In her speech, Al Khater drew attention to the arts of debate in poetry and literature and between Muslim scholars and Orientalists, and how these debates were like “intellectual wars” that enriched cultural life, deepened awareness of various issues and contributed to the development of skills, arts, sciences and language.
Her Excellency noted the role of the QatarDebate Center in reviving the culture of debate, extending platforms and expanding partnerships, while highlighting its role in disseminating the culture of debate in the Arabic language in various countries of the world, spreading the Arabic language among non-native speakers, and raising the level of language and logical arguments among Arabs and others from other nations, as well as its role in establishing academic programs in many countries.
HE the Minister of State for International Cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs hoped that this conference will bear fruit and achieve its goal of being a comprehensive platform for researchers and those interested in the sciences and arts of debating.
Speakers in the panel discussion entitled “Debate institutions around the world: role and impact” stressed the importance of the art of debates in confronting argument with another, critical thinking, discussing current topics and issues, and analyzing and understanding the evidence. They praised the QatarDebate Center for the establishment of their centers and benefiting from it in adapting their activities according to the requirements and conditions of their communities.
They noted the role of the QatarDebate Center in spreading the culture of diversity, difference, argumentative debate and constructive dialogue, and how it contributed to helping them transfer dialogue and debate from elite society to the general public, building peace and creating an environment conducive to debates, which enhanced critical dialogue and community participation and made the intellectual environment more sustainable and developed.
The speakers reviewed their experiences in establishing debate centers in their countries as well as the factors for their continuity despite the multiplicity of races, cultures, religions and languages in their countries, noting awards they obtained locally, regionally and internationally and their ability to include the art of debate in educational curricula in schools and universities and to widely spread this culture in cooperation with educational, social and governmental institutions, a matter which made debate a way of life, not only between people, but also between institutions and their employees, attributing that to QatarDebate and its role in supporting their centers and activities.
Source: Qatar News Agency
