Young researchers come under one roof

The first Euro-Arab Meeting for Young Researchers in Social Sciences was inaugurated in the Kingdom yesterday.

Shaikha Hala bint Mohammed Al Khalifa, Director of Culture and Arts at Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities (BACA) welcomed the gathering on behalf of Shaikha Mai bint Mohammed Al Khalifa, the chairperson of BACA. Shaikha Hala stated that the meeting was aimed at instilling the culture of dialogue among youth.

Tahar Labib, Honorary President, Arab Sociological Association, said that Bahrain, though being a small island, has wide cultural antiquities and a long-established history. He also hailed the role of Shaikha Mai in organizing the event, which will conclude on October 25.

Commenting on Arab-Europe relations, Roberto Cipriani, Professor of Sociology, Roma Tre University, Italy, said that though there are misunderstandings among cultures. The fact that the Arabs were in Europe for almost 700 years couldn’t be denied. Arabs left Europe the same year, when Columbus discovered America, he said. Meanwhile, the Italian social scientist asked the participants to suspend their judgments in order to be open-minded listeners.

As many as 20 researchers from 12 countries are participating in the event, which will focus on various issues related to social science.