Category: Front Page

The national training session on writing local African languages in the standardized Arabic script kicked off, on Wednesday, February 2, 2022. The training is held by ICESCO Center of Arabic for Non- Arab Speakers, in cooperation with the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) and Youssef Al-Khalifa Center for Writing Languages in Arabic Script at the International University of Africa, in Sudan, at the headquarters of Blue Nile University.

The three-week training session aims to develop the participants’ skills and capacities in the field of computational linguistics by taking advantage of language computing developments, identifying educational strategies and the procedural and technical steps for writing and programming local oral languages in the Arabic script, and presenting the research projects in local languages written in the Arabic script on different topics.

This training session is part of the cooperation agreement between ICESCO, IsDB and the International University of Africa, within ICESCO’s Action Plan for 2022. It also comes in response to the priorities and needs of Member States in writing and saving the local languages of Muslim communities in Africa from extinction.

The event further promotes the Organization’s efforts and new vision to develop and update the strategies for teaching Arabic to non-Arabic speakers in line with the pedagogical approaches that suit the local learning environment.
Over forty learners from different groups of civil society will benefit from this training, including staff and faculty members of Blue Nile University, public education teachers and media professionals, in addition to a group of people interested in African languages.

The training is supervised by Dr. Saber Abdullah Muhammad, Head of the Training Department at the International University of Africa, and Dr. Al-Sadiq Muhammad Adam, from Blue Nile University, as well as two local experts specializing in the field of education, linguistics and media.

The Culture and Communication Sector at the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) took part in an international symposium on the role of cultural institutions in promoting culture. The symposium was organized by the Ministry of Culture of Egypt and the Egyptian General Book Organization within the framework of the 53rd edition of Cairo International Book Fair held under the theme “Egypt’s Identity: Culture and the Question of the Future.”

The symposium took place on Monday, January 31, 2022, in Cairo. Dr. Mohamed Zine El Abidine, Head of the Culture and Communication Sector, represented ICESCO and spoke about “The New Awareness of Cultural Issues in Development Policies… A Pressing Need,” emphasizing the new roles that culture has assumed in the world. He discussed ICESCO’s role under its new vision and action strategy for the period 2021-2024 to support Member States’ efforts to shape their cultural development policies and build capacities. The Organization assists its Member States in conducting scientific and methodological studies to leverage cultural investments, both public and private. It also supervises civil society initiatives in its Member States to enhance youth employability and provides the needed material and human resources for cultural action.

Dr. Zine El Abidine reviewed ICESCO’s initiatives that are aimed at strengthening and promoting cultural rights in the countries of the Islamic world, namely the right to take part in cultural life and the author’s rights. He also cast light on initiatives that are geared towards digital innovation in creative industries, social and cultural economies, heritage tourism, and craft industries.

He pointed out that ICESCO places culture and heritage at the heart of its forward-looking strategies through its “Roads to the Future” Program. “The Organization is keen on inscribing and valorizing heritage in the Islamic world through the Islamic World Heritage Center, which is a cultural structure in charge of preserving the Islamic world’s tangible and intangible heritage, cultural elements and living human treasures. The Center seeks to valorize the Islamic world’s civilizational components, historical memory, identity and diversity,” added Dr. Zine El Abidine.
It is worth noting that ICESCO celebrates Cairo as the Culture Capital in the Islamic World for 2022 that will bring together intellectuals, creators and artists. As part of the celebration program, ICESCO will organize several cultural activities, in cooperation with competent authorities in Egypt.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) and the Federation of the Universities of the Islamic World (FUIW) took part in the International Forum on “Islamic Culture Curricula in Universities: Challenges and Development Prospects.” The Faculty of Sharia and Islamic Studies at Qatar University held the Forum via videoconference, in cooperation with the Qatari National Commission for Education, Science and Culture, as part of the Celebration of Doha as the 2021 Culture Capital in the Islamic World, under the theme “Our culture brightens the world.”
Mr. Najib Riati, Cultural Advisor to the Director-General, and Dr. Omar Halli, Advisor to the Director-General for the Federation of the Universities of the Islamic World, took part in the Forum, held Saturday, 29 January 2022, along with several academics and specialists from Arab and Islamic universities. The Forum aims to explore the prospects of developing Islamic culture curricula to address current challenges, exchange expertise between Qatar University and other universities in this field, and promote institutional and individual efforts to develop these curricula.

The Forum commenced with the recitation of verses from the Holy Quran, followed by an opening remark highlighting ICESCO’s key role in supporting university development projects, and a video on the Forum. The opening lecture reviewed the various stages of developing the concept of Islamic culture in universities over the last decades, before moving to participants’ various presentations addressing the topic, which led to a rich discussion.

