Minister of Culture H E Sheikh Abdulrahman bin Hamad Al Thani (left) during an event on the sidelines of Ramadan Book Fair, yesterday.
Doha: Minister of Culture H E Sheikh Abdulrahman bin Hamad Al Thani has stressed the importance of language in the development of countries and peoples, indicating that countries develop as much as they are proud of their languages, and that the real intellectual is the one who shows pride in his language.
In a speech following a lecture on the Arab culture held at Al Jasra Cultural and Social Club on the sidelines of Ramadan Book Fair, the Minister of Culture said that Allah the Almighty honoured the Arabic language and protected it by making it the language of Holy Quran.
The Minister praised the role of Al Jasra Club in enriching the cultural life in Qatar, and underlined that the Ministry of Culture contributes to achieving the development process in the State.
The symposium, which was organised by the Qatari Forum for Authors at Al Jasra Club, included a lecture presented by author and media person Dr. Abdullah Faraj Al Marzouqi and moderated by journalist Saleh Gharib. The lecture highlighted the Arab culture.
Al Marzouqi spoke about the term of culture, which means — from his point of view — sciences, human principles, moral values and everything that people need, indicating that Arab culture rests on two main pillars: the Arabic language and the true Islamic religion and that the language is the common denominator of all Arabs, just as the Holy Quran is inclusive of all Muslims in all parts of the world.
Al Marzouqi touched on the reality of culture in Qatar, stressing that it is steadily pacing through the activities that support the Arab culture and the cultural movement in society, praising the efforts of the Ministry of Culture in this regard.
He also praised the role of Ramadan Book Fair in attracting different segments of Souq Waqif visitors, expressing his hope that Qatar would adopt the establishment of a lexicon for the Arabic language, especially as it includes institutions such as the Ministry of Culture, Qatar Foundation, and Qatar University, all of which have contributed to the protection of the Arabic language.
