Questions & answers on the Arabs’ reality (3-3) [Archives:2006/954/Opinion]

Prof. Abdulaziz Al-Tarb
The difference between the legitimate strife and that swerving from the right course is that the legitimate struggle has its own rules and codes of ethics and has its own many characteristics. More important of these characteristics are the unanimity, issuance of opinions from good and versed sources that are fully understanding the facts of life and religion as well as working to avert dangers and to subdue seditions and to support the nation's interests. Unfortunately, we have been experiencing exploitation of opinions in favor of and for political ends. Enemies managed to use those opinions as pretexts and excuses for the implementation of their concocted intentions and goals. The most apparent examples in this regard are what we witness at present of disasters in Lebanon, Palestine and Iraq.

An answer to the question related to the first mistake in education to be corrected is the state of individualism and egoism dominating the education process. We have been suffering for long from these two plagues at all levels, both in the private and public sectors. The spirit of team work is absent from any work or project and the society of enemies of success is widening its circle. It is working on destroying any successful work; deform the image of any successful man and to hinder the building of any project. We will end up as finished unless we abandon these two plagues and adopt the principle of teamwork that is harmonious and cohesive. Related to this is also the cause of absence of creativity. There are many causes for the absence of creativity which is a shameful aspect in our life. The mistakes committed over decades have resulted in the brain drain. It is a human, economic and scientific exhaustion unprecedented in any nation of the world. That has produced depletion of the water of life and spaces of hope for the youth got narrow. Other reasons begin with the ossified educational curricula, absence of intensive care, nonexistence of creation opportunities and loss of interest in establishment of research centers and allocation of huge appropriations for them as it is done in advanced countries. Another main reason is that of not keeping pace with the age of the revolution of technology of science and communication. That has led to this backwardness. There are now serious attempts to catch up with the march and reform the failure. Nevertheless, not to draw a special strategy for encouraging creativity and care for the talented would remain the fundamental factor of the absence of creation indefinitely.

This situation leads us to the question related to the role of the Arab media. We are now at the age of the media, especially that of satellite and internet. This has doubled the duties of media men and increased the danger of information in all walks of life partticularly in the area of enlightenment and guidance and the formation of the society's personality, negatively and positively. He is very mistaken who thinks that the role of the media is confined to entertainment and conveyance of the piece of information and event. It is particularly so with regard to going too far in the spread of trivialities and rendering the media industry to a negative factor encouraging deviation and contributing to superficiality of brains and misleading the youth. The media are a goal and constructive role contributing to rectifying the mistakes and dissemination of knowledge. The media role is also to raise the level of audience and present the best as well as unifying the word and, fighting sedition and putting an end to those who use information as a Trojan horse to infiltrate into the nation's body for the spread of diseases.

Another important and urgent question is that related to the duty of the woman towards the society and the society's duty towards the woman. The woman constitutes half and more of the society. Her role defines her duties in bringing up generations and educating her children in a good way. She would encourage her children to go after science and knowledge and entertain commendable morals. An Arab poet once described the great role of the woman by indicating that the good care in bringing up the woman produces good generations. The woman is an essential knuckle in entity of the society, without it there is no renascence in the society. However, her role as a good mother must not cancel her other role in the society especially the social, scientific, cultural and charitable contributions as well as in decision-making. How come we brush her off this matter and then ask her to produce for us sensible human and good generation capable of shouldering the responsibility? Therefore this defect should be cured. Every individual has to shoulder his responsibility in carrying out his duties and gaining his rights. The woman is the pillar of the society, the family, the homeland and the nation. The situations will not be corrected and good unless she obtains her essential rights, which are very many, the religion of Islam has approved for her and gave the guarantee of dignified life and the distinguished role.

This is a little number of questions and answers. In each question there is a space for thousands of articles and each answer represents an in brief image on the reality and conditions of the nation, hoping that in submitting them there is a call for conducting detailed and frank dialogue on their meanings and expansion in deriving one thousand questions and one that may not be enough to explain the suffering and emphasis on the necessities of coming out of this dark tunnel where our nation is hiding.

Prof. Abdulaziz Al-Tarb is an economist and a professor of Political Science. He is the head of a number of professional associations, such as the Arab Group for Investment and Development.
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