(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Cultual figure of the year says Sharjah an icon for Islamic culture
Sharjah: Terrorism in Islamic countries is destroying humanity culture civilisation and future generations. This was stressed by Dr Abdul Aziz bin Othman Al Tuwaijri Director-General of the Islamic Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (ISESCO) in an interview with Khaleej Times. Al Tuwaijri has been selected by His Highness Dr Shaikh Sultan bin Mohammad Al Qasimi Member of Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah as the cultural personality of the year.
Strongly condemning such activities that are against humanity and Islamic morals he said Islam is religion of tolerance and peace and any act of aggression on people their freedom and dignity is a gross violation of its basic principles. The world must know that Islam is a religion of peace mercy goodness; it is a religion of justice and guidance and forbids all forms of violence he said.
The current state of destruction in the Arab world must be replaced by spreading the teachings of Islam and youths must focus on learning and knowledge rather than getting involved in terrorist activities.
Talking about the emirate of Sharjah selected as the Islamic Culture Capital of the Arab Region for 2014 as part of the Islamic Culture Capital programme which is sponsored and supervised by ISESCO he said that Sharjah is an icon for Islamic culture. It’s the city that has succeeded in creating cultural identity that harmonises between its Islamic roots and historical heritage and between contemporaneity and openness to the many cultures.
He hailed the efforts of Dr Shaikh Sultan for enriching the cultural heritage and adding more to Islamic civilisation.
Commenting on the 33rd edition of the Sharjah International Book Fair Al Tuwaijri said that its a kind of festival that serves as a platform for spreading Arab and Islamic culture and exchanging knowledge with the world. He encouraged Arab and Muslim writers to contribute towards spreading Islamic and Arab culture and heritage in addition to literature and knowledge.
Sharjah book fair stands as a light house of knowledge that will help in achieving development social prosperity and economic progress.
He also expressed his concerns about the deterioration of reading levels in the Muslim world explaining that the reasons behind refraining from reading is mostly political and economic in some of the countries.
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