The Center of Arabic for Non-Arabic Speakers at the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) held a coordination meeting with Yusuf Al-Khalifa Center for Writing Languages in Arabic letter at the International University of Africa (IUA) in the Republic of Sudan. The meeting aimed to follow up on the progress achieved by the Center in the implementation of the project on writing the local languages ​​of African Muslim communities in Arabic letters.

During the meeting, which took place on Monday, January 31, 2022, via videoconference, the two parties discussed the importance of cooperation in promoting Arabic and elevating its status in African Muslim communities by writing their local languages ​​in Arabic letters. The meeting also touched upon completing the implementation of some joint programs, namely the organization of three training sessions in the Republic of Sudan for Arabic letter professionals at the Blue Nile University, the University of Nyala, and the Red Sea University, and two international training sessions in the Republic of Chad and the Republic of Kenya, in addition to the joint development of educational tools, school guides, training manuals and reading materials.

At the close of the meeting, the two parties agreed on a set of administrative procedures to develop joint action plans and cooperate on the implementation of the activities and programs agreed upon in the grant agreement with the Islamic Development Bank.

Dr. Abdelilah Benarafa, Deputy Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), and Mr. Najib Riati, Cultural Advisor to ICESCO Director-General, General Coordinator of the Celebration of Rabat as the Culture Capital in the Islamic World, made a visit to the headquarters of the Mohammedan League of Scholars in Rabat, today, Friday 28 January 2022. The ICESCO officials met with Dr. Ahmed Abbadi, League Secretary-General, and his assistants Dr. Abdessamad Ghazi and Dr. Ahmed Al-Mantar.

The two parties reviewed the arrangements made to host the Museum of the Prophet’s Seerah in Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah in Rabat, the 2022 Culture Capital in the Islamic World, under the high patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI of Morocco. The ICESCO officials discussed the outcomes of the ICESCO Director-General’s meetings with the Secretary-General of the Muslim World League, Sheikh Dr. Mohammad bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa, and Sheikh Dr. Nassir bin Musfir Al-Zahrani, Board Secretary of Exhibitions and Museums at the League. They also highlighted the visit the ICESCO Director-General and his delegation made to the Museum of the Prophet’s Seerah in Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah and the agreed-upon arrangements to host it in Rabat.

Moreover, the meeting discussed the venue to host the Exhibition, set to be on the banks of the Bourgreg River, and the elements highlighting Moroccans attachment to Prophet Muhammed, which will be featured in this exceptional civilizational exhibition that embodies the close cooperation between the Kingdom of Morocco and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in coordination between ICESCO, the Muslim World League and the Mohammedan League of Scholars.

The Federation of the Universities of the Islamic World (FUIW) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) held a virtual meeting with the University of Marburg in Germany to discuss ways of cooperation between ICESCO and the University. The goal is to achieve the objectives of the Project on “Cultural Heritage in Cyberspace: Education, Preservation and Access” following the plan developed by the Center for Near and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Marburg.

The meeting, held on Wednesday (January 26, 2022), brought together Dr. Omar Halli, Adviser to ICESCO Director-General, along with his team as well as Dr. Albrecht Voys, Head of the Department, Dr. Hala Ghoneim, from Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Dr. Volker Adam, Executive Director of the Specialized Media Department at the University’s Library of Middle East, North Africa and Islamic Studies, and Prof. Christophe Roche, Head of the Department of Oriental Studies at the National Library of Berlin.

The meeting touched upon the details of the project the Center for Near and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Marburg in Germany implemented, in partnership with Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg and the National Library of Berlin. It also discussed the remaining phases to complete the project with emphasis on the importance of digitizing Islamic and Arabic manuscripts, facilitating access to them, integrating them into university training, training students in this field, especially with partner universities such as Ain Shams University and Cairo University, in Egypt.

At the close of the meeting, the two parties agreed to develop an action plan and determine the financial resources for the project to discuss them at the next meeting, due to be held at the end of February 2022.

Dr. Abdelilah Benarfa, Deputy Director-General (DG) of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) and Mr. Najib Riati, Cultural Advisor to ICESCO Director-General, extended condolences on the passing of the former President of the Republic of Mali, His Excellency Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta, at the Malian Embassy in Rabat, today, Tuesday, January 25, 2022.

Dr. Benarfa extended condolences on behalf of ICESCO’s DG, officials and staff members to the leaders and people of Mali, on the loss of the former President, who passed away on Sunday, January 16, 2022, in the capital Bamako.

In a message he wrote on the Embassy’s condolences book, the Deputy DG of ICESCO emphasized the long-standing cooperation between the Organization and Mali.