Andalucian studies and dialogue center starts activities in Rabat

The Rabat-based center of Andalucian studies and dialogue between civilizations has started its activities, members of the center executive council announced in Rabat Thursday.

The center, an international and non-governmental cultural institution, is open to intellectuals from Arab states, Spain and other peace and inter-cultural dialogue loving countries who are interested by Andalucian studies and inter-civilization dialogue, as stipulated by the center statutes.

Saudi minister of higher education and chairman of the center executive council, Khaled Al-Ankari, told reporters in Rabat Thursday the idea to set up the center was brought up some three years ago by Moroccan and Saudi intellectuals during the Saudi University days held in Morocco.

The center secretary general, Abbas El-Jirari, made a presentation on the institution which seeks, he said, to encourage studies on Arab-Islamic civilization in Andalucia and on dialogue between civilizations. The center is projecting to institute an annual prize to reward Andalucian studies and to issue a specialized publication.

The center is also projecting to launch a website and to create a museum to preserve the Arab-Islamic civilizational heritage of Andalucia.

The center is financed by donations by King Mohammed VI of Morocco, King fahd Ibn Abdelaziz of Saudi Arabia, and Prince Abdelaziz Ben Fahd. Several universities and research centers in Europe, the united States, Japan and other countries have voiced readiness to contribute to financing the center activities, said assistant secretary general and treasurer of the center, Othmane Yassine Rouaf, who is member of the Saudi choura council.