KING TO LAUNCH KL ISLAMIC CITY CELEBRATIONS ON MAY 5

KUALA LUMPUR, April 23 (Bernama) -- The Malaysian King Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin will launch the "Kuala Lumpur, Capital of Islamic Culture 2009" (KLCIC 2009) celebrations at the Islamic Arts Museum on May 5, Information, Communications and Culture Minister Dr Rais Yatim said Wednesday.

He said that as a capital of Islamic culture, Kuala Lumpur bore the
responsibility of carrying out activities of an educational, scientific and
cultural nature based on the guidelines of the Islamic, Educational, Scientific
and Cultural Organisation (ISESCO).

Up to 227 activities related to Islamic arts and culture would be held
throughout this year, he told reporters after officially taking over duties from
former Unity, Culture, Arts and Heritage Minister Mohd Shafie Apdal, here.

These activities included exhibitions, publications of books on heritage
architecture of mosques and surau (small prayer hall), lectures, arts
performances as well as television programmes on Islamic issues, he said.

Kuala Lumpur was chosen as one of four major cities of the world to be
declared the Capital City of Islamic Culture 2009 at the Islamic Conference of
Ministers of Culture 2006 in Libya.

Like Kuala Lumpur, Baku in Azerbaijan was selected as the Capital City of
Islamic Culture for the Asian region while Kairouan in Tunisia was chosen as the
Capital City of Islamic Culture for the Arab region and N'Djamena in Chad as the
Capital City of Islamic Culture for the African region.
-- BERNAMA