTRE DAME, IN–Notre Dame’s Muslim Student Association (MSA) is inviting  students to engage in prayer around the world this week with the Art of Qur’an Recitation.

Priscilla Wong, associate director of cross-cultural ministry for Campus Ministry, said the event is part of the Prayer Around the World series — a program started approximately eight years ago to promote interfaith understanding and dialogue, the student newspaper reported.

“We thought that we need to bring people together, and sharing how we pray is welcoming people into our faith and culture,” Wong said. “We work with people from that faith community and it’s a way that they can hold discussions and also have questions and answers.

The programs will feature demonstrations of Quranic recitation and lectures on the importance of prayer for Muslims.

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