Islamic Art; Faith & Politics; Favourite Carols

Islam has given the world some exquisite and spectacularly beautiful art. Now, modern Islamic Art is being celebrated at Bayt Al Fann, a two-day international digital festival on 28-29 November. The event will showcase contemporary artists from across the world, who have been inspired by the Islamic tradition. It will also explore how Islamic art might evolve in the future. William Crawley meets two of the artists, British-Bahraini poet Taher Adel, who is a spoken word performer and Samira Mian who uses watercolours to paint sacred Islamic geometry. There are more details about the Bayt Al Fann website at https://www.baytalfann.com/

Can faith and politics really mix? William speaks to Tim Farron, the former Leader of the Liberal Democrat Party and sitting MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale about his new book ‘A Mucky Business’ Why Christians Should Get Involved in Politics.

What is your favourite Christmas carol, and why do you love it so much? During Advent, we are teaming up with the BBC Radio 3 Saturday Breakfast team to celebrate some of the nation's most popular carols. Today, presenter Elizabeth Alker meets composer and conductor John Rutter, to discuss Once In Royal David's City. Email us and tell us about your favourite carol and why it's important to you: [email protected]

Producers: Jonathan Hallewell and Louise Clark-Rowbotham Presenter: William Crawley

(Image courtesy of Samira Mian)