The Global Peace and Unity (often abbreviated as GPU) is a recurring two-day event/festival and conference held at the

ExCeL Exhibition Centre ExCeL London (an abbreviation for Exhibition Centre London) is an exhibition centre, international convention centre and former hospital in the Custom House area of Newham, East London. It is situated on a site on the northern quay of the ...

Royal Victoria Dock The Royal Victoria Dock is the largest of three docks in the Royal Docks of east London, now part of the redeveloped Docklands. History Although, the structure was in place in the year 1850, it was opened in 1855, on a previously uninhabit ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, 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 dow ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

and organized by the

Islam Channel Islam Channel is a UK-based, free-to-air, English language, Islamic-focused satellite television channel and online media platform funded by advertising and donations. It was founded in 2004 by Mohamed Ali Harrath (born 1963), a Tunisian act ...

. It is the largest

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 ...

interfaith Interfaith dialogue refers to cooperative, constructive, and positive interaction between people of different religious traditions (i.e. "faiths") and/or spiritual or humanistic beliefs, at both the individual and institutional levels. It is ...

and

multicultural The term multiculturalism has a range of meanings within the contexts of sociology, political philosophy, and colloquial use. In sociology and in everyday usage, it is a synonym for " ethnic pluralism", with the two terms often used interchang ...

event of its kind in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

. There have been six conferences since its inception. The first was on 4 December 2005, with others in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010 and 2013. The 2006 event attracted over 55,000 visitors from five continents. The conference includes an Islamic exhibition, an evening

nasheed A nasheed (Arabic: singular ', plural ', meaning: "chants") is a work of vocal music, partially coincident with hymns, that is either sung ''a cappella'' or with instruments, according to a particular style or tradition within Islam. Nashe ...

concert, as well as a series of talks, workshops, seminars and lectures from international speakers over two days. The aim of the events, according to the organisers, is to bring together people from all spheres of the British society to inform and educate them about Islam and Muslims, and through this help to bridge the gaps between Muslims and non-Muslims and improve community relations.

Purpose

According to the official website, GPU events are designed to promote "global cohesion across all communities," as well as "break barriers and build bridges between the variety of cultures and groups that follow the Islamic faith." As well as giving Muslims the opportunity to enjoy themselves and provide a platform for them to learn more about their religion. The event aspires to spread peace and foster unity between like-minded representatives of communities in the United Kingdom and worldwide. According to Khurram Mujtaba, director of operations of Islam Channel, "the event is a means through which to promote dialogue." According to Mohamed Ali Harrath, chairman of the event and Islam Channel’s CEO, "the event offers a crucial platform for demanding change through peaceful interfaith dialogue, and positive exchange of ideas and interaction towards fostering mutual understanding between people from every culture, faith and background in a bid for greater community cohesion in a multicultural society."

Features

The event consists of three main parts. One is an exhibition which houses numerous stalls, selling Islamic gifts and serving cuisines emanating from a variety of cultures. Other stalls promote Islamic business, while yet others are reserved for the collection of

charity Charity may refer to: Giving * Charitable organization or charity, a non-profit organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being of persons * Charity (practice), the practice of being benevolent, giving and sharing * C ...

donations for organizations like

Muslim Aid Muslim Aid is a UK based Islamic International Non-Governmental Organization (INGO).Muslim Aid Souvenir Brochure, (2010) Published by Muslim Aid, London The international humanitarian charity has relief and development programmes in countries ac ...

and

Islamic Relief Islamic Relief Worldwide is a faith-inspired humanitarian and development agency which is working to support and empower the world’s most vulnerable people. Founded in the United Kingdom in 1984, Islamic Relief has international headquarter ...

. The other two parts of the event are composed of an evening concert on the first day and series of talks and lectures by international speakers on the second. Throughout both days artists provide entertainment on-stage in the form of nasheed pieces or comedy sketches.

Speakers, artists and performers

Numerous individuals have spoken at the Global Peace and Unity event, including political figures and community leaders. Guest speakers have included: * Mohamed Ali Harrath, Islam Channel's CEO *

Yusuf Estes Yusuf Estes (born: Joseph Estes, 1944), is an American from Texas who reverted from Christianity to Islam in 1991. He has served as a Muslim chaplain for the United States Bureau of Prisons during the 1990s, and has served as a delegate to the ...

