Syrian Arab News Agency S A N A
Damascus, SANA – The need for launching a comprehensive cultural project against extremism was the focus of the national symposium organized Sunday by the Ministry of Culture, with the participation of researchers and intellectual figures from Syria and Lebanon.
The two-day symposium, held at Dar al-Assad for Culture and Arts in Damascus under the title “Culture against terrorism”, discusses two main axes: sources and root causes of terrorism and pillars of the culture confrontation against terrorism.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Minister of Culture Mohamed al-Ahmad said that the enlightened liberal intellectuals are the target of the terrorist takfiri mentality, recalling the names of prominent cultural and scientific figures killed by extremist terrorists under claims of defending religion.
He underlined the important role of intellectuals in confronting lies and superstitious myths of religion the extremists attempt to burden the minds of people with, noting to the work ahead of cultural and educational institutions in order to preserve the enlightened and illusion-free human mentality and support the Syrian army in its war against the takfiri organizations.
For his part, Chairman of the Arab Writers’ Union, Nidal al-Saleh said that for more than 6 years, the Syrian people have remained committed to their homeland and continued to pay the costs for their adherence to the resistance culture and the independent national decision.
In a statement to journalists, Member of the Regional Leadership of the al-Baath Arab Socialist Party, Khalaf al-Miftah, said that terrorism and extremism thrive amid ignorance and that necessitates building a counterterrorism culture based on drying up its sources.
In turn, Syria’s Grand Mufti, Ahmad Badr-Eddin Hassoun, noted that Syria has overcome all strange phenomena and sectarian strives thanks to its people , army and culture.
The first day included studies by researchers Hussam Shu’aib and the Lebanese Joseph Abu Fadel on the intellectual roots of terrorism and terrorism as a tool to implement the Zionist-US domination scheme, where they reviewed the emergence of the takfiri terrorist mentality and stressed the need to counter terrorism in all the Arab states as well as the role of ministers of defense, information, endowment and culture in enlightening societies and putting an end to this phenomenon.
Today’s activities will tackle the relationship between cultural and military confrontations and the role of mass media in shaping the public opinion, combating terrorism, enhancing states’ sovereignty, strengthening the affiliation to the homeland encouraging the culture of dialogue.
R. Raslan / Ghossoun