QNA/Cairo

The Arab League has underlined the significance of the coming Arab summit in Doha, hoping it would give strong support for the  Palestinian people’s struggle and their cause, hoping that it will take effective decisions regarding the Israeli aggression on sacred places and Arab land.

Mohamed Sobeih, Arab League assistant secretary-general for Palestine affairs, made the remarks ahead of the summit which is due to be held  on March 27-28.

Commenting on an expected visit by US officials to the region, Sobeih said: “We do not want the past negative stances of the US administration.”

He criticised the American reluctance to stop Israel’s settlement activity, adding that the American position towards Palestine’s UN bid was not consistent with its status as a permanent Security Council member.

“Membership of the Security Council is about maintaining international peace and security. Denying the rights of the Palestinian people is a denial of peace and security at the same time.”

Sobeih urged the US administration to take a “serious” position to implement international law and international resolutions and “to save the Middle East from the new racism that came close to or surpassed that of South Africa before the end of the apartheid rule.”

He stressed the necessity of ending Palestinian division and reaching a national reconciliation, noting that its conclusion was not linked to the expected visit of US President Barack Obama to the region.

He urged Arab financial support for the Palestinian people as the international community’s failure to realise the rights of Palestinians continued.

GCC tourist visa plan ‘in final stage’

The procedures for issuing a unified GCC (Gulf Co-operation Council) tourist visa to expatriates are being finalised and an announcement is expected to be made soon, local Arabic daily Al Sharq reported yesterday.

Quoting the acting director of Tourism and Museums in the GCC Secretariat in Riyadh, Sad al-Nassab, the report said that there were no hurdles to be crossed in implementing this proposal since the GCC countries had a high stake in tourism.

 The amount allocated by them in total is to the tune of $380bn. However there has to be a link between the six GCC countries for implementing this scheme.

 The details were discussed by the technical affairs committee and the committee on tourism during their meetings held recently. It was agreed to expedite the creation of E-link procedures for issuance of the visa.

As a destination for tourism, the GCC countries offer a variety of choices in terms places of interest, scenic spots, deserts, cool seas, high mountains and salubrious resorts besides political stability and security.

Apart from tourists from abroad, expatriates living in any of the GCC countries will also be eligible to the unified visa he said.

The GCC leaders have in their recent deliberations affirmed the need to forge mutual co-operation in a concerted manner.

And tourism has been identified as a promising sector in light of its potential to augment the gross national product (GNP) of every country, the report added.

Alumni meeting today

Former students of Ansar English school in Perumpilavu, near Thrissur in Kerala, are meeting at the Friends Cultural Centre (FCC, Qatar), near Gulf Cinema, at 6pm today to form an alumni association.

Ansar English school, founded in 1983, is one of the biggest educational institutions in Kerala with more than 4,000 students.  “We are planning to form an alumni association and subsequent get-together,” said a representative.  The school’s principal, Mohamed Rasheed C, will attend the function. More details can be had from Abul Kalam on 66709281, Jassim on  66626942 and  Zuhair on 70095599.

Experts discuss arts, politics from  Islamic perspective

QNA/Doha

The Research Centre for Islamic Legislation and Ethics (CILE) holds today a high-level international conference entitled ‘Arts and Politics from an Islamic Perspective: Critical Questions’.

The one-day conference takes place at Qatar Foundation’s Student Centre, and aims to bring together scholars of Islamic jurisprudence, artists and politicians to discuss and tackle critical issues pertinent to today’s cultural and political spheres.

This is the first such event to be organised by CILE, a member of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development.

A number of experts will take part in the seminar. Participants in the first session, ‘Islamic Ethics’, will include Sheikh Dr Yusuf al-Qaradawi, chairman of the International Union of Muslim Scholars; Sheikh Dr Ali al-Qaradaghi, secretary general of the International Union of Muslim Scholars; Sheikh Dr Ahmed Raissouni, chairman of the League of Sunni Scholars; and Professor Mohamed Kamal Hassan, rector of the International Islamic University of Malaysia.

The second session will discuss ‘Ethics and Arts’. Participants will include British singer  Dr Yusuf Islam, Egyptian singer and guitarist Hamza Namira, Moroccan singer and composer Saloua Chaoudry and Egyptian researcher and Islamic calligrapher Dr Ahmed Moustafa.

The third and final panel, ‘Politics and Ethics’, will include Dr Abdel Moneim Abul Futuh, former Egyptian presidential candidate, prominent Turkish sociologist Prof Nilufer Gole, and Prof Norman Finkelstein, the American political scientist, activist and author.

CILE, a member of the Qatar Faculty of Islamic Studies, specialises in Islamic legislation and ethical thought, with a main focus on applied principles.

The centre has a vision of reform that is guided by the fundamental tenets of the Holy Qur’an and the Sunnah (teachings and deeds of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), and the Maqasid (objectives) of Islamic Jurisprudence.

CILE aims to bring about a more just and moral world through a methodological and theoretical framework that can lead to practical applications and tangible contributions.