Project Mosaic

10 Years After 9/11 - A Gathering in Commemoration

 

Project Mosaic invites you to:

 

WHAT:      A gathering to commemorate the nearly 3,000 people from dozens of countries who perished in the attacks on September 11, 2001 and to remember all people killed in violence fuelled by group hatred. Every nationality, faith and age group welcome, including children.

 

WHEN:      Thursday, 8 September 2011, 6:30pm registration for 7pm start. Event concludes at 8pm.

 

WHERE:    Faraday House, 48-51 Old Gloucester Street, London WC1N 3AE, United Kingdom

 

HOW TO BOOK:     Tickets are free but must be booked in advance. To book a place, email [email protected]. For more than one ticket, please send a full name and email address for each person. We regret that we are unable to hold or book a place without a name and email address.

 

Winners awarded in Project Mosaic Young Filmmakers YouTube Competition

Young filmmakers presenting messages of hope, compassion and tolerance were honoured at an Award Ceremony in London on June 22, 2011. They were there to receive awards in the Project Mosaic Young Filmmakers YouTube Competition.

First Prize went to Tariq Chowdhry, a 23-year-old from Ilford, for his film called "Inspiration Through Faith".

Runner Up prize went to Timur Ahmet, an 18-year-old from London, for his film entitled "Two White Roses".

Two films received Honourable Mention: "This is Max" by Megan Crawley, a 16-year-old from Hertfordshire: and "It Takes All Sorts" made by seven pupils from Year 11 at Burnage Media Arts College in Manchester.

Winning films can be viewed on YouTube or at www.projectmosaic.net/youtubecompetition.asp.

The competition, which was entitled "We are Britain", aimed to amplify the voice of young people. Entrants aged 16 to 25 were invited to make and post on YouTube a film lasting no more than two minutes and that treated one or more themes of Project Mosaic, a pro-tolerance charity set up in memory of Dave Fontana, a 9/11 firefighter. Possible themes included: creating understanding amongst people from different backgrounds, countering prejudice and celebrating British values such as tolerance, the rule of law, equality between men and women, freedom of speech, of assembly and of religion.

The awards event commenced with a talk on the subject of "In the Footsteps of Moses: Egypt Then and Now" by Ahmed Abd-Elghany, an Egyptian-British adviser to Project Mosaic with extensive experience in interfaith work on a grassroots level in the UK. 

 

You are cordially invited to a Project Mosaic event:

The  Award Ceremony of the

 Project Mosaic Young Filmmakers YouTube Competition

  

The event will open with a conversation with

Project Mosaic Adviser and Egyptologist Ahmed Abd-Elghany on

“In the Footsteps of Moses: Egypt Then and Now”

 

 When:        Wednesday, 22 June 2011. Doors open from 6:30pm. Event starts 7pm.

 Where:       Ramada Jarvis Hyde Park Hotel, 150 Bayswater Road, London W2 4RT

 What:         Tickets are free but spaces are limited. Email [email protected] to reserve your place.

 

About the Project Mosaic Young Filmmakers YouTube Competition:

The Project Mosaic Young Filmmakers YouTube Competition amplifies the voice of young people by inviting them to make a two-minute film that celebrates tolerance, diversity and British values, creates understanding amongst people from different backgrounds, counters prejudice and/or addresses other stated goals of Project Mosaic.

About Project Mosaic:

Project Mosaic is a charity that teaches people to be more tolerant of those coming from a different background, whether racial, ethnic, religious, national or economic. It does this by promoting interfaith and intercultural tolerance, multiethnic good citizenship and integration of immigrant communities, and by combating prejudice, group hatred and extremism. Project Mosaic was set up in memory of David Fontana, one of the 343 firefighters that died on September 11, 2001 while helping to rescue some 28,000 people from the World Trade Center in New York.

 

Descended from Abraham: Exploring the Common Heritage of Jews, Christians and Muslims

Dr Ed Kessler, an expert on interfaith relations, told a large audience in London on March 24, 2011 that people from the three Abrahamic faiths were starting to build important mutual understanding, but much more work needed to be done.

