Blog Archives

After 500 years…

After almost 500 of Muslims’ violent and bloody exile from Spain , a brave son of Islam paved the way for the construction of a Masjid in the same memorable land. But his ways were not violent. Nor did he spill any blood. No crusade. No terrorism… but through his unique ways of cultural revolution. In the inaugural address, he said that the mosque could serve as an example to all, so that when the muezzin made the call to prayer his chant would “resound like a call to brotherhood.” … and happened to the the Cultural Architect of Arabia. [Jaihoon]

Mosque ‘will serve to strengthen brotherhood’
Granada |WAM | 12-07-2003, Gulf News.com

His Highness Dr. Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, inaugurated here yesterday the grand mosque complex in a memorable ceremony attended by a number of dignitaries, including the chief of Andalusia province, heads of diplomatic missions of Arab and Islamic countries in Spain, directors of cultural centers, university professors, imams and Muslim scholars.

In an inaugural address, Dr Sheikh Sultan said that the mosque could serve as an example to all, so that when the muezzin made the call to prayer his chant would “resound like a call to brotherhood.”

In a speech read in Spanish by his son Sheikh Khaled bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Dr Sheikh Sultan noted the lasting visible traces of Arab culture in Granada, the seat of the Muslim kingdom in Andalusia for eight centuries.

He praised the richness of its culture, customs, monuments and language. “in the character and blood of the Andalusians there is a part of ourselves,” he said

French honour for Sharjah Ruler, Paris |WAM | 23-07-2003

The French government yesterday conferred on His Highness Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, the Republican Order in Art and Humanity, of the class of a knight.

The honour was in recognition of his significant contributions in the academic, scientific, cultural and arts fields. It is also for his unstinting support to programmes on dialogue, intellect, civilisational interactions and the exchange of art among the peoples of the east and west.

In a colourful ceremony, the French Minister of Culture and Communications, Jean-Jacques Aillagon, decorated Sheikh Sultan on behalf of President Jacques Chirac amidst great applause and admiration.

Sheikh Sultan, who expressed profound gratitude for the honour, said in his statement of appreciation, that France had played a pioneering role in civilisational interactions among the civilisations of the world.

He pointed out that France’s contributions in the areas of culture, translation, art and the spreading of the true meaning of freedom and justice, cannot be overemphasised, citing numerous examples on the contributions made by France in the Arab world’s culture and art from 1715 to 1905.

Earlier in his keynote address, the French minister, who conveyed to Sheikh Sultan the greetings and appreciation of the French government and people, said that Sheikh Sultan’s hard and selfless work was the secret behind the development of his emirate intellectually and technically, adding that by his relentless efforts, Sharjah had become the hub of art creativity and the abode of art due to the emirate’s extraordinary cultural structures, as it boasts about 20 museums, in addition to a big cultural centre, which regularly hosts various cultural activities, including French cultural activities.

“Your high sense of feeling, quality taste and intellectual nature, coupled with your personal commitment, have made you a real protector of art, highly committed to the protection of heritage and a big booster for modern art creativity,” he said.

He said: “For Unesco to choose Sharjah as the 1998 Cultural Capital of the Arab World, is greatly justified,” adding “you have made Sharjah a minaret of culture, which sheds light on the whole of the Gulf region.”

The French minister said France acknowledged the value and importance of Islamic art. “That is why we strive hard to support it,” he said.

He concluded his address by paying tribute to Sheikh Sultan and his wife, Shaikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi for their great contributions in support of handicapped persons and in boosting the role of women in the Arab societies.

One day AUS was the dream of one person. Today you have made that dream a reality. It is the victory of one man’s vision. He (Dr. Sheikh Sultan) freely gave us his vision. And today his victory is our own.

The Arab world is on a threshold of information explosion, like the rest of the Asian countries. They are experimenting with new ways to bring back the days of past glory.

The memories of Cordoba are fresh in the minds of modern Muslim. Many attempts are being made to rejuvenate the broken spirits so that a new generation is brought up to face the modern challenges. But very often, this task has brought about unnecessary bloodshed among many nations. Cultural revivalism is becoming a nightmare for many.

But the world saw a different kind of revival when the Vice Chancellor of Cambridge university spoke at the graduation ceremony of the American University of Sharjah. History was made when the British Vice Chancellor described, on the sands of Sharjah, the legacy of Arabian learning.

“It was the Spanish Muslims who first thought about the concept of university. Cordoba University was the result of such thought. Today’s universities are following the example of Cordoba. The first model of Cordoba was set up in France. Such institutions spread across Europe.” – Dr. Sir Allama Iqbal

He said: “The buildings we see around today which have been carefully crafted by His Highness enshrine the idea of those memorable centuries of skill and tradition.”

It was the with the single-minded efforts of of the Legend of Arabia, Dr. Sheikh Sultan, that the world re-affirmed its gratitude for the contribution made by the Arabs and world of Islam.

