Sharjah Museums Department Receives Fr�d�ric Mitterrand At Sharjah Museum Of Islamic Civilization

Sharjah Museums Department (SMD) on Saturday received French Minister of Culture His Excellency Frédéric Mitterrand, who was accompanied by a high-level delegation, at the Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization (SMIC).

The French minister of culture is the cabinet member in charge of the national museums, monuments and promoting and protecting the arts. He was accompanied by a large delegation that included HE French Consul General Jerald Telm and a number of French dignitaries. He was received by His Excellency Abdul Rahman Al Owais, Minister of Culture, Youth and Community Development, Abdullah Al Owais, president of the Department of Culture and Information and Ms. Manal Ataya, Director General of Sharjah Museums Department and the curator of Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization.

The visit is an important step for the French minister to familiarize himself with all the cultural institutions in the UAE and the visit to Sharjah recognizes the longstanding reputation of Sharjah as the cultural capital. As per the vision of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Ruler of Sharjah, the emirate has cultivated the culture and arts scene for over 20 years, including the more recent establishment of SMD that manages over 16 museums in Sharjah that cover a variety of disciplines including, contemporary art, heritage, archeology, Islamic art and history, children’s learning, science, calligraphy to name a few. Lead by Ms. Manal Ataya, the DG of SMD, the museums sector has flourished, opening new museums, supporting educational institutions, initiating innovative outreach and community programs and developing new projects as part of its 5 year strategic plan. SMD will organize in 2 years time with other cultural entities exciting programming as the emirate proudly celebrates Sharjah as “Capital of Islamic Culture for 2014”.

The minister and his delegation were taken on a tour of the museums numerous galleries which feature more than 5,000 precious artifacts & collections from all over the Islamic World that date back to various Islamic ages spanning 1,400 years. The collection was gifted by His Highness Dr. Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah when the museum opened in 2008. He was also given a brief on the educational programs and workshops organized by the Museum with the aim of enhancing learning for all as part of their accessibility initiative. Moreover, he was briefed on the upcoming exhibtion program for the museum which includes the “Owen Jones: Islamic Design, Discovery and Vision” exhibition from the Victoria & Albert Museum, UK opening mid March 2012 at Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization.

Highlighting the importance of the visit, Manal Ataya, SMD Director General, said:" We are honored to welcome the French cultural minister to the Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization as it reflects the cultural value and the status the museum occupies on an international level, as well as the importance we place on dialogue and cultural exchange we strive for to raise greater awareness on the richness of islamic thought, art and culture."

The French minister and his delegation expressed their gratitude after the visit as it contributed significantly to enhancing their knowledge about cultural activities in Sharjah and the UAE in general. His Excellency Frédéric Mitterrand, said on the occasion that he specifically asked to visit this museum for the reputation it holds as one of the 3 most important Islamic museum collections in the Gulf Region. He praised the museum and thanked His Highness Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi for his generous hospitality and visionary dedication to supporting cultural heritage and the arts.

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Relics From The Islamic World On Display

Browsing through the albums, visitors can see Prophet Musa’s stick, sandals left behind by Prophet Muhammad, his letters to leaders, the first verse written by his companion Othman, a blouse that belonged to Fatima, Aisha’s veil among hundreds of other relics such as a cooking vessel used by Prophet Ibrahim.

The Turkish stall at Sharjah International Book Fair is displaying for the first time, published albums featuring sacred relics left behind by the prophets: Mohammed, Musa and Ibrahim (peace be upon them) and their companions as well as artifacts from the holy lands. These objects were photographed and or taken during the reign of the Ottoman Empire.

The albums are contained in books: The Sacred Trusts: Topkapi Palace Museum, Istanbul (written in Arabic and English and published for the first time) and Mecca-Medina: The Yildiz Albums of Sultan Abdul Hamid II.

“These are very rare collections, we got them from highly restricted places in the palaces,” said the Deputy Director of Dar Al Nile Publishers, Mustafa G.

He said the relics were “excavated from the most restricted rooms of the palace. The entire selection is compiled here for the first time, including those that are not on exhibit [in Topkapi Palace Museum] for daily visits.”

The photographs are accompanied by texts, making it an awe-inspiring album to see and read. It is more than the history of Ottoman “service” in the region; it is rather largely the history of Islam and the people of the Muslim world.

The contents of The Sacred Trusts album, for example, includes: The prophet’s footprint (pbuh); the bow of the Prophet; his letter to Musailamah the liar as well as to others such as Muqawqis, the leader of Copts in Egypt; the bottle which used to contain his water; the stone of tayammam; the holy tooth; the turban of prophet Yousuf (pbuh); scale model of prophet’s mosque; the robe of Imam Abu Hanifa, and the keys and locks of K’aba.