Kessler, the director of the Woolf Institute, delivered the 2011 Project Mosaic Lecture on the topic of "Descended from Abraham: Exploring the Common Heritage of Jews, Christians and Muslims".

In reviewing relations amongst the world's 2.2 billion Christians, 1.6 billion Muslims and 15 million Jews, he said Christians and Jews had made encouraging progress in interfaith dialogue over the past nearly 100 years, but that the encounter with Islam was "a much more recent and fragile phenomenon".

Kessler urged a recognition that religious beliefs and cultural traditions varied widely amongst those living within the 120 Christian-majority countries, the 60 Muslim-majority countries and the one Jewish-majority country, Israel. He said Christians, Jews and Muslims needed to learn more about one another's religion -- to develop a "faith literacy" -- which would lead to greater trust, respect and sensitivity.

Kessler described the subject of Israel-Palestine as the "elephant in the room", an uncomfortable topic but one that needed to be addressed. He said many Jews considered the creation of Israel in 1948 as an act of national liberation after nearly 2,000 years of homelessness, while many Muslims described it as "The Disaster" because it displaced more than 700,000 Palestinians.

Kessler said Christians, Jews and Muslims needed to learn to talk about the Middle East, even when this involved strong disagreement. But he said this most difficult of subjects was not the place to start when initiating interfaith dialogue. The best place to commence, he said, was in recognising the similarities, not the differences, of the three faiths handed down by Abraham.

He said that Jews, based on their experience living in a disaspora for two millennia, could play a special role in helping Muslims to relate on a constructive basis with members of the Christian community. "Judaism is ideally placed to act as an intermediary in the essential encounter between Christianity and Islam, between the West and East," Kessler said.

 

Download Descended from Abraham - Project Mosaic Lecture by Dr Ed Kessler Mar24 2011

 

The Middle East in My Backyard: A Roundtable Discussion of Grassroots Change

On March 22, 2011 about 30 participants held a roundtable discussion at Project Mosaic in London on ways to help support peaceful co-existence between Jews and Arabs in Israel.

The discussion was led by Mohammed Fahili, the director of the Jewish-Arab Community Centre in Acre, in northern Israel. Fahili, an Israeli Arab, has dedicated his life to Arab-Jewish peaceful coexistence. Born in the Old City in Acre, he shared a single bedroom with seven siblings and lost his father when he was six. At 18 he went to study engineering in the United States and he returned to Israel with a vision to help young people - Arabs and Jews - from underserved neighbourhoods.

The roundtable discussion on March 22 brought together students and businesspeople, and those from non-profit organisations, the arts and local government.

Fahili identifies education as the best way to address high levels of unemployment, crime, and alcohol and drug abuse amongst young people in Acre. The Jewish-Arab Community Centre provides education and training programmes for about 2,000 residents, mostly youths, each week. The centre is also dedicated to furthering equality between men and women. Arab women study there to complete high-school education, acquire IT skills and prepare for the job market.

At the time of the birth of Israel in 1948, Fahili's family was uprooted from their home in the Golan Heights. Some relatives left Israel while his parents decided to stay. "I am an optimist. One has to look forward in life and not spend so much time looking back. Each of us can make a difference by helping others," he says. "The key is to get an education, make your life better, build a family. This is what most people want."

The roundtable discussion was part of the Project Mosaic Lecture Series, in which speakers address topics including ethnic diversity, prejudice, extremism, tolerance and conflict resolution.

Invitation to Project Mosaic Lecture: "Descended from Abraham: Exploring the Common Heritage of Jews, Christians and Muslims" -- Thurs, 24 March 2011

You are cordially invited to a Project Mosaic Lecture

  

Descended from Abraham:

Exploring the Common Heritage of Jews, Christians and Muslims

by Dr Edward Kessler

Executive Director, The Woolf Institute

 

When:        Thursday, 24 March 2011. Doors open from 6:30pm. Lecture starts 7pm.

Where:       Ramada Jarvis Hyde Park Hotel, 150 Bayswater Road, London W2 4RT

What:         Tickets are free but spaces are limited. Email [email protected] to reserve your place.