Dr. Roderick French, the Chancellor of AUS, said while welcoming the Cambridge Vice Chancellor, who worked in IBM as Electrical engineer and manager and is presently known as an innovative academic administrator, “His leadership at Cambridge has become a model for the successful adaptation of traditional institutions to the rapidly changing contemporary world. AUS has been fortunate indeed to enjoy his support and advice as a trustee.”

Speech by Cambridge Vice Chancellor

By western standards, Cambridge is one of the oldest universities among the half dozen that survives. If we look back 8 centuries ago when Cambridge began, we find ourselves at the end of Roman Empire; the soldiers withdraw from England in that year. There is little or no connection between our university and the classical Greek or Rome. More plausible scholars say that it was the legacy of the Islamic schools of learning.

It was the changing philosophy, natural science, and mathematics, Medicine that far outshines anything that was found in Europe. It has been argued that modern university is an Arab invention. For instance, the Islamic institutions of learning gave the source of the idea of calling together student from many lands… more important still is the universal validity of qualifications as an Arab concept. Equally certain is that Mathematics derives from Arabic roots. Anyone who tries to solve arithmetic using Roman numeral will see what I mean. The great tradition of natural science founded on Mathematic on which Cambridge is pre-eminently known in Science and technology would not have been possible without the Arabic tradition.

From Mathematics, the Arabs gained expertise in Astronomy and navigation, which laid the foundation of systematic sea travel. From the study of medicine, the Arabs were centuries ahead of Europe. The buildings we see around today which have been carefully crafted by His Highness enshrine the idea of those memorable centuries of skill and tradition.

His Highness Sheikh Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qassimi under whose guidance, Sharjah has developed in a way that it is admired throughout the world, especially through the learning of this university. Your Highness, May I wish you sincere congratulations for what you have achieved”. Watch video>>

Note: Text prepared by Jaihoon. The speech given here is an abridged version.

HIS HIGHNESS Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, inaugurated the Tunisian Cultural Days in Sharjah at a ceremony held at the Sharjah Art Museum last evening.

The six-day festival, described as “a meeting of brothers”, is a celebration of Tunisian culture, including painting, photography, literature, poetry, theatre and cinema.

Dr Sheikh Sultan was accompanied by Dr Abdul Baqi Al Harmasi, Tunisian Minister of Culture, as he toured the exhibition halls at the Art Museum and viewed works of 12 Tunisian artists as well as works by Tunisian writers.

While calling for a stand in defence of Arab culture, he urged Arabs to follow the example set by France in defence of their culture. He called for a firm stand against the merciless torrent that threatens Arab culture.

“We do not claim that our culture is our property; this culture is the property of all of humanity. This culture was bequeathed to us by many cultures; to it we added what was good and spread it to the rest of the world. European culture itself springs from Arab culture,” Dr Sheikh Sultan said.

Dr Sheikh Sultan said that talent needs to be nurtured to grow and develop and said that children must be the priority in this regard, as their natural creativity and talent must be nurtured and developed, adding that such efforts will further help bolster Arab culture.

Asked about those who vilify Islam and Arabs and who claim one culture is superior to another, Dr Sheikh Sultan said: “We do not curse the darkness, but in these times we shall light a candle to guide the way.”

Source : Summarized from Khaleej Times, Sep 30, 2001

Dr Issam H. Zabalawi, Chancellor of Sharjah university, said the institution and its students took pride in upholding the Islamic instructions and teachings reflected in the decency and public conduct directives. The university, he said, was a national institution and should abide by the values, principles and conventions of Islamic teachings. It should try to cultivate people who are capable of preserving these values.

Dr Zabalawi said implementation of the directives would have a positive impact on society in preserving its values and principles in the face of alien cultures. “In fact, one of the important goals of the directives is to protect our society from any kind of harm that might result from mingling with other cultures,” he said.

Implementation of the directives would help isolate any harmful aspects from alien cultures, he said. He said the decency rules clearly express respect and appreciation for women in our society.
“They also manifest Dr Sheikh Sultan’s keenness on fending off the dangers of practices that do not belong to our religion and help women in Arab societies continue to have maximum respect and appreciation as part of their rights stipulated in, and secured by, our religious laws as well as our customs, traditions and conventions,” Dr Zabalawi said.

He said respect for women was clearly evident in the Ruler’s decision to give her the right to have a political and legislative role in society. He referred to the fact of five women joining the Sharjah Consultative Council.

Dr Mossad Abdullah bin Abdullah Al Muhaiya of Al Imam Mohammed bin Saud University, Saudi Arabia, and representative of Al Shaqaeq magazine, praised Dr Shaikh Sultan’s directives and asserted the need for the Arab world to enhance its Islamic identity.

He said it was ultimately the family’s responsibility to guide their children on Islamic principles and advise them on the repercussions of not abiding by Islamic teachings, particuilarly the importance of hijab for women in Islam.

Source : Summarized from Khaleej Times, 24 Oct 2001