“Islamic Art in the Face of Extremism”, a symposium held in the Supreme Council of Culture

CAIRO – 23 November 2020: Egypt’s Supreme Council of Culture held a symposium entitled "Islamic Art in the Face of Extremism", organized by the History and Antiquities Committee of the Supreme Council of Culture.

The symposium was held in conjunction with the International Day of Islamic Art, within the framework of the Egyptian Ministry of Culture's celebration of this occasion, as the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) allocated November 18 of every year to become an international day for ancient Islamic art that was formed over 14 centuries, and is still renewed and combined with all the cultures of the world at large.

Dean of the Faculty of Archeology at Cairo University Ahmed Ragab said that Islamic art did not know selfishness or extremism, and it also did not know the lack of dialogue with others, rather, it was always keen to be accommodating to others, and it was always the object of love from others.

Ragab further stated that the true message of art in general is that it is a tool for bringing people of the world together and not distancing them apart, and indeed Islamic art was as well, a tool for spreading love, spreading peace, and gathering humans, not separating them.

Director General of Archaeological Research, Studies and Scientific Publishing in South Sinai at the Ministry of Antiquities Abdel-Rahim Rihan, Professor of Islamic Archeology and Arts at the Faculty of Archeology, Cairo University Abdel Aziz Salah and Professor of Islamic Archeology, Faculty of Archeology, Fayoum University Ahmed Amin also participated in the symposium which was moderated by Ahmed Ragab the Dean of the Faculty of Archaeology in Cairo University.