Minister of Culture H E Sheikh Abdul Rahman bin Hamad Al Thani and other officials and guests at the symposium held at Doha Institute for Graduate Studies.
Doha: A symposium entitled “We and the West — Arab Centralism and the Concept of Universality, the complexity of the Western between Truth and Illusion” was held at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, as part of the events of the symposium season organised by the Ministry of Culture, in partnership with Qatar University and the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies.
The symposium was attended by Minister of Culture H E Sheikh Abdul Rahman bin Hamad Al Thani and several researchers, intellectuals, media professionals, and guests.
The symposium was attended by President of the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies Dr. Abdelwahab El Affendi, researcher Dr. Jassem Al Jazza, and Assistant Professor in the Philosophy Program at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, Dr. Rachid Boutayeb.
Dr. Abdelwahab El Affendi discussed the historical dimension in the relationship between Arabs and Muslims on the one hand and the West on the other, and how this relationship was formed after internal conflicts and civil wars in Europe, and then the beginning of the stage of the Crusades against the Arab world, passing through the period of industrial revolution and creating of power centres in Europe, then the colonial era and its aftermath, noting that the Arab and Islamic world used to represent the centrality of the world, linking East and West until the discovery of the Americas. He added that there is now Western hegemony through the economy, politics, and culture, wondering why we do not try to make cultural goods and form alliances in the Arab and Islamic world that express their strength.
He called for the need to review the sources of our cultural, intellectual, and industrial strength as well as move to create an Arab renaissance.
Dr. Jassem Al Jazza spoke about the concept of dependency, stressing that complete independence in the era of globalisation, even for major countries, is difficult to achieve at present.
In his contribution, Dr. Rachid Boutayeb discussed the philosophical dimension of the relationship between Arabs and the West by asking several questions. He explained that the answers to these questions will differ in our Arab context.
The symposium witnessed contributions from the audience that highlighted many aspects of the relationship between the Arabs and the West. The two-week symposium season will conclude on March 31.
