Peace Readers Forum Fest to be launched today

Manama : A five-day Peace Readers Forum Festival will be launched in Bahrain’s City Centre Mall today in a bid to promote its “Reading for Peace” initiative.  

The first-of-its-kind event outside the UAE will be held jointly by Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for World Peace and International Peace Institute Middle East and North Africa in cooperation with Majid Al Futtaim Group.

The announcement was made by Sultan Buti Bin Mejren Al Marri, the Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the MRAWP, while delivering a presentation on “Peace Readers Forum” hosted by IPI MENA yesterday.

“Arabs and Muslims should put further effort to strengthen peace around the world,” Al Marri said. He also called on the younger generation to adhere to their right to education.

Meanwhile, IPI MENA Director Nejib Friji called for co-operation between the Arab countries on peace-based educational programmes.

At Friji’s initiative, the audience observed a moment of silence in memory of victims of terrorism and in particular the French priest Jacques Hamel, who was killed by terrorists on Tuesday. He recalled that Hamel and his church had donated a piece of land to the Muslim community to build a mosque in 2000.

The forum was held in line with Abu Dhabi’s declaration of 2016 as the UAE Reading Year. As part of it, MRAWP launched two initiatives focusing on the importance of reading in Arabic language: “Pulpits of Peace Readers” and “Peace Libraries.” 

“Pulpits of Peace Readers” relies on mobile electronic platforms, which allows visitors to read book summery and select books. Based on the selection, the platform will allow them to sit on respective seats where the books will be ready to read. These platforms will be moved from one mall to another in all the Emirates of UAE and the Gulf
countries.

On the other hand, “Peace Libraries” are small libraries located at residential complexes, based on the idea of “taking a book and leaving another,”

In addition to advocating “Reading for Peace,” IPI MENA is building on the UAE initiative aimed at an integrated national literacy strategy and a framework to produce a “reading generation.”

IPI MENA’s Adam Jade Kadia, who is possibly the youngest writer devoted to peace, also addressed the audience from France via Skype. He expressed hope that the “Peace Readers Forum,” arriving in Manama would allow Bahrain’s to read, write and work together to make this world a better place.