(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) His Highness Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, said it is important for Arab countries to exclude culture from politics and focus on human development. He was speaking at a session on 'Culture and Development', organised as part of the 36th Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF).
Sheikh Sultan said he is an advocate of culture and knowledge and not one among the politicians. "The cultural project of Sharjah focuses on human development - that helps increase scientific and intellectual perceptions of human beings. The success of Sharjah in the field of culture and knowledge is due to multiple factors, most important of which is the existence of the appropriate fertile environment for this project.
Sheikh Sultan explained that the Sharjah Cultural Project aims at uniting the Arab world away from political matters. "Sharjah had initiated cultural festivals and established Arab poetry houses in all Arab countries to enhance the status of Arabic poetry."
He called for concerted efforts by individuals and institutions to work for serving the Arab and Islamic communities in all fields.
Speaking at the session, Dr Mohammed Sabbir Arab, former Egyptian Minister of Culture, who was selected as the Cultural Personality of the Year at this year's SIBF, defined culture and development as positive lifestyles. Dr Arab stressed on the importance of culture in the process of development in various fields, as countries that are interested in culture are able to keep pace with development and progress and serve the community.
Dr Arab referred to the burning of the scientific complex in Cairo, saying that it has left impact not only on the culture of Egypt, but also the Arab World, as it contained numerous scientific and cultural treasures in various fields of science. "Culture is a safety valve to defeat hatred and extremism. Having culture and arts as part of the curriculum will help in enhancing positivity and letting go of extremist ideologies."
The discussion panel also included Dr Mustafa El-Feki, director of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, and Hassan Yaqub Al Mansouri, acting secretary-general of the Sharjah Media Council. Dr El-Feki defined development as the mobilisation of natural and human resources to improve the economy of countries and increase national income.
"The fundamentals of sound development are based on several elements - imagination, outlook and a comprehensive vision - that need to have a right balance. It is not enough to develop the economic aspect and ignore all other aspects of progress. Countries, which had put their interest in developing economy neglecting human factors, had huge failures."
El-Feki hailed the efforts made by Sheikh Sultan to spread enlightened thinking and culture in young people in accordance with the teachings of Islamic tolerance. "What we see in Sharjah today is the outcome of such efforts. We must return to the true roots of Arab culture with proper understanding," he said.
Afkar Abdullah
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