 

About the speaker:

Dr Edward Kessler is a leading thinker in interfaith relations, including Jewish-Christian and Jewish-Muslim relations. He is Founder and Executive Director of the Woolf Institute and Fellow of St Edmund’s College, Cambridge. Dr Kessler has written or edited nine books and dozens of articles, and also writes for print and broadcast media. His publications include Bound by the Bible: Jews, Christians and the Sacrifice of Isaac, A Dictionary of Jewish-Christian Relations and What Do Jews Believe? In 2008 Dr Kessler completed a charity bicycle ride from Cairo to Jerusalem and plans a similar ride from Amman to Jerusalem in November 2011.

 

About Project Mosaic:

Project Mosaic is a charity that teaches people to be more tolerant of those coming from a different background, whether racial, ethnic, religious, national or economic. It does this by promoting interfaith and intercultural tolerance, multiethnic good citizenship and integration of immigrant communities, and by combating prejudice, group hatred and extremism. Project Mosaic was set up in memory of David Fontana, one of the 343 firefighters that died on September 11, 2001 while helping to rescue some 28,000 people from the World Trade Center in New York.

Project Mosaic is registered charity number 1127954

www.projectmosaic.net

 

Project Mosaic Young Filmmakers YouTube Competition is launched!

We are delighted to announce the launch of the 

Project Mosaic Young Filmmakers YouTube Competition!

 

Are you a budding filmmaker?

Do you want people to hear your voice and see your film?

 
 

What kind of film can I enter?

You will need to make a 2-minute film about the importance of tolerance, diversity & British values in helping to counter prejudice and extremism.

 

Who’s Eligible to Join?

You have to be 16-25, a British national living in the UK or a resident of the UK.

 

What are the Key Dates?

Entries must be posted on YouTube between November 22, 2010 and January 21, 2011. Film judging ends April 22, 2011. The winner will be announced at a London Award Ceremony on June 22, 2011. 

 

How do I join?

First read the details on our website at www.projectmosaic.net/youtubecompetition. 

Then make your film and upload it to www.youtube.com and finally tell us about it by completing an online Entry Form at www.projectmosaic.net/youtubecompetition

 

Who are we?

Project Mosaic (www.projectmosaic.net) is a UK-based charity that teaches people to be tolerant of those coming from a different background. We promote interfaith and intercultural tolerance, multiethnic good citizenship and integration of immigrant communities, and we combat prejudice, group hatred and extremism. Project Mosaic was set up in 2008 in memory of David Fontana, one of the 343 firefighters that died on September 11, 2001 while helping to rescue people from the World Trade Towers in New York.

 

Thank you!

 

Update from Project Mosaic

A warm hello to all our supporters. We’ve been busy at Project Mosaic (www.projectmosaic.net) pursuing our goals of teaching people to be more tolerant of those from different backgrounds. I’d like to share with you news of our latest initiatives:

YOUNG FILMMAKER YOUTUBE COMPETITION

Project Mosaic is shortly to launch a competition for young filmmakers on YouTube, called “We are Britain". We are creating a space for young people to express their ideas on combating prejudice and building social cohesion in the UK and beyond in our increasingly globalised world. There will be prizes for the best two-minute film posted on YouTube that shows original thinking about the importance of tolerance and celebrating diversity. The competition is open to British nationals and UK residents aged 16 to 25. Technical expertise is not required and films made on a mobile phone are welcomed. We'd love it if you would spread the word and forward this mail to any eligible young person with something interesting to say. For information on how to enter a film, please email [email protected].

 

PROJECT MOSAIC'S DEBUT ON YOUTUBE

Project Mosaic recently made its own debut on YouTube with the first of our Global Citizen interviews. Since 2009 we have introduced "Global Citizens" into schools and youth clubs in London to share with young people their experiences of making successful integrated lives in Britain. More than a dozen of these talks and interviews have been filmed, with help from Westminster Council funding and a Grassroots Grant from the Capital Community Foundation. The speakers, from immigrant and other international backgrounds, have offered young people from disadvantaged communities practical advice about job hunting, continuing education and setting up in business. Their stories have been inspiring on the importance of tolerance, helping create positive social change and the need to combat group hatred. The Global Citizen talks empower young people and help them to realise their potential by providing tools to create supportive networks, build confidence and develop a fulfilling career.

