as-salaam-a visual arts peace project

It all started on 18th June 2005. I remember the day because it started with a fiasco. I was on my way to London to interview someone. The clip mic I had didnt have a clip ! and thats besides the fact that the camera man I had didnt know how to use a camera ! he lived in Coventry but didnt know the entrance of Coventry coach station, he lived in England but had never travelled in a London Tube and I had to teach him how to insert a ticket...I had to find a clip. Sitting next to me on the coach was a British Muslim girl with a beautiful clip on her Hijab. I wondered if it would work on the clip mic ! So I asked her if she had a spare one, she didnt but we ended up working on the As-salaam project. As for the clip, I spent £6 to buy a set of clips from the Victoria station, which I didnt even need after the interview.

Uzma is British Pakistani and runs a youth club for young British Muslim girls in Coventry which didnt have any provision for the arts. As-salaam was an initiative conceived and implemented just after the London Bombings on July 7th 2005. The project hoped to initiate an inter-cultural dialogue between the strained British Muslim and British Non-Muslim communities and make a small contribution towards understanding the perceptions of Islam, especially as a peaceful religion, among its young believers. It aimed to use visual arts as a means of expression, allowing young people to explore their notions of peace and share it with the wider community.

The project was a lot more than just creating artworks. It was about a Hindu from India seeking trust from Muslims with roots in Pakistan, it was about learning the language of young British Pakistani girls aged 8-15years, it was about making sure my cleavage is not exposed when all the girls are wrapped up from top to bottom, it was about breaking barriers and bridging cultures. The one fence I couldn't break was the one set up by the parents and possibly you can't gain their trust no matter what, unless you are in a hijab too. We all went through hard work, anguish, transformation and lots of fun- they did all kinds of naughty things to me and I learnt to speak their language.

As for what peace meant to them- it's a lot more than what people think it is, its about dairly milk chocolates, Barbie dolls, Barbie cars and a lot more...
For more information on the project, please visit:
www.assalaam.co.uk

Aug 2007: As-salaam art works are exhibited at International Society for Education through Art -InSEA Asia Regional Congress, Seoul, that aims to profile arts learning and artworks made by people of all ages from different continents.

Dec 2006: As-salaam project artworks become part of BBC Divine Art project - Be Inspired by Divine Art, that is appearing across the BBC-on Where I Live websites, BBC local Radio, the Heaven and Earth show and programming on Radio 4 and Radio 2's Sunday programme.

Nov 2006 : As-salaam project becomes part of Coventry Peace Month 2006 that highlights the city's reputation for peace and reconciliation and encourages events that showcase the cultural diversity of Coventry and positive relationships between communities. The Lord Mayor of Coventry launches the As-salaam website at the Herbert Art Gallery, incidentally, he is Britain's first British Pakistani Mayor.