Culture & Education | Tuesday 21 June, 2016 1:59 pm |

 Distinguished UAE scholars, intellectuals and senior government figures have expressed grave concern over the crisis of knowledge facing the UAE and Arab world and called for greater efforts and public-private participation to make the UAE a true knowledge society in line with the 2016 Year of Reading campaign and Islamic teachings.

This came in the final session of the Sharjah Ramadan Majlis last night (Monday) hosted by Sharjah Media Centre at Al Majaz Amphitheatre in Sharjah.  Titled Building Knowledge Society in the UAE Dialogue…Reading is the Means, the session highlighted the importance of knowledge and culture of reading in Islam and why reading is essential to building an informed and empowered society. 

Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi, Chairman of Sharjah Media Centre, and a number of senior government figures, intellectuals and media figures attended the final session of popular Sharjah Ramadan Majlis.

Eminent Islamic scholar Sheikh Dr Aziz bin Farhan Al Anzi, Director of Religious Call and Guidance Centre, Dubai, opened the discussion with the argument that the pursuit of knowledge, both religious and secular, is in keeping with the great Islamic traditions celebrating knowledge and the pursuit of knowledge.  He pointed out that the very first verse of the Holy Quran, “Iqra bismi rabbika…” (Read in the name of your Lord…) calls on people to read so that they know and think. 

Dr Al Anzi said that the Islamic faith is based entirely on knowledge, including modern sciences, reading and writing, and this is supported by the core Islamic teachings, including Quran and Hadith (the Prophet’s teachings). He cited the historical example of non-Muslim prisoners being granted freedom by the Prophet after the Battle of Uhud on the condition they taught at least one Muslim reading and writing.  

Pointing out that early Muslims pursued and disseminated a wide spectrum of knowledge including sciences, medicine, mathematics and astronomy, he called for contemporary Muslim societies to revive this illustrious history and rediscover the love of knowledge. 

Underscoring that acquiring knowledge, both Islamic and modern, is mandatory in Islam, he said that only with knowledge can one get closer to God and distinguish right from wrong. Knowledge is forever, he asserted, urging greater efforts to encourage young generations of Emiratis to read more every day within the confines of their homes and libraries. 

Sheikh Dr Ahmed bin Abdul Aziz Al Haddad, Grand Mufti and Head of the Fatwa Department at the Dubai Fatwa Centre of Islamic Affairs and Charity Department, agreed with Dr Al Anzi, saying the pursuit of knowledge is part of Sharia.

He said that the whole world is experiencing a crisis in both positive and negative reading. As a result, selective reading has become commonplace and it has led to some people attacking us with their ignorance. “These people choose texts that are in tune with their own narrow vision of the world. Negative reading breeds suspicion, mistrust and atheism, while positive reading, which Quran and Sunnah suggest, is achieved by considering three factors – the book itself, its writer and the fact that what we read is in harmony with reality,” he said.

Dr Al Haddad lamented that Muslims are now a non-reading people although reading is must and knowledge is celebrated in Islam, pointing out that scientific texts written by early Muslims and Arabs are still read and prized in Europe. 

However, he said: “We must read all kinds of books, but we need to balance this knowledge with our faith. We need to study both Islamic knowledge and applied and experimental sciences. We must read, but we must use our mind as a filer that eliminates unhealthy, poisonous influences.”

Dr Al Haddad called for critical reading which requires deep thinking and understanding. “We also need to monitor our children and youth, what they are reading and how they are reading,” he added.  

Arguing that Islam is closely associated with the Arabic language, he said: “Our neglect of Arabic language has been our immense loss and defeat.” He lauded His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Vice President and Prime Minister, for launching the campaign to read in Arabic across the country as part of the Reading Nation drive.  He also praised His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohamed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, for his historical efforts to promote knowledge and learning in the Emirate.        

Dr Sajed Al Abdali, doctor, columnist and community activist, said that thanks to technology, knowledge is readily available everywhere.  Using their smartphones and tablets, people can so easily read and access all sorts of information and knowledge. Yet book in its original paper form remains the most powerful medium and vehicle of knowledge.  Nothing compares with the experience of reading a real book.  Lamenting the culture of critical reading in the Arab world, he called for inculcating the habit of critical reading in children from an early age.  Just as a computer comes with good software and viruses, books also can be good and bad and we need to train our children to distinguish between good and bad knowledge.  He said not teaching children to critically read is a crime against the young.

Dr Khalifa Ali Al Suwaidi, faculty member at the UAE University, also expressed concern over the state of Arabic language, saying it is not just a language but our way of thinking and culture. The standard of Arabic language has been fast deteriorating across the region because we are teaching most of our subjects in foreign languages, he said.  “If we are truly proud of our language, we must do everything to protect it,” he asserted, saying the best way to promote the Arabic language is to promote its reading and writing. 

Jamal Al Shehhi, founder of Kuttub Publishing and Executive Director of the Arab Child programme at Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation, said any content must have artistic value and talked about the serious crisis publishers of Arabic books are facing in the country, with few publishers interested in experimenting with new writers.  As a result today, there are not many Arabic books available, he added. Talking about children’s books, he said young children need constant guidance and supervision from their parents. 

The final session of Ramadan Majlis was moderated by Dr Sulaiman Al Hattlan, CEO of Hattlan Media, who emphasised a direct correlation between reading and knowledge. Headlined “In the Culture of Dialogue”, the SMC Ramadan Majlis series has been immensely popular and was highly interactive and intellectually stimulating. The pioneering initiative by Sharjah Media Centre is aimed at raising and discussing a range of issues before the community, with the help of distinguished experts, innovators, intellectuals, writers and artists from across the Arab world.