Our warmest thanks go to our speakers and interviewees, including Ahmed Abd-Elghany, David Allen, Shola Coker, Dr Surinder Hundal, Esther Hyman, Carol Isaacs, La-Fleur Jack, Sheida Jaffer, Seja Majeed, Farah Mihlar, Hassan Serdoud and Aseem Sheikh. Excerpts from several of these talks and interviews can be found at www.YouTube.com, where you should search under “projectmosaicnew”. Or copy and paste into your browser the link here below:

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=PROJECTMOSAICNET&aq=f

To see the full-length interviews, copy the links below into your browser:

 

Dr Surinder Hundal

http://sproutvideo.com/videos/d498d2bb1417e2c55c

 

Esther Hyman

http://sproutvideo.com/videos/4c98d2bb1411e4c3c4

 

Carol Isaacs

http://sproutvideo.com/videos/4898d2bb1411e6c4c0

 

Sheida Jaffer

http://sproutvideo.com/videos/d498d2bb1417e1c65c

 

Seja Majeed

http://sproutvideo.com/videos/1c98d2bb1416e1cd94

 

Farah Mihlar

http://sproutvideo.com/videos/e898d2bb1411e6cc60

 

Aseem Sheikh

http://sproutvideo.com/videos/a098d2bb1416e1c628

 

*      *      *

We recently celebrated Project Mosaic’s second anniversary. With amazing support from individuals like you, in this very short time we’ve brought together many people from across a spectrum of backgrounds and persuasions. At any single gathering you would have seen individuals who might never have found themselves together in the same room. We have listened to challenging speakers, discussed hot topics and tasted cultural experiences that crossed boundaries of their own. Let me tell you a bit more about some of our activities.

 

BOLLYWOOD BASH WITH PAKISTANI PIZZAZZ

In July 2010 we hosted a riveting evening of Indian Classical Dance, Punjabi Bhangra and Bollywood hip   hop by Maria Khan & Co. This fundraiser, dubbed "Bollywood Bash with Pakistani Pizzazz”, held at The Gate, Notting Hill, was entirely conceived and organised by young volunteers from the UK, Pakistan,  India, Nepal, Sweden and Poland.  Our thanks to Maria Khan, her dancers, DJs and volunteers who helped raise funds for Project Mosaic.

 

BRIDGING THE ATLANTIC TO CONNECT WITH MUSLIM COMMUNITIES

In June 2010 our first Roundtable Discussion was led by Dr Emile Nakhleh, an expert on Islamist extremism who presented a paper urging grassroots non-profit organisations in North America, Europe, the Middle East and beyond to combat radicalism by connecting with Muslim communities. The 30 participants included businesspeople, students, religious leaders, police, community workers and members of local government. A Christian Palestinian-American, Dr Nakhleh is the author of “A Necessary Engagement: Reinventing America’s Relations with the Muslim World”.This was his second event with us. In November 2009 he gave the inaugural Project Mosaic Lecture to a packed house at the London Marriott. In his talk about “Changing the Conversation Between America and the Muslim World”, he shared his 30 years’ experience travelling around the Arab and Muslim world, and described an important erosion in support amongst young Muslims for Al Qaeda.

 

ISLAM AND FEMINISM

In April 2010 Mona Eltahawy, an award-winning writer on Arab and Muslim issues, gave a thought-provoking Project Mosaic Lecture on “Islam and Feminism” to a full audience in London. Describing herself as a proud liberal Muslim Egyptian feminist, she shared insights on the raging debate within Muslim communities around the world about the role of women and urged recognition and celebration of the huge diversity of views within Islam.

