ISLAMABAD: The caretaker minister for education Madad Ali Sindhi on Wednesday stressed the need to promote Arabic literature in the country, saying it will further strengthen the relations between the two brotherly countries.
Speaking at a two-day international moot titled, “Modern trends of Arabic novel in second half of the 20th century” at Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU), he said that learning Arabic is considered essential for every Muslim.
He said that literature is a cornerstone for tolerance and achieving a better world, and a key factor in promoting the values of dialogue, acceptance and openness to different cultures.
He said that such an initiative for the promotion of Arabic will go a long way, as people in the country take great interest in the Arabic language.
This conference is on a unique and most important topic, for which I would like to commend the university, he added.
The Arabic department AIOU is organising a conference with the participation of 13 scholars from Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Egypt, Jordan, Thailand, Malaysia, Oman, Algeria, Nigeria, and Syria in person and 15 international scholars joining the conference online.
On the occasion, the minister emphasized the importance of this unique conference, as the people are not familiar with the modern Arabic novel.
The Vice Chancellor AIOU Dr Nasir Mahmood thanked Sindhi for attending the conference as a chief guest.
He said that the presence of foreign scholars at the conference would be beneficial for the promotion of Arabic literature, adding the Arabs have a unique history and their language is very broad, which allows the Arab society to relate to its civilisation and culture.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023