New forum for Islamic art launches at House of Lords to celebrate 'shared human journey'

Professor Farrokh Derakhshani, the chair of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture, gave a speech at the launch event of a new organisation aimed at promoting Islamic Arts. He challenged guests to consider what makes art "Islamic" or not. More than a hundred people packed into a room in the House of Lords in Westminster to mark the opening of the Forum for Islamic Art, Architecture & Cultural Heritage, spearheaded by Baroness Nosheena Mobarik, a prominent Conservative peer. Mobarik said that the forum will hold a year-long series of seminars and other events designed to encourage politicians and the public at large explore Islam's artistic and architectural heritage.