, Islamic preacher from

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

Dawud Wharnsby Dawud Wharnsby (born David Howard Wharnsby; June 27, 1972) is a Canadian Universalist Muslim singer-songwriter, poet, performer, educator and television personality. A multi-instrumentalist, he is best known for his work in the musical/poetic g ...

, Muslim poet and singer/songwriter from Canada, along with

Idris Phillips Idris Phillips (January 1958 – July 16, 2022) was an American musician, composer, songwriter, and music producer based in Nashville. In recent years, he was best recognized for his work as a pianist, guitarist and producer for Canadian sing ...

(2006) * Native Deen, Muslim band from Washington DC * Brother Dash, Muslim poet from the United States *

Salma Yaqoob Salma Yaqoob (formally Jacob) (born 15 August 1971) is a British political activist and psychotherapist who served as the Leader of the Respect Party from 2005 until 2012, representing the party on Birmingham City Council. She led the Birming ...

, British Councillor *

Imran Khan Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi ( ur}; born 5 October 1952) is a Pakistani politician and former Cricket captain who served as the 22nd Prime Minister of Pakistan from August 2018 to until April 2022, when he was ousted through a no-confiden ...

, politician and former Pakistani cricket captain * Zakir Naik, Indian Muslim preacher * Yasir Qadhi, Muslim activist from America *

Nick Clegg Sir Nicholas William Peter Clegg (born 7 January 1967) is a British media executive and former Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom who has been president for global affairs at Meta Platforms since 2022, having previously been vicep ...

, Member of Parliament for Sheffield Hallam *

Iqbal Sacranie Sir Iqbal Abdul Karim Mussa Sacranie, OBE (born 6 September 1951 in Malawi) served as Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) until June 2006. He arrived in the UK in 1969. He was the founding Secretary General of the Muslim Counc ...

, former Chairman of the

Muslim Council of Britain The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) is a national umbrella body with over 500 mosques and educational and charitable associations affiliated to it. It includes national, regional, local, and specialist Muslim organisations and institutions fro ...

George Galloway George Galloway (born 16 August 1954) is a British politician, broadcaster, and writer who is currently leader of the Workers Party of Britain, serving since 2019. Between 1987 and 2010, and then between 2012 and 2015, Galloway was a Member o ...

Respect Respect, also called esteem, is a positive feeling or action shown towards someone or something considered important or held in high esteem or regard. It conveys a sense of admiration for good or valuable qualities. It is also the process of ...

MP *

Richard Faulkner, Baron Faulkner of Worcester Richard Oliver Faulkner, Baron Faulkner of Worcester (born 22 March 1946) is a Labour Party politician and life peer. Biography Faulkner was born on 22 March 1946 in Manchester, England. He was educated at the Merchant Taylors' School, North ...

* Qazi Hussain Ahmed, Pakistani politician * Saeed Anwar, former Pakistani cricketer * Simon Hughes, British MP *

Joel Hayward Joel Hayward (born 1964) is a New Zealand-born British scholar, writer and poet. The daily newspaper '' Al Khaleej'' called Hayward "a world authority on international conflict and strategy". '' The National'' newspaper called Hayward "eminent" ...

, British defence strategist and scholar, author and poet *

Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri ( ur, ‎; born 19 February 1951) is a Pakistani–Canadian Islamic scholar and former politician who founded Minhaj-ul-Quran International and Pakistan Awami Tehreek. He was also a professor of international co ...

, Pakistani scholar and founder of Minhaj-ul-Quran International *

James Caan James Edmund Caan ( ; March 26, 1940 – July 6, 2022) was an American actor. He came to prominence playing Sonny Corleone in ''The Godfather'' (1972) – a performance which earned him Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for Best Suppo ...

, entrepreneur and founder of the

James Caan Foundation James Caan (born Nazim Khan; 28 December 1960) is a British-Pakistani entrepreneur and television personality. He was an investor on the BBC television programme ''Dragons' Den'', in which he was one of the Dragons from 2007 to 2010. More rec ...

* Ken Livingston, former (and then serving) Mayor of London * Sarah Joseph, editor, ''Emel'' magazine * Tariq Suwaidan,

Muslim Brotherhood The Society of the Muslim Brothers ( ar, جماعة الإخوان المسلمين'' ''), better known as the Muslim Brotherhood ( '), is a transnational Sunni Islamist organization founded in Egypt by Islamic studies, Islamic scholar and scho ...

leader. Other guests were former MCB Secretary-General

Muhammad Abdul Bari Muhammad Abdul Bari ( bn, মুহাম্মাদ আব্দুল বারি; born October 1953), is a Bangladeshi-born British physicist, writer, teacher, and community leader. He is a former secretary of Muslim Aid, a former chairm ...

