HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Ruler of Dubai, will be awarded with the 'Personality of the Year' Award at Al Mahabbah Awards 2008 for his plans to build a museum for the Prophet Mohammed in Dubai.
Announced in March 2008, the museum will be dedicated to the life and message of the Prophet who, for Muslims, is the last Messenger of God. The project aims to shed light on the life and legacy of the Prophet for the world's 1.3 billion Muslims through a series of stages.
The museum, implemented by the recently established Dubai Authority for Culture and Arts headed by its Chairman, HE Sheikh Mayed bin Mohammed bin Rashed Al Maktoum and founded by HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashed Al Maktoum, will be the first of its kind in the world.
The museum will chronicle the life of the Prophet beginning from the pre-Islamic era up until his death. The museum is to be designed in such a way that visitors will move through it learning about the different milestones in his life from his birth to his marriage to Khadija, to his revelations of the Quran and prophecy and onto the first Hijrah from Mecca to Medina, and the conquest of Mecca, ending with the farewell pilgrimage and his death.
There will also be a wing within the museum with sections explaining the Muslim pilgrimages of the Hajj and Umrah the pillars of Islam for visitors to truly understand the message of love and peace the Prophet stood for.
Chairman Sheikh Mayed bin Mohammed quoted: "The project clearly indicates that Dubai is keen on playing its role not only as a bridge between the East and the West, but also between the Islamic world and the rest of the word." (WAM Emirates News Agency).
Last year, Foreign Minister of the UAE, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan took the 'Personality of the Year' award for his establishment of the Al Burda Awards, an competition for Arabic Poetry and arts that praise the Prophet Mohammed, held every year at the National Theatre in Abu Dhabi.
The Personality of the Year award is handed out to an individual or organization that has gone to exceptional lengths to establish something stemming from their love of the Prophet Mohammed. HE Sheikh Mohammed will receive the award at the closing ceremony of Al Mahabbah Awards at 7:30 pm on April 26 at Al Raha Beach Theatre.
Al Mahabbah Awards were established to encourage and evaluate artistic expressions of emotions for the Prophet and present these works to the public in an annual award show. This year, over 200 artistic pieces were evaluated in nine categories and were narrowed down to a select few whose works are being evaluated by a seven member jury composed of international specialists in the areas of literature and the arts.
The three day festival to be held from April 24 to 26 will feature a series of concert and conferences with performances by Muslim artists and renowned speakers from around the world and will culminate with the closing ceremony where the winners of the awards will be announced. Attendance for all events during the festival are free for all, for more details contact Hana Al-Hirsi.
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Hana Al-Hirsi
Head of International Press & Publicity
Pyramedia FZ-LLC
Mobile: +971508187518
Fax: +97126211463
Email: hana.alhirsi@pyramedia.biz
Website: www.pyramedia.biz
© Press Release 2008
