this resulted in prophet muhammad's suggestion to muslims to leave mecca and seek protection in abisina. according to historians, najashi, the king of abisina, welcomed the muslim refugees from mecca into his kingdom. the muslim migrants in ethiopia built the first mosque in africa known as the al-najashi mosk in the 7th century. najash is considered to be the earliest muslim settlement in africa. rifai, a former secretary general of the united nations world tourism organization, says this mosque in ethiopia is part of the history of the advent of islam. these are the beginnings of the story of islam that spread to the entire world, but it's also important for all faiths of all people from all over the world. this is a lesson in tolerance and understanding and compassion. it's a lesson that we should learn from today, people receiving people that are in need, help. them, supporting them and making them move forward. now in the first part of our program, we shall focus on the impact of islam on the culture and art of the people of eastern africa. to discuss this, we have contacted profes