; journalists

Yvonne Ridley Yvonne Ridley (born 23 April 1958) is a British journalist, author and politician who holds several committee positions with the Alba Party in Scotland. She was a former chair of the National Council of the now-defunct Respect Party. Ridley ma ...

and Sarah Joseph; politicians such as Lord Nazir Ahmed, Lord Charles Falconer,

, Simon Hughes MP, Sadiq Khan MP, Stephen Timms MP and Shahid Malik MP; political activist John Rees, entrepreneur

; ex-sportsmen Saeed Anwar and

. Islamic scholars and preachers who have spoken at the Global Peace and Unity event have included Zakir Naik, Yasir Qadhi,

Jamal Badawi Jamal A. Badawi ( ar, جمال بدوي) is an Egyptian-Canadian author, preacher and speaker on Islam. Life Badawi completed his undergraduate studies at Ain Shams University in Cairo. He left for the United States in the 1960s and completed ...

, Timothy Winter,

Abdul Wahid Pedersen Abdul Wahid Pedersen (born Reino Arild Pedersen in 1954) is a Danish Imam. Personal life Pedersen was born in Sweden, and his mother is Finnish. Pedersen embraced Islam in 1982 after a long search through different world religions. He was bro ...

Muhammad al-Yaqoubi Muhammad Abul Huda al-Yaqoubi ( ar, محمد أبو الهدى اليعقوبي; born 7 May 1963) is a Syrian Islamic scholar and religious leader. He has opposed both Bashar al-Assad and Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Early life and background Al-Yaq ...

and Tariq Ramadan. Representatives from other faiths including

Yisroel Dovid Weiss Yisroel Dovid Weiss ( he, ישראל דוד ווייס; born 1956) is an American Haredi Jew, activist, and spokesman for a minority branch of small fringe group Neturei Karta, a Haredi anti-Zionist group. Residing in Monsey, New York, he belie ...

and Riah Abu El-Assal. Muslim pop singers who have performed at the Global Peace and Unity event include

Jermaine Jackson Jermaine La Jaune Jackson (born December 11, 1954) is an American singer-songwriter and bassist. He is best known for being a member of the Jackson family. From 1964 to 1975, Jermaine was second vocalist after his brother Michael of The Jackso ...

and

Yusuf Islam Yusuf Islam (born Steven Demetre Georgiou; ), commonly known by his stage names Cat Stevens, Yusuf, and Yusuf / Cat Stevens, is a British singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. His musical style consists of folk, pop, rock, and, later i ...

. Nasheed artists to have performed include

Zain Bhikha Zain may refer to: People *Zain (name) *Zain (gamer) Places Business and economy *Zain Group, a Gulf telecommunications company **Zain Iraq, telecommunications company in Iraq **Zain Jordan, telecommunications company in Jordan **Zain Saudi Ara ...

Ahmed Bukhatir Ahmed Bukhatir ( ar, أحمد بوخاطر; born 16 October 1975) is an Emirati Nasheed singer. Biography Ahmed Bukhatir was born in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. He is the fifth of ten children. His father is Abdul Rahman Bukhatir, who beca ...

Junaid Jamshed Junaid Jamshed Khan ( ur, ; 3 September 1964 – 7 December 2016) was a Pakistani singer-songwriter, television personality, fashion designer, actor, and preacher. After graduating with a degree in engineering from the University of Engineer ...

Najam Sheraz Najam Sheraz (Urdu: نجم شیراز) is a Pakistani pop singer and songwriter. Early life Najam Sheraz was born in Multan, Pakistan on 2 August 1969. He played professional cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two t ...

, Dawud Wharnsby Ali,

, Native Deen and

Outlandish Outlandish is a hip-hop music group based in Denmark. Formed in 1997, it consisted of Isam Bachiri (born in Denmark and of Berber background), (born in Denmark and of Pakistani background), and (born in Honduras and of Cuban and Honduran des ...