 

JAMMING MUSLIM-JEWISH STYLE

In Dec 2009 Project Mosaic held a “Muslim-Jewish Music Jam” in London. Young Jewish and Muslim British performers explored a repertoire of traditional and original music spanning rap, hip hop, poetry and Klezmer at The Gate bar and restaurant. Our thanks to Poetic Pilgrimage, Kavona, Yalla! and Lines of Faith for an exciting evening that got everyone dancing.

 

BEHIND THE SCENES

• SEHR SARWAR

We are delighted to have Sehr Sarwar on board. She joined Project Mosaic in June 2010 as a part-time project manager to work on our YouTube competition, our Gift Aid programme, forging relationships with individuals and other organisations, and capacity building. Sehr is a dual national British-Pakistani raised in the United Arab Emirates who is completing her undergraduate degree in Middle Eastern Studies at the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS). She previously worked as a TV reporter for a news channel in Dubai. Sehr’s languages are English, Urdu and Arabic.

 

• VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR

Project Mosaic is able to do its work thanks to volunteers who serve as advisers, “Global Citizen” speakers and event organisers. I must give a special mention to Hana Ahmed, a young London resident from Somalia who has put in long hours to help us to organise, publicise and hold several events. To enable more people to get involved at Project Mosaic, we are recruiting a Volunteer Coordinator.

 

•  PROJECT MOSAIC USA

We plan to launch Project Mosaic USA, a non-profit (501(c)3) in New York, that will be a sister organisation to Project Mosaic in the UK. If you know anyone in the New York area that would like to get involved, please ask them to contact us at [email protected].

 

It has been uplifting to make so many connections across communities and to receive warm words of support as I, my fellow trustees and volunteers have grown Project Mosaic these past two years. We are deeply grateful to everyone who has given us encouragement or volunteered their time and expertise in the interest of tolerance. Last, and by no means least, we wish to thank everyone who has helped us with funds. In this uncertain funding climate for voluntary organisations, every donation counts. To help us develop these crucial conversations between people of differing backgrounds and to reach more people, please visit www.projectmosaic.net and click “Make a Donation”. Thank you.

 

With best wishes,

 

Kat Callo

Trustee, Project Mosaic

 

Sehr Sarwar joins Project Mosaic

We are delighted to introduce Sehr Sarwar, who joined Project Mosaic in June 2010 as part-time Project Manager. Sehr is completing her undergraduate degree in Middle Eastern Studies at the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS). A dual national British-Pakistani raised in the United Arab Emirates, Sehr previously worked as a reporter for a television news channel in Dubai. Her languages are English, Urdu and Arabic. At Project Mosaic, Sehr is helping to develop our Global Citizen programme, our Lecture Series and fundraising events, to create relationships with like-minded groups and individuals, and to build organisational capacity at our young charity. We are thrilled to have her on board.

Roundtable Discussion on Bridging the Atlantic Gap to Connect with Muslim Communities

On June 14, 2010 about 30 people held a roundtable discussion at Project Mosaic in London about ways in which grassroots organisations on both sides of the Atlantic can work together to engage Muslim communities at home and abroad.

The discussion was led by Dr Emile Nakhleh, an expert on Islamist radicalism and author of "A Necessary Engagement: Reinventing America's Relations with the Muslim World".

Dr Nakhleh, a Palestinian-American who previously ran the CIA's department on Political Islam, presented at the June 14 gathering a draft paper on "US-EU Partnership and Muslim World Engagement: What Will Transatlantic Cooperation Mean for Engagement", which he wrote for The Chicago Council on Global Affairs.

Those attending the roundtable discussion -- which Project Mosaic held in partnership with the Chicago Council on Global Affairs -- included students, representatives of non-profit organisations, businesspeople, health workers, academics, human rights activists, faith community representatives and members of local government.

The meeting followed the inaugural Project Mosaic Lecture delivered by Dr Nakhleh in London in November 2009 on the subject of "Changing the Conversation between America and the Muslim World".

Copies of his latest paper can be obtained by sending an email to Dr Thomas Wright, Executive Director of Studies at The Chicago Council on Global Affairs, at twright < at > thechicagocouncil.org.