The list of the items range from those owned by several prophets through the companions to the Muslim leaders as well as objects from the holy sites and prominent Islamic centres and mosques.

The Arabic version of The Sacred Trusts costs Dhs350 “because of the book fair discount” whereas the English is at Dhs450. It is the same prices for the other album, Mecca-Medina. In The Sacred Trusts, the letters are no doubt was from Mohammed. They were summarized in not more than a paragraph yet detailed with quotations from the Holy Qur’an. They are masterpieces. The relics have their authenticity well explained.

Look at the Prophet’s (pbuh) letter to the leader of the Copts, Muqawqis. It was written in 627 AD in Cufic script on a piece of darkened parchment measuring 16x19cm. “It was discovered inside a Coptic Bible cover in a monastery at Ahmin, near Saide, Egypt in 1850 by the Frenchman named Bathlmy,” explains the introduction to The Sacred Relics. “After the letter had been cleaned and attributed to the Prophet (pbuh), it was sent to Istanbul to be presented to Sultan Abdulmecid (ruled between 1839-1861). The Sultan had it framed in gold and put in a beautifully embellished gold box measuring 42x30x10.5cm which was then placed among the Sacred Relics.”

According to Mustafa, “The middle section of the letter has disintegrated with age and has become difficult to read, but the content was preserved.”

The Mecca-Medina album is a journey of its own that makes the reader travel around Hijaz by Hijaz Railway; visit haramayn (Mecca and Medina) from any point where the Ottoman Empire stretched –all through pictures. Then the reader gets to see the haramayn of the old. One sees the tomb of Hamza (The old picture shows this grave housed like a small mosque).

“The holy Lands found in the Yildiz Albums are different from what you see today. This is so mainly because of the different forms of government, legal systems and ideological system and also because of commercial concerns,” reads the introduction of Mecca-Medina.

“There are few traces of the Ottomans left in Mecca and Medina today, therefore the album holds a special significance as a record of the four centuries of Ottoman service to Islam.”

The album first introduces Lebanon, the main port from which pilgrims disembarked to continue their pilgrimage by land. The governorship of Lebanon, the special administrative status of Mecca and Medina, the caravans, the Hijaz Railway are widely depicted in these albums.

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Islamic education to include greater priority for tolerance

Afshan Ahmed

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DUBAI // A new Islamic education curriculum with greater focus on respecting and engaging with people of other faiths will be introduced to government schools from next year.

The Ministry of Education has developed textbooks and teaching material for Islamic and Arabic subjects that will focus on both national identity and community integration.

The changes will be phased in, with modifications to the Arabic syllabus in grades 1, 8 and 9 and Islamic education in grades 1 to 5.

"The topic of discussion all around the world now is about developing a peaceful and cooperative society," said Sheikha Khulood Al Qassimi, the director of the ministry's curriculum department.

"One of the main teachings of Islam is tolerance and unity, and this must be strongly reinforced in every lesson."

Sheikha Khulood said pupils would be given more projects and made to become involved in community service to teach them Islamic values and cultural awareness.

"We live in a diverse society in the UAE and pupils have to learn to live and accept others from all religions and nationalities," she said.

Teachers will also be trained to apply modern methods and technology including teaching online, interactive sessions, giving more priority to research-based assignments, and community activities.

Aatef Alkadiri, an Islamic supervisor of public schools in Ras Al Khaimah, said educators had been waiting for the curriculum to be modified for some time.

"Teaching cannot be confined to the textbook and must emphasise on a continuous learning process by a link to the virtual world," he said.

Mr Alkadiri added the course should be aligned to technological advancement so pupils could learn for themselves about their faith and other cultures.

"The role of the teacher is to facilitate and give them the right information, and make them more accepting to others ideas as well," he said.

Many federal and private universities in the UAE have started to incorporate interfaith dialogue and discussions in their agenda, but experts say such principles should be instilled at a young age.

Sumaya Al Balooshi, 25, an Emirati professional, this year took part in a cultural-exchange programme organised by the Al Maktoum College of Higher Education in Dundee, Scotland.

Ms Al Balooshi said UAE schools should increase their efforts to expose children to different societies.

"It was not until the programme that I was made aware of the ideology behind others faiths," she said. "We are obliged to understand others' point of view in the context of their background."

Since 2003, more than 400 female students from UAE and Qatar universities have been part of the scholarship programme.

The university, which is sponsored by Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid, the Minister of Finance, highlights the Government's push towards multiculturalism.

