A Muslim celebration of music and dance in the Sufi tradition is set to become a permanent feature on Bradford’s cultural calendar.
Saif-ul-Maluk is an allegorical book of poetry from one of the best-loved sufi saints – Mian Mohammad Bakhsh.
This year the third Saif-ul-Maluk Festival is all set to take place at the beautiful Alhambra theatre over two days, and will feature a music concert boasting hugely popular A-list artists from the Indo-Pak subcontinent.
Organiser Zaffar Tanweer hopes to make the Saif-ul-Maluk conference and festival an indelible feature of Bradford’s cultural calendar, a city which has been a strong contender for capital of culture, and is home to one of the most diverse populations anywhere in the country.
“We would like Bradfordians to embrace this event of love peace and respect for all faiths colours and creeds as taught by the great Sufi thinkers of the world,” he said.
“Mian Mohammad Baksh who wrote the poetry more than a century ago is a highly respected thinker and an equally loved poet among Bradford’s Asian communities. His message of love for all has never been needed as much as it is in today’s world.”
The festival will comprise of two sessions of discussion and music, and will feature prominent scholars, world famous singers Hans Raj Hans and Ustad Rafaqat Ali Khan, and will introduce new, home-grown talent.
