RABAT, 15 July — Prince Abdul Aziz ibn Fahd, state minister and chief of the court for the Presidency of Cabinet affairs, yesterday inaugurated here the Center for Andalusian Studies and Dialogue between Civilizations.
At the opening ceremony, he announced the center’s plan to institute an international annual prize for best research on Andalus. He also stressed the importance of bringing out an encyclopedia on Andalus.
Prince Abdul Aziz commended the center’s efforts to organize seminars and studies on Andalusian culture and translate books and documents related to Islamic culture in the Spanish city.
"The main objectives of the center are to promote cultural dialogue between Muslims and other communities and highlight the message of Islam, which is a religion of peace, justice and mercy," the prince said.
He said that those who link Islam with terrorism are totally ignorant of the divine religion. He hoped that the Rabat center would realize the hopes and aspirations of the Muslim nation.
Dr. Abbas Al-Jerary, secretary-general of the center and special adviser to Morocco’s King Muhammad V1, commended Prince Abdul Aziz’s support for the center.
He emphasized the importance of imbibing the Andalusian culture of tolerance in modern times.
The center for Andalusian studies is a non-governmental organization which has received support from both Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd and King Muhammad VI.
Dr. Khaled Al-Anqari, Saudi minister of higher education, is the chairman of the center’s executive council.
The center promotes studies on Islamic and Arab culture in Andalus and publishes books related to Andalusian studies. It plans to establish a specialized library on Andalus.
