SHAH ALAM: For the first time ever, Malaysia will be playing host to one of the largest gatherings of artists from around the globe in celebration of faith-inspired creativity.
The ILM Arts Festival is the world's first such international festival, bringing together an eclectic combination of artistic expressions; graffiti, rap, martial arts, nasyid, Islamic calligraphy, poetry, comedy and even a skateboarding demonstration from professional legendary skateboarder, Jordan Richter on one stage among others.
The one-day only festival will be held at Stadium Malawati on Aug 30. It will feature performances from over 30 artists and personalities from various countries. Among them are National Geographic photographer Peter Sanders, two-time world boxing champion Amir Khan, Hollywood actor and comedian Omar Regan, top graffiti artist Aerosol Ali and world renowned Quran reciter Sheikh Mishary al-Afasy.
The list of performers also includes Malaysian artists such as hip hop singer Altimet, designer and motivational speaker Mizz Nina, nasyid singer Muadz Dzulkefly and beat-boxer Shahzet. Nasyid fans will also be entertained by South African nasyid icon Zain Bikha and Emirati nasyid singer Ahmad Bukhatir.
Ahmad Bukhatir, who is also a senator in the United Arab Emirates, is the only nasyid singer from the UAE to have ever top a Virgin music chart. Spoken word artists Shinji Moriwaki and Muslim Bilal will also be entertaining the crowd with their unique poetry recitation.
Top Muslim speakers Nouman Ali Khan and Syeikh Daood Butt will also be speaking to the crowd in front of an expected 8,000 strong crowd.
“The Muslim world has been facing quite a number of challenges in the recent years, and among them is the negative way Islam has been presented in the mass media, thanks to the actions of a few," said ILM Arts Festival director and organizer, Sajid Hussain.
“We know that art can be used to deal with complicated social issues, and the ILM Arts Festival is one of the best ways for us to show that Islam is a beautiful religion. It is neither too conservative, nor is it too liberal. The Islamic faith is all about peace and harmony, and this event is all about celebrating faith inspired creativity.
He said ILM stands for I Love Malaysia and it coincides with the Merdeka Day celebrations.
The ILM Arts Festival is supported by Astro Oasis, Tourism Malaysia, Harian Metro, Visit Malaysia 2015, Air Asia and IM4U. The festival will be held from 11am to 10am. Tickets for the event are priced at RM55, RM108, RM161, RM257, RM 373 and RM1,062 and can be purchased by logging on to www.ilmartsfestival.com.