MUSCAT: The Family and Value Building Symposium was launched on Sunday under the slogan 'Opportunities and Challenges'. It discussed the issue of contemporary changes surrounding the family and steps to instill good values in children.
The three-day event was organised by the Imam Jabir bin Zaid Waqf Foundation under the auspices of Dr Abdullah bin Nasser al Harrasi, Minister of Information.
A group of scholars and specialists presented papers to discuss the subject, find solutions and draw a road map.
Shaikh Aflah bin Ahmed al Khalili delivered the opening speech on behalf of His Eminence Shaikh Ahmed bin Hamad al Khalili, the Grand Mufti of the Sultanate of Oman. "The name of the symposium came from the principle that the family is the first building block of society. The strength of society and its relationship with each other is determined on the strength of family. The individual must have a family, and a family must have a community, and through their meeting, cooperation, and harmony, they strengthen each other's support and fulfil each other's needs.” Shaikh Khalil bin Ahmed al Khalili, Chairman of Imam Jabir bin Zaid Waqf Foundation, said: “The world is an endless cycle of change in all aspects of life, a world in which the goals of competition and influence compete. The family is not far away from these tensions. It is no longer a secret that there is a persistent effort to break up the family and destroy its entity.” Al Khalili also referred to the interest of His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik, in the family, and mentioned that His Majesty the Sultan has given the family special attention. HM the Sultan always gave priority to upbringing of children, and the need to to strengthen the value system in Omani society.
Dr Raya al Munthrya, Associate Professor of Sultan Qaboos University, said, "This seminar came to deliver a direct and implicit message to society as a whole that the family is the foundation of construction and the basis for making positive changes. This seminar focuses our challenges on values and how we elevate humans intellectually by enhancing their values primarily.” During the symposium, the Ministry of Social Development will hold a session entitled ‘Disturbing ideas and their impact on young people: challenges and solutions’, which will be held on February 6 for students aged 15 to 17 years.
In the first session of the day Shaikh Dr Kahlan bin Nabhan al Kharousi, Assistant to the Grand Mufti of Oman, discussed the importance of the family in the evolution of civilisation.
Dr Abu Zaid al Idrissi, an Islamic scholar; Dr Farida Zomoroda, of Al Qarawiyyin University, Morocco; Dr Bahamed Arvis of Ghardaia University, Algeria; and Dr Jassim al Mutawa, a Kuwaiti journalist and expert in the educational and family fields, also spoke in other sessions.
By Afrah al Balushi & Ahmed al Kaabi
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