Sharjah-UAE: December 9, 2013 – During an extraordinary ceremony held on Sunday at Al Majaz Waterfront, Sharjah launched its logo as the Islamic Culture Capital of the Arab Region 2014 (SICC 2014) in the presence of Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qassimi, Chairman of the Executive Committee for the Sharjah Capital of Islamic Culture 2014 Celebrations, Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, Chairperson of the Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq) and Head of the Projects Committee and Sheikha Hoor bint Sultan Al Qasimi, President of Sharjah Arts Foundation and Head of the Events Committee.
Also present at the launch ceremony were Mohammed Al Noman, Chairman of Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority, Majid Abdullah Bushlaibi, Secretary-General of the Islamic Forum and Head of the Protocol Committee, and Osama Samra, Director of Sharjah Media Centre and Head of the Media Committee, as well as other members of the Executive Committee for the Sharjah Capital of Islamic Culture 2014 Celebrations and a host of officials, journalists and media professionals.
The ceremony commenced with verses from the Holy Quran, followed by a speech by Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qassimi, in which he said that the selection of Sharjah as the Islamic Culture Capital comes in culmination of its numerous civilizational, cultural and intellectual achievements, which align with the vision of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, UAE Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah.
He indicated that Sharjah’s Cultural run is part of an integrated system it adopts to promote human beings and invest in their knowledge according to an array of solid values. He noted that the launch of the logo coincides with the UAE’s 42nd National Day, complementing the country’s many accomplishments with the global scientific and cultural position that Sharjah has worthily held.
“Sharjah, with its people, scientific edifices, cultural platforms and historical character, has given joy a different meaning embodied in the knowledge it disseminates to continue to serve as a beacon of science among nations. Thanks to its abundant intellectual treasures, the emirate has managed to establish its cultural and Islamic identity so as to remain a source of pride for us, as well as for Arabs and Muslims”, added the Chairman of the Executive Committee for the Sharjah Capital of Islamic Culture 2014 Celebrations.
He pointed to the emirate’s unique set of Islamic edifices and museums, which is poised to include new heritage, tourism, cultural and architectural projects early next year.
In his speech, Dr. Obaid Saif Al Hajri, Director of the Regional Office of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO) in Sharjah, said the Islamic culture capitals program aims to expose the cultural richness of the Arab and Muslim world, as well as its material and moral diversity, and to highlight the history and civilization of Muslim cities, in addition to highlighting the contributions of their intellectual and scientific institutions.
Al Hajri praised Sharjah and its cultural role in highlighting the valuable meanings of Islamic civilization, saying: “It is crucial to point out that this city boasts a prestigious position and a cultural role essential to spreading Islamic and human culture.
This is thanks to the wise vision of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah to build a society where security and safety, love and cooperation, integration and social solidarity are at their maximum and within the framework of the good values stressed by our religion and timeless civilization and reflected through cultural, scientific and service institution across Sharjah.”
During the ceremony, a video with an introductory glimpse of the SICC projects and activities, including Al Majaz Island project, the official venue of the Sharjah Capital of Islamic Culture 2014 Celebrations, and its open theatre, which is set to be the first of its kind in the region.
Having been approved by the Supreme Committee for the Sharjah Capital of Islamic Culture 2014 Celebrations, the official logo of SICC 2014 was launched after the video.
The logo, which helps to build a brand that is always fresh, always fluid, always different, but is always Sharjah Islamic Culture Capital, does not have one fixed color, but a set of colors, including gold, red, blue and turquoise.
The Islamic culture capital’s program is regarded as one of the mechanisms to deepen the Islamic cultural unity and the appropriate means to establish the immutable foundations of the cooperation among the member States to renovate the civilized construction of the world.
This program is represented in selecting three ancient Islamic cities annually from all the three Islamic regions including the Arab world, Africa, and Asia and adding the capital that will host the Islamic conference of the Ministers of Cultures to be held every two years.
It has been signed since 2001 by the third Islamic Conference of the Ministers of Culture held at that time in the Qatari capital, Doha, and it was adopted in the fourth Islamic Conference of the Ministers of Culture witnessed in Algeria in 2004 A.D.
According to ISESCO, the selection of Sharjah as the Islamic Culture Capital of the Arab Region 2014 is based on its long history of disseminating science, culture and knowledge, as well as its one-of-a-kind edifices that sum up an entire history in their architecture.
The organization pointed to the mosques, cultural institutions, museums and heritage markets as well as the artistic, literary and theatrical arenas that abound in Sharjah. It also pointed to the cultural and intellectual events that the emirate holds throughout the year, along with the plentiful festivals and cultural traditions that reflect the history of the Islamic world in the various eras.
ISESCO indicated that the cultural and Islamic boom in Sharjah, which earned it the title of “the Islamic Culture Capital of the Arab Region 2014”, is attributed to the wise guidance of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi , UAE Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah.
Why Sharjah?
Having been found to conform to the required standards, Sharjah has been selected as the Islamic Culture Capital of the Arab Region 2014 as part of the Islamic Culture Capital program, which is sponsored and supervised by the Islamic Organization for Education, Science and Culture (ISESCO).
Given its cultural and intellectual legacy, Sharjah has been given this title with the approval of the fourth session of the Islamic Conference of Culture Ministers, which was held in Algeria in December 2004.
Thanks to its long history and scientific reputation, Sharjah has managed to hold a prominent cultural position in the UAE and the wider Arab region.
It has distinctively contributed to Islamic and human culture through the interest of its wise leadership in the scientific, cultural, literary and artistic works of its intellects, authors and artists.
Sharjah, with its university city and numerous scientific research facilities, manuscript libraries and archaeological centers, has been a magnet for researchers, as well as art, culture and science enthusiasts.
In addition to its famous set of Islamic monuments, schools, mosques and public parks, Sharjah boasts literary and intellectual institutions that are active in stirring the cultural life of individuals and groups and organizing cultural festivals, including book fairs, painting exhibitions, theatrical performances and translation and publishing activities.
In summary, due to the conformity of its Islamic cultural and civilizational character with all the necessary criteria, Sharjah has been crowned as the Islamic Culture Capital of the Arab Region for 2014.
