United Nations Alliance of Civilizations Fellowship Selection

 

I have been given the privledge of being part of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations Fellowship. Myself, along with 12 other emerging leaders, are traveling to the Midd East in April to work meet with government officials and civil society members, in order to learn more about how to improve East-West relations and cultural exchange. Countries currently visiting include: Morocco, Jordan, Saudi Arabia Click here for info:

 

 

 

Presentation to Philanthropy NY for Kashmir Valley Network

This Saturday, March 3rd, I will be speaking on a panel about LC Arts and the arts diplaomcy workshops I led for youth in Kashmir in 2011. There will be some amazing speakers sharing their projects and ideas related to the arts, philanthropy and development in Kashmir. I am looking to expand this project for youth in other regions, so I hope to meet some potential partners and donors to keep the momentum going.

Info on the panel and the workshops is here:

http://www.ettend.com/id=2131

Thanks to the Kashmir Valley Network for inviting me to present about LC Arts in Kashmir.

KASHMIR VALLEY NETWORK: http://www.kashmirvalleynetwork.org/

Location:

Philanthropy New York
75 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY

See you there!

A Tweet From Civilization to Civil-Violation

Please see the link for my latest article for the Huffington Post on the recent Kashgari-Twitter controversy in Saudi Arabia. I post it here because this site is about arts diplomacy and the importance of freedom of expression and a free space for creative expression and spiritual discovery and youth empowerment in the Muslim World.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mohsin-mohiud-din/hamza-kashgari_b_1282366.html

excerpt: “The Muslim majority, and its youth in particular, are thus being suffocated in the space between the civilization that made us and the civil-violations that have been imposed on us by failed political leadership and state co-opted religious authorities. The result is that the world watching Islam from the outside-in risks manufacturing a fiction. And those struggling for definition within, risk eventually becoming it. Saudi Arabia is the reason why separation of religion and state is falsely cited by many ‘Islamophobes’ in the West as reason why ‘Islam is incompatible with democracy.”–Mohsin Mohi Ud Din

Best wishes,

–

Kids’ Messages from Kashmir and Morocco

These kids were always brilliant, and it was this arts diplomacy project that gave them a little push to begin opening some new frontiers. I am in awe of these children and their efforts to do good in this world, a world that in many ways has exploited them.  As of late, I have received messages from some of the orphans and street kids in Kashmir, India as well as Kenitra, Morocco. Thought I’d share some:

FROM KASHMIR: CHINAR ORG

“Hello Sir,

I’m Pratik Tandon. I’m interning with CHINAR kashmir. I’ve heard alot about you from the kids here. They really miss you and I can make out they had indeed spent some memorable time with you. Yesterday, they had asked me write a mail to you. They gave me a letter for you and here it goes-

Deal Mohsin Bhaya,

Aslalam Alaikum, we are kids of CHINAR. How are you?Last time we requested you talk to us online but you only sent an e-mail. Again, we are asking you about online talking. Please return in summer. We still remember your every teaching and especially your great advices. “MAKE MISTAKES..ETC”. Noor Jahan saw you in her dream that you were again teaching us.She now wants you to realise this dream.

Rubeena: I have met many foreigners but you were the best!I will never forget you.

Nusrat:I miss you very much.

Jabeena:You all great guys. I miss you.

Zubaida: Please……..come again.

Bisma:I miss you so much.

Ishrat:I hope you will come again…….in 2012. We have all passed our previous classes.

Uzma:Thanks a lot for giving us precious gift of knowledge. You encouraged us to be brave. I still remember when we lost game with boys and were sobbing but you were the one who encouraged us, I love you all.

We all miss you very very……much. You all are great people and will always remain in our hearts.

PLEASE COME AGAIN.”

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MESSAGE FROM MOROCCO: Dar Lekbira Association

“good mornings mohsin im hanaa your my brather im from dar lekbira moroco kenitra. ok antadiro itisalek halian ok bay mohsin is 12ou cklook ok my brather my favourite sebgect is english and art and chante and dance and plage and teater my favourite sport is basketball and football im in class is 9 im16yers old i miiiisss youu ok by”

from Hanaa

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News Reel: Work w. Children of CHINAR, Kashmir

Thanks to Sana Beg and Mir Ubaid for their reporting and support.

Love and light to the brilliant children of CHINAR. Support CHINAR orphanage here: www.chinar.org

Presentaion @ Asia Society

Asia Society article on my presentation and video of my presentation about Lollipops Crown at the Asia Society: http://asiasociety.org/blog/asia/mohsin-din-kids-kashmir-and-controlled-chaos

 

Last night I was invited by the Asia Society to participate in a fantastic panel of cultural ambassadors, international journalists and activists. I discussed developments in the Muslim World and I also spoke about the Lollipops Crown project and showed video clips of the children in action during the workshops. Thanks to the accomplished panelists for allowing me the opportunity to speak and show videos of Lollipops Crown in Kashmir and thanks to the wonderful Asia Society for being so supportive of the work. This panel is part of the Creative Voices in Islam in Asia program of the Asia Society. Take aways form the panel: ‘music is homeless’ Nusrat (MTV Iggy) ; cultural forms of expression are equally important as political developments-Zeyba (Cultural Ambassador) ; and author of Rock the Casbah, Robin Wright–the counter jihad will define the next generation. Watch the video from the link above to hear the amazing programs being done for cultural exchange and see videos from each of the panelists.

Social Media, Arts and Change in the Muslim World | Asia Society

Social Media, Arts and Change in the Muslim World | Asia Society.

I’ve been invited by the Asia Society to speak on a diverse panel featuring journalist Robin Wright (Rock the Cashbah: Rage and Rebellion Across the Islamic World),  poet and journalist Eliza Griswold (The Tenth Parallel), and cultural ambassador Zeyba Rahman. It is an honor to be asked to participate with such esteemed activists and thinkers and I look forward to discussing recent socio-economic developments in the Muslim world and the so called ‘counter jihad’ that may define the next decade through the arts and alternative forms of self expression.

The event is October 17th at the Asia Society in NYC

M