Manama: Maintaining the Arab identity of Jerusalem is not a choice, but the duty of every Arab, Queen Rania of Jordan has said.
"When we say that Jerusalem is Arab, we mean that its Arabism is the responsibility of all of us, and preserving its Arab identity is not an option, but a duty on every Arab, each according to his ability and ambition," Queen Rania said at a fundraising dinner in Manama for Palestinian students in Palestine.
Bahrain's Crown Prince Salman Bin Hamad Al Khalifa, leading business people, diplomats and artists were present at the fundraising dinner hosted by the Madrasati Palestine Women's Network at the Bahrain National Museum.
The network brings together women from the Arab World who, individually or collectively, organise functions and charity events to raise funds and help further Queen Rania’s initiative to overcome challenges and provide Palestinians with suitable learning environments.
The Madrasati (My School) Palestine initiative was launched in April, modeled after a similar plan started in Jordan in 2008. The Madrasati Palestine aims at revamping schools, improving classroom environment, enhancing teaching and learning strategies and improving teachers' standards.
The initiative is currently focused on schools in occupied East Jerusalem, which are under the auspices of the Jordanian Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs.
"Ten months of diligent work have elapsed since the initiative was launched, and thanks to your vision, efforts, work, determination and your sense of responsibilities, we have fixed dilapidated schools that did not reflect the resolve of its teachers or students," Queen Rania said, as she thanked Madrasati Palestine Women’s Network and the participants for their generosity and support to the initiative.
The schools are now ready for quality education programmes that match the requirements of modern times and make the daily reality for many Palestinian students a better one, the Queen said.
In his statement, Crown Prince Salman lauded the charity work, saying that it would benefit educational institutions and help create more opportunities and greater potential.
Madrasati Palestine’s work, similar to its Jordanian counterpart, includes physical rehabilitation of occupied East Jerusalem schools and several educational programmes focused on developing a quality learning environment for students, teachers and parents.
An auction presented by Christies House of Auction in London during the dinner featured 15 paintings donated by top Bahraini artists.
The proceeds of the auction will benefit Madrasati Palestine and a percentage of the sales will be donated to the Bahrain-based Alia School for Early Intervention.
This Dinner is the second to be hosted by the Madrasati Palestine Women's Network in Bahrain.
