Culture ministry working on all-out plan for confronting extremist

CAIRO - July 22 (MENA) - Egyptian Culture Minister Inas Abdel Dayem said the ministry is working on a comprehensive strategy for confronting extremist thought.

She made the remarks during an exclusive interview with MENA on the fringe of her participation in Baalbeck International Festival in Lebanon under the theme of "Baalbeck Remembers Umm Kulthum" which honors the most revered legendary singer in Egypt and the entire Arabic-speaking world.

Abdel Dayem said the ministry seeks to upgrade cultural centers to activate their role to be attractive to people of all ages, especially youths, to save them from being victims to extremist ideologies. She noted that the ministry had also opened centers for talented children in various governorates to help them develop their artistic skills.

These centers organize cultural and artistic workshops for youths to help enriching their culture and thoughts, she said. She noted that a project for establishing a huge cultural center in the Sixth of October City - which was suspended for a long time - will be finalized soon, expounding that the center will present almost all activities and arts of Cairo Opera House.

She added that several key cultural events will take place in Egypt this year, referring to ongoing preparations for the Arab culture ministers' meeting in collaboration with the Arab League, the Arabic Music Festival and the Cairo International Film Festival.