Roundtable : The Future of the Arab World
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The BA and the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies (KFCRIS) came together to organize a roundtable entitled The Future of the Arab World: Culture, Development and Citizenship.
BA Director Dr. Mostafa El Feki commended the timing of the roundtable, as Arab societies are currently going through monumental transitions. As such, he deemed it crucial to apply science and intellect to promote development and progress, guarantee citizen rights, empower women and their role in society, and study the source and motivators of extremist thinking. Likewise, he has praised the efforts of Prince Turki Al-Faysal in organizing the roundtable, as well as his other contributions in cooperation with the BA.
Dr. Saud Al-Sarhan, Secretary General of the KSCRIS, has highlighted that each society has its own set of traits, and taking this fact into consideration is the first step in establishing common ground. He has furthermore welcomed the diversity of the Arab speakers and participants that the BA had invited so that they may exchange their perspectives and observations, thereby using their experience to paint a more profound and well-defined vision. He added that the preservation of national identity is a critical challenge, the solution of which lies within implementation of a rule of law that combats extremism.
Dr. Khaled Azab, Head of the Central Projects and Services Sector stressed that subject of the future and the identity of Arab societies is one of the pressing issues that impose on the debate, particularly in light of the political tensions and civil wars that have affected the region.
Entitled “The Development and the Future of the Arab World”, the first session tackled the concept of development and the importance of human resources. The second, “The Future of Culture in Arab Societies”, addressed the role of intellectuals and culture in shaping the identity and particularity of a society and a country. As for the third session, “The Prospects of Citizenship in the Arab World”, it discussed the changes of the Arab world’s demographic and its future impacts.