Paris: Arabs and Muslims have a fundamental responsibility to build strong cultural, business and economic bridges with the world to move past the stereotypical imagery due to the actions of radicalised minorities “that don’t share our values nor religion,” His Highness Dr. Shaikh Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Member of Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, has said.
“The primary issue in projecting an image to others lies in the fact that whenever a tragedy occurs, we tend to isolate ourselves and run away from the problem,” Dr Shaikh Sultan said in an interview with the UAE media at the Sharjah Book Authority’s pavilion at the 37th Paris Book Fair.
Another reason, Dr Shaikh Sultan noted, is that there is lesser Arab participation nowadays in important international cultural events and he affirmed his readiness to provide full-support for their participation in upcoming events, “where their presence will act a significant added value for the entire Arab world.”
“Some want us [the Arabs] to disappear and vanish from the global scene, and more people are betting on that. We must henceforth build friendships, come closer through cooperation and partnerships. We must not follow a path of separation, segregation and isolation,” Dr Shaikh Sultan added.
Sharing his vision about how to communicate and interact with ‘the other’, especially with the West, the Ruler of Sharjah said: “Learning from others is an important detail for us, because we see ourselves as part of this much larger world, which holds a variety of scientific and technical knowledge. Our contribution is derived from our position as [having been] once the owners and founders of sciences and knowledge. Therefore, in order for us to communicate and reach out to others for knowledge, we must first acknowledge our significant culture, our unique identity and that we were once a major contributor to the Golden Age, back when Europe was going through the Dark Ages.”
Dr. Shaikh Sultan, however, underlined the need to adhere to certain factors when building relationships with other cultures. “The Arab world needs to be sure of its cultural and religious identity — celebrate its uniqueness, and proudly pass it on to the future generations. A firm realisation and understanding of one’s roots will help our people connect better with the cultures of the world, upholding and respecting each other’s differences and cohabiting peacefully in a world so rich and diverse,” he said.
He added: “I draw red lines for myself that I never cross, such as my religion and religious adherence. There are some customs and traditions of other peoples which we receive — their heritage and interaction with their culture — [which] are not consistent with our traditions and our religion. This is why we could focus on science and knowledge when dealing with others whose customs and traditions are not compatible with our religion. This means religion has its own red lines, and even customs and traditions also have their red lines. As we do not want to go around in mazes that may damage our communities, we hope that all peoples are committed to these values when dealing with each other.”
Dr Shaikh Sultan, nevertheless, pointed at several areas of cooperation with the West, highlighting specifically the aspects of culture, knowledge and heritage. He cited the ‘World Heritage in Sharjah’ project as an example, and said, “Each month, Sharjah hosts a country to showcase its heritage. On the other hand, Sharjah participates in international events held in many other countries. It also hosts art, music and theatre-related events.”
He spoke of Sharjah’s open-minded view of knowledge-based exchanges. “Sharjah is open to knowledge-based cultural cooperation, as we believe that is the way forward for a peaceful, sustainable future for the world. Science is science, and will benefit all involved parties equally.”
He emphasised the importance of scientific and cultural collaborations with the West and said that such integrated efforts would herald the dawn of an era of inclusion and diversity, which will allow a free exchange of intellectual, economic and artistic resources — strengthening the collective heritage of the world based on mutual trust and cooperation.
The Ruler of Sharjah, who earlier met with French Presdient Francois Hollande on the sidelines of the Paris Book Fair, expressed his happiness over the emirate’s selection as the Guest of Honour for the Paris Book Fair 2018. He stressed that Sharjah will collaborate closely with the fair’s organising committee to ensure the largest possible Arab participation — Arabian Gulf countries in particular, and specifically, the UAE.
