Stars shine at Sharjah Ramadan Majlis

Sharjah’s Islamic values and spirit of tolerance were lauded by Arabic singers and theatre personalities at a Ramadan majlis on Wednesday night.

Artist Khalid Al Sheikh during the session. -Supplied photo

The Sharjah Media Centre’s Ramadan Majlis hosted a group of stars from the epic Clusters of Light — a theatrical blockbuster which marked Sharjah’s inauguration as Islamic Culture Capital 2014. Shaikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi, chairman of the Sharjah Media Centre, and a large crowd of different nationalities attended the event.

The session included artists Khalid Al Sheikh, Lotfi Bouchnak, Ali Al Hajjar and director Ahmed Munjid Al Sharif, and was moderated by Prof Dr Nadin Al Assaad.

Shaikh Sultan said Clusters of Light was a gift by Sharjah to the world to make people aware of the noble values of Islam. He said the epic theatre production made a breakthrough in theatrical shows due to the combination of the state-of-the-art technology used.

Efforts are being made to schedule more shows in Al Majaz Amphitheatre and in Arab and foreign countries.

The session was attended by Osama Samra, director of Sharjah Media Centre; Khalifa Al Shaibani, general manager of ‘Wekaya’; Hisham Al Madhloum, director of Art Directorate at the Department of Culture and Information in Sharjah; Dr Perwin Habib, poet and presenter with Dubai TV; Dr Jasim Khalfan, a national activist, and prominent figures from cultural, artistic, and media circles.

Osama Samra, head of the Media Committee of Sharjah Islamic Culture Capital Celebrations 2014, said the production saw a great deal of pressure and tension due to time constraints. The team was coordinating the building of Al Majaz Amphitheatre, composition of the work, rehearsals and related tasks in just four months. Yet, they were happy and proud of the work they were doing to highlight the true picture of Islam and underline the role played by Sharjah in promoting peace and love among people.

Dr Nadin Al Assaad said Sharjah was the region’s destination of choice for cultural activities.

Singer Lotfi Bouchnak described his feelings when he received the offer to participate in Clusters of Light, saying that from the instant he read the script he found himself involved in every single scene and moment. He added that he never accepted any work that did not add value to his career and that he took part in Clusters of Light because he was sure the show would remain in memory forever.

Bouchnak clarified that Clusters of Light is a highly valuable production as it provides a true picture of Islam and promotes the Islamic message of tolerance, love, and peace in a war-torn world. He added that works such as it are extremely important in recent days to dispel the myths and misconceptions about Islam in the West and to highlight the Islamic values of acceptance of others, coexistence, respect, justice, and benevolence.

Composer Khalid Al Sheikh recalled the first moments he received the script via e-mail. He did not understand the complicated idea at first, so he decided to travel to Sharjah to meet the team.

Al Sheikh praised the support of His Highness Dr Shaikh Sultan bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, who met the team and visited them during the final rehearsals before the premiere of Clusters of Light.

He said Shaikh Sultan’s directive to present an unprecedented show that propaagtes the true picture of Islam was a challenge for all members of the team to live responsibly and produce an epic from Sharjah to 1.5 billion Muslims across the world.

Singer Ali Al Hajjar revealed some impressions of non-Muslim actors and actresses behind the scene, saying that many of them cried during rehearsals as they were deeply impressed by the Islamic human values, which were new to them.

Al Hajjar presented the artistic lessons learnt from the work, saying Clusters of Light proved that beautiful compositions are able to inspire people and make differences.

He added that the work was like an opera because there were more songs and music in the show than dialogues.

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