Ms Al Balooshi said if young people were not raised with such concepts, they could suffer from misconceptions.

"Understanding the principles of others' religions makes you a better human being and allows for better communication and relationships," she said.

Dr Hassan Tairab, an associate professor of curriculum instruction at the faculty of education at the UAE University (UAEU), agreed diversity brings understanding.

"Unfortunately, there is no prescribed curriculum that teaches topics like tolerance, equity and respect," Dr Tairab said. "Therefore, Islam should be taught in a way that focuses on its broad perspectives of developing human values too."

He said that when school graduates took up Islamic education at UAEU they were well versed in many aspects of the religion.

"But children do not only learn at school, so interaction with the community to appreciate the different races and ethnic backgrounds to encourage an openness and appreciation among them should be encouraged."

Some private schools have been connecting pupils with world faiths through the Face to Faith initiative of the Tony Blair Faith Foundation, which was brought to the Emirates by Gems, the country's largest private education provider.

Sian Rowles, the coordinator of the programme in the UAE, said 14 schools were involved and it was hoped to also involve government schools.

"In the programme, children video-conference with peers across the world on topics like unity, solidarity and role of women," said Ms Rowles, who also heads student development at Jumeirah College.

"They talk about how they live in their community and how they can work in collection and collaboration."

The school programme is conducted in 17 countries to foster dialogue skills in children aged between 12 and 17, to prevent conflict and stereotypes.

Ms Rowles said the aim was to engage in deeper, respectful dialogue.

"In the sessions they talk about their thoughts and beliefs, which helps to shatter a lot of illusions as well," she said.

"In some countries, the government is keen on introducing this into their national curriculum as well."

aahmed@thenational.ae

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Sharjah Islamic Bank Sukuk Issuance Receives Huge Response

The road shows launched last week by Sharjah Islamic Bank (SIB) to mark the Bank’s Sukuk issuance have been a resounding success, according to Bank CEO HE Mohammed Abdullah. The issuance of the US dollar-denominated Sukuk (Islamic bonds) is expected to close today (Wednesday 18 May 2011), and be listed on the London Stock Exchange.
The CEO’s remarks followed meetings between SIB management and investors, including investment portfolios, finance companies and banks in the Middle East, Asia and Europe, where the Sukuk issuance received a great response.
The value of the Sukuk will be announced right after subscription closes on Wednesday.
Ahmed Saad, SIB Deputy CEO and head of the Sukuk campaign, said, “The road shows launched by SIB to promote the Sukuk issuance have garnered a lot of attention, and there has been huge demand from all segments of investors in the countries in which the road shows took place – a fact that we take as a positive sign for the success of the bond issue.”
Saad explained that the road shows – which have been undertaken by the Bank’s team, including Saeed Al Amiri, Head of Investment Group, and Anver Jalaldeen, Head of Capital Investment, as well as representatives from joint lead managers HSBC and Standard Chartered – were launched in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, from where they travelled to Asia, including Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, and Hong Kong during the first week of the promotion, moving on to the final leg of the tour in Europe this week and holding several meetings in London.
“Investors have expressed their confidence in the rewarding investment potential of this Sukuk, and SIB’s financial position as well as its ability to seize promising opportunities in the market and achieve future growth,” Saad continued, adding that this clearly demonstrates SIB’s strong financial position, as well as the influential economic position of the UAE and the great support given to the financial and banking sector in the country.
Saad also stated that the volume and value of the Sukuk issuance will be determined by SIB’s joint lead managers after the completion of the road shows and the closing of the subscription today (Wednesday).
“The positive response to the road shows has exceeded our expectations, but at the same time it is normal and well-matched to the financial strength of the bank, which was one of the first banks to have its rating raised by Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services during the global financial crisis. This positive response reflects SIB’s strong performance and our ability to generate profits, based on a combination of our solid financial position in the market, adequate capital, and good financing and liquidity standards, in addition to our conservative policy, which is guaranteed to safeguard the rights of our shareholders and clients,” the Deputy CEO added.
This is the second Sukuk issuance from Sharjah Islamic Bank, after its first successful issuance in 2006.
Since its successful transition from conventional to Islamic banking in 2002, Sharjah Islamic Bank has offered a variety of Shari’a-compliant products that cater to the needs of individuals, companies, institutions, as well as investment and international banking services. As a result of well considered strategies and careful planning based on risk management and cost control, SIB has seen unprecedented growth. The bank currently has 24 branches located across the UAE, in addition to more than 100 ATM and deposit machines installed in residential districts and other vital areas such as shopping malls and entertainment centres.

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