Call to respect and celebrate global cultures, beliefs

The first session of the widely popular Sharjah Ramadan Majlis, hosted by the Sharjah Press Club of Sharjah Government Media Bureau in partnership with Sharjah Broadcasting Authority, opened on Monday night with a passionate call for respecting the diversity of global cultures, beliefs and traditions and celebrating what is common between nations, communities and civilisations created by God.

Speaking at the opening session of the 8th Sharjah Ramadan Majlis titled “Nations’ Customs…Acquaintance and Converge” in the presence of Sheikh Sultan Bin Ahmed Al Qasimi, Chairman of Sharjah Media Council and other senior Sharjah officials and dignitaries at Al Majaz Amphitheatre, Ali Alsaloom, Emirati media figure and presenter of television show, ‘Doroub’ and ‘Ask Ali’ quoted a very famous verse from the Holy Quran to stress that all men and women are children of Adam and Eve and thus members of one human family created by God.

The theme of the first session of Sharjah Ramadan Majlis was inspired by the values of co-existence and mutual respect between cultures as championed by Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the father of the nation.

Emphasising the unity of human family and strong bonds that bind it together, Alsaloom said: “In his historic last sermon, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), asserted that “All mankind is from Adam and Eve. An Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab, nor does a non-Arab have any superiority over an Arab; a white has no superiority over a black, nor does a black have any superiority over a white; [none have superiority over another] except by piety and good action.”

Alsaloom, who calls himself a cultural ambassador of the Middle East, quoted extensively from his fascinating experience of travelling around the world that included visiting some 182 destinations as part of his popular travel show ‘Doroub’ to emphasise the convergence or unity in diverse cultures across the globe. Travelling around the world is a great way of building bridges between people and cultures and understanding the beauty of convergence among nations, he added.

He referred to the shining example of peaceful coexistence among various communities in the UAE, which is home to more than 200 nationalities, to drive home the point that a society or nation’s strength lies in respecting each other’s cultures, beliefs and traditions.

“The UAE is a model of mutual respect and peaceful coexistence,” Alsaloom said, calling for turning the values of mutual respect and acceptance into a tangible reality. Stressing the common roots of human civilisation, he said: “Each human being is a missing link from the great human story.”

Omar Al Othman, Kuwaiti host of travel show ‘Mudon’ on Kuwait TV, agreed with Alsaloom’s argument that exploring and acquainting oneself with people and cultures around the world is the path to peaceful coexistence and building a better world.

Recalling his experience of visiting countries as diverse as Japan, Vietnam, Turkey, Russia and Azerbaijan, Al Othman said the best way of exploring the world and its various cultures and people is to travel on one’s own. 

He recounted his fascinating experience of visiting Granada, once a great centre of Islamic civilisation of Andalusia, and saying adhaan (prayer call) in mosque. “You do not need friends or family to start out on your own as people usually open their homes to welcome you wherever you go,” Al Othman added.  He pointed out that today there are a number of apps that help you connect with other travellers.

Al Othman said that it is not important that you explore every part of a new destination or country. “What is more important is how you present and conduct yourself as you are the representative and ambassador of your own culture and country,” he added.

The 8th edition of Sharjah Ramadan Majlis was attended by Dr Khalid Omar Al Midfa, Chairman of Sharjah Media City (Shams), Brigadier Abdullah Mubarak Bin Amir, Deputy General Commander of Sharjah Police, Mohammed Hassan Khalaf, Director General of Sharjah Broadcasting Authority, Tariq Saeed Allay, Director of Sharjah Government Media Bureau, Hassan Yaqoub Al Mansouri, Secretary General of the Sharjah Media Council, Shihab Al Hammadi, Director of Sharjah Media City (Shams), and a number of other senior officials, sheikhs, and members of Arab and UAE media.