Mortal Man, Immortal impacts: A symposium remembers Late Sheikh Zayed
Remembering Zayed on the fourth anniversary of his departure to the eternal world, the Centre of Information Affairs in Abu Dhabi shed light on the immortal values imparted by the mortal man during the span of his life on the face of the planet.
An elite number of researchers and experts on Zayed history participated in the symposium, presenting their studies to inspire an attentive audience.
The symposium entitled 'Zayed the Immortal', also featured rare pictures of the personality which depicted late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan all along his march of nation building.
The participants noted that the thought of the founding leader will remain immortal, stating that neither the new generations in UAE nor the world's nations, however they differ, will forget it.
The pivotal themes of the symposium covered many aspects of the rich and eventful life of late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan. Discussing the topic 'Sheikh Zayed: Sagacious Vision for Promoting Man.' the symposium affirmed that late Sheikh Zayed embraced a firm belief that man, with his physical and mental ability, is the main capital which produces development and progress.
Thus, the late leader worked hard to elevate dignity of man and improve his living standards, said one of the papers presented at the event, indicating that he did this out of his conscious understanding that people cannot change their life or achieve progress without their men being armed with science. The paper quoted late Sheikh Zayed's saying: 'The real wealth is man not money and oil; money is worthless if it isn't used for the benefit of people'.
One of the papers presented at the symposium said that Sheikh Zayed embodied, in his words and deeds, the greatness of the true religion of Islam, with its noble principles and tolerant teachings. The paper pointed out that no other Muslim leader devoted his life to support Muslim issues and defend them as Sheikh Zayed, who built, at his own expense, hundreds of mosques and Islamic centres, institutes, libraries, and schools in the different capitals of the world, with a view to serving Muslim communities and protecting them from alienation and sectarianism.
Another paper shed light on Sheikh Zayed's continuous humanitarian deeds. Late Sheikh Zayed, the paper noted, derived his understanding of benevolent work from the genuine Islamic culture, and the authentic Arab values as well as from his awareness that love and peace cannot spread in this world without equal opportunities and social justice which enable all humanity to live a decent life, based on their right to housing, healthcare, education, and other rights announced in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The paper noted that Sheikh Zayed had comprehended the essence of this declaration before it was announced, because these rights are enjoined in the Islamic teachings and principles, as Allah says in the Quran 2: 274, 'Those who (in charity) spend their wealth by night and by day, in secret and in public, have their reward with their Lord: on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve'.
'Sheikh Zayed's Historic Stands' featured another paper, and pointed out that late Sheikh Zayed's courageous stands were numerous. The paper cited his stand during the 1973 October War, when he made his historic decision to cut oil supplies to countries supporting Israel in the war. ---- MORE---- WAM/AB