Rashid Centre celebrates silver jubilee

Sohaila Ahmed, Staff Reporter

In celebration of the 25th anniversary of its silver jubilee, Rashid Centre for The Determined Ones held a grand ceremony in the name of “Zayed Humanitarian Day”, which was hosted by Al Jawaher Reception and Convention Centre (JRCC) in Jumeirah.

The ceremony was attended by Sheikh Juma Bin Maktoum Al Maktoum, Managing Director of the Centre, Sheikh Maktoum Bin Saeed Bin Thani Al Maktoum, and Maryam Othman, Director General of Rashid Centre for The Determined Ones, in addition to a number of prominent figures who have supported the progress and participation of the centre in various activities since its launch in 1994 until its 2019 celebration of the silver jubilee.

The celebration coincided with the Year of Tolerance, in which His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, declared 2019 as the Year of Tolerance in the UAE, in an attempt to instil the values of tolerance which carries on the late Sheikh Zayed’s legacy and teachings, and deepen the values of tolerance, dialogue and acceptance and openness to different cultures.

The ceremony began with a documentary of the establishment of the centre since its launch until reaching such a privileged position. The documentary reviewed the most important milestones, achievements and prominent figures who were keen to visit the centre and provide all forms of support and cooperation.

Moreover, the second part of the ceremony included an artistic programme, with the participation of the distinguished actor Dr Habib Ghuloom, who took part in an operetta written by the Iraqi poet Karim Al Iraqi, and composed by the Emirati singer Fayez Al Saeed. The students of the Rashid Centre also played an important role in the ceremony by giving an outstanding performance that impressed the audience. On the other hand, Dr Ali Mansour Kayali gave a religious lecture on the great values of tolerance in the holy month of Ramadan, referring to the Emirati society, which always has been keen to inculcate such morals and values in the young generations of the UAE.

For her part, Maryam Othman noted that the celebration of this year’s anniversary was different from the previous ones, especially after 25 years have passed since the launch of the centre and the beginning of such a noble journey, which made a positive and notable change in the perspectives of the differently-abled that was successfully admired and encouraged by different segments of the society.