. Other performers have included poet Brother Dash; comedians

Preacher Moss Bryant Reginald Moss (born 1967), best known by his stage name Preacher Moss, is an American stand-up comedian and writer. He is best known as one third of comedy trio Allah Made Me Funny. Early life Moss was born in Washington, D.C. to Afric ...

Azhar Usman Azhar Muhammad Usman (born December 23, 1975) is an American comedian, actor, screenwriter, and producer of Indian descent. He is a former lecturer, community activist and lawyer and has been referred to as the "Ayatollah of Comedy" and "Bin Laug ...

and Baba Ali. Live performances by Muslim entertainers

, Jamal Uddin Marcell & The Fletcher Valve Drummers,

and

have also been given.

Controversy

In 2010, United Kingdom Prime Minister

David Cameron David William Donald Cameron (born 9 October 1966) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2016 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2005 to 2016. He previously served as Leader o ...

banned Baroness Sayeeda Warsi from attending the conference over alleged extremist speakers. Speakers have included: former Pakistani government minister,

Muhammad Ijaz-ul-Haq Muhammad Ijaz-ul-Haq ( ur, ; born 20 February 1952) is a Pakistani politician who is the leader of the Pakistan Muslim League (Z). He served as Minister for Religious Affairs and Minorities in the government of General Pervez Musharraf fro ...

, who said suicide attacks were a justified response to

Salman Rushdie Sir Ahmed Salman Rushdie (; born 19 June 1947) is an Indian-born British-American novelist. His work often combines magic realism with historical fiction and primarily deals with connections, disruptions, and migrations between Eastern and ...

's 2007 knighthood. Shady al-Suleiman, who invited

Anwar al-Awlaki Anwar Nasser al-Awlaki (also spelled al-Aulaqi, al-Awlaqi; ar, أنور العولقي, Anwar al-‘Awlaqī; April 21 or 22, 1971 – September 30, 2011) was an American imam who was killed in 2011 in Yemen by a U.S. government drone strik ...

to speak at a mosque in Australia and supports stoning adulterers. Abdur Rashid Turabi, head of Pakistan's

Jamaat-e-Islami Jamaat-e-Islami ( ur, ) () is an Islamic movement founded in 1941 in British India by the Islamic theologian and socio-political philosopher, Syed Abul Ala Maududi.van der Veer P. and Munshi S. (eds.''Media, War, and Terrorism: Responses fr ...

party. Sheikh Yasir Qadhi, who said that homosexuality is an "aberration against God".

Hussein Ye Dato' Sheikh Hussain Yee or Hussein Yee (born 1950), is a Malaysian Islamic preacher and an International Da'i of Islam as well as the President of Pertubuhan Al-Khaadem in Malaysia. Background Early years Born into a Buddhist Malaysian Chines ...

, who blamed Jews for the

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commer ...

References

External links

*
Global Peace and Unity Event 2005
on DVD
Speech given by Lord Falconer of Thoroton at the 2005 conference
-

Department for Constitutional Affairs The Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA) was a United Kingdom government department. Its creation was announced on 12 June 2003; it took over the functions of the Lord Chancellor's Department. On 28 March 2007 it was announced that the Dep ...

"We want world peace" - Conference message from British Muslims At the Global Peace & Unity Conference in London
-

Islamic Cultural Centre The Islamic Cultural Centre is a centre for Muslims located in London, England, opened in 1944. It is part of the London Central Mosque, having been annexed. It campaigns on behalf of British Muslims to government, local authorities and official bo ...

London Central Mosque The London Central Mosque (also known as the Regent's Park Mosque) is an Islamic place of worship located on the edge of Regent's Park in central London. Design and location It was designed by Sir Frederick Gibberd, completed in 1977, and ...

*Gould, Carol
Account of 2005 conference
. ''currentviewpoint.com''. 7 December 2005 *Yaqoob, Salma

''Islamophobia Watch''. 15 October 2008 *Joseph, Sarah
Talking 'Bout A Revolution
''

emel Emel may refer to: * ''Emel'' (magazine), a British Muslim lifestyle magazine * EMEL Fashion, US based fashion designing firm co-founded by Taiwanese fashion designer Michelle Liu and Ken Wu in Los Angeles, CA. People *Emel Aykanat (born 1975), Tu ...

''. Issue 73, October 2010 *Townsend, Mark
Baroness Warsi told by David Cameron not to appear at Islamic conference
''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the ...