The Festival of Muslim Cultures, a national celebration of Muslim cultures held in the United Kingdom, began in January 2006 and ended July 2007. It imitated an earlier event in 1976. From official site;The festival was created out of the need to encourage a better understanding between Muslims and non-Muslims (as a two-way process), to promote respect for Muslim cultures and to demonstrate how culture creates the pathways that connect us all together. Organizers say that festival events were chosen because they represent the best of the Muslim arts world and they "portray diversity and plurality".