The MUJU Crew (MUJU) are a

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

-based group that bring

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

s and Jews together through a shared passion for creating art and provides a platform for creative collaboration. Works include theatre productions, art festivals, commissions and other live events.

History

MUJU began as "The Tricycle Muslim Jewish Youth Theatre Group" in 2004. Supported by the Tricycle Theatre, The Pears Foundation and One to One Children Foundation, the group’s main aim was to encourage young Muslims and Jews to meet for weekly drama workshops to allow members to express themselves creatively and explore themes of interest. The group soon began tackling issues of race, religion, poverty, social justice and youth culture. Over time the theatre group became a melting pot of ideas. After three years, three plays and the first upSTARTS Festival in March 2008, the founding members of the MUJU workshops established the group as a registered charity.

Works

MUJU has produced comedy nights, writing commissions, arts festivals, community work and awareness-raising performances. Their work was formally recognised in November 2008 when the 'Crew' won the first Mosaic Talent Interfaith Award, presented by

Prince Charles Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to ...

. In May 2010, The MUJU Crew embarked on their first tour with a double bill of entertainment. "Extreme Prevention" is a comedy sketch show set against the backdrop of the government’s "Preventing Extremism" strategy that includes radio campaigns warning that "If you suspect it, report it". Sketches include the reformed extremist desperate to educate the Muslim community on how not to be a fundamentalist and a doctor using ultrasound scans to search for extremists in the womb. ''Walls'' is a play which tells the story of two British teenage friends, one Muslim and one Jewish, whose relationship is turned upside down when the Jewish boy’s family move to

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

. This play was written by Alia Bano, winner of several awards.

References

The Guardian

The Times

The New Statesman

The Jewish Chronicle

Haaretz

External links

MUJU Website

Tricycle Theatre

Photos - MUJU upSTARTS Festival
{{DEFAULTSORT:Muju Crew Interfaith organizations Organisations based in London