Sharjah: Arab media officials must be like educators to members of the community so that they can help them benefit, develop and grow, said His Highness Dr Shaikh Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah.
Dr Shaikh Sultan made the remarks as he met with Arab media journalists and officials during his lecture titled “Who are the Arabs”. The event was organised by Sharjah Media Centre at the Sharjah Amphitheatre.
Dr Shaikh Sultan said that many researchers, both Arab and foreign, have asked the question on who the Arabs are. “The question might seem simple, but the topic is quite complex. Through this lecture, I wish to shed light on the Arabs and the Arabic language,” said Dr Shaikh Sultan.
Dr Shaikh Sultan spoke about Prophets in the Quran and the timelines in which they lived. He touched on the descendants of Noah and how they fitted into the topic pertaining to the origins of Arabs. Following the flood, Noah was succeeded by Shem, Ham and Japheth. Descendants of the sons of Noah settled in various parts of the world, and that the ones who have settled here came across people residing in Yemen and reached Hadhramaut.
Dr Shaikh Sultan also spoke about the origins of Nabati poetry. “Nabateans waged many wars and achieved many victories. They completely defeated the Roman army in 312BC. To spread news of their victory, poetry was written and sung, recited and distributed throughout the Arabian Peninsula. News was spread in the form of Nabati poetry,” said Dr Shaikh Sultan.
Speaking about Shamshoun (Samson), a play that he wrote, Dr Shaikh Sultan said: “On the 60th anniversary of the Nakba, I noticed that all papers were decrying Palestine. I was reading the Book of Genesis, and I found that the Jews used to live on the outskirts of cities as outcasts.
“They used to see the Palestinians as exceptional and appreciated them as people of intellect. The play I wrote is fully and properly documented, and I challenged any Jewish writer to refute it if they wanted to, but no one did,” added Dr Shaikh Sultan.
