Manama: Maintaining the Arab identity of Occupied Jerusalem is not a choice, but the duty of every Arab, Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan has said.
"When we say that [Occupied] 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 fund-raising dinner in Manama for Palestinian students in Palestine.
Coming together
Bahrain's Crown Prince Salman Bin Hamad Al Khalifa, leading business people, diplomats and artists were present at the 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 money 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, modelled 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.
Diligent work
"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, she said.
