LONDON – The UK’s first festival celebrating Muslim culture, literature, and ideas is coming to the British Library in London in April, to challenge stereotypes and correct misconceptions about Islam.

“We are delighted to launch a festival of books and ideas that recognize the diversity, differences, and dynamics of Muslim cultures and lives,” MFest Director Tufyal Choudhury told The National Friday.

“MFest challenges a fundamental feature of Islamophobia, which sees Islam and Muslims as a monolithic, static block.”

The event, planned to be held in April, will invite both Muslims and non-Muslims to explore the Muslim culture through talks, poetry readings, workshops, and family events.

The three-day event, which is sponsored by the Aziz Foundation and DeepMind, will also hold a panel discussion investigating “Sheikh Google” (the practice of studying Islam online) and how knowledge of Islam is shaped by algorithms.

Speakers include award-winning authors Elif Shafak and Kamila Shamsie, Akram Khan and literary podcast group Mostly Lit.

The festival aims to disrupt the traditional narrative by showing the ethnic and cultural diversity of Muslims from numerous different backgrounds at a non denominational venue.