Islam’s true values in museum
Güncelleme Tarihi:
AFP
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Kasım 24, 2008 00:00
DOHA - The new Museum of Islamic Arts in the Qatari capital aims to show that Islam is a religion of "tolerance" and not "terrorism," guests were told at the opening ceremony Saturday.
Built on an artificial island 60 meters from the Doha Corniche, the museum houses 800 artistic and historical treasures from three continents, illustrating Islamic culture from the seventh to the 19th centuries.
"We want to show that Islam is a peaceful civilization, which has always called for tolerance and coexistence amongst different peoples," Sheikha Al-Mayassa, daughter of the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, told journalists.
Islam is "a religion of tolerance, knowledge and civilization and not of terrorism," she said. The gas-rich Gulf state wants to "highlight the values of the Muslim civilization and the role of that civilization in bringing together cultures and human values," said Sheikha Al-Mayassa, president of the Qatar museums authority.
Among the guests at the inauguration were Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Gulf leaders, as well as Arab and foreign celebrities such as Robert De Niro. The five-story building, designed by Chinese-American architect Ieoh Ming Pei, whose other projects have included the Pyramide du Louvre in Paris, also houses exhibition halls, a library and an education center, Al-Mayasse said.
Qatar has few archaeological sites but sees the new museum as the first of a series of museums it plans to build.
"The Museum of Islamic Arts is the first stage in a project aimed a making Doha a world-famous cultural capital," said Abdullah al-Najjar, executive president of the Qatar museums authority.
"We want to show that Islam is a peaceful civilization, which has always called for tolerance and coexistence amongst different peoples," Sheikha Al-Mayassa, daughter of the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, told journalists.
Islam is "a religion of tolerance, knowledge and civilization and not of terrorism," she said. The gas-rich Gulf state wants to "highlight the values of the Muslim civilization and the role of that civilization in bringing together cultures and human values," said Sheikha Al-Mayassa, president of the Qatar museums authority.
Among the guests at the inauguration were Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Gulf leaders, as well as Arab and foreign celebrities such as Robert De Niro. The five-story building, designed by Chinese-American architect Ieoh Ming Pei, whose other projects have included the Pyramide du Louvre in Paris, also houses exhibition halls, a library and an education center, Al-Mayasse said.
Qatar has few archaeological sites but sees the new museum as the first of a series of museums it plans to build.
"The Museum of Islamic Arts is the first stage in a project aimed a making Doha a world-famous cultural capital," said Abdullah al-Najjar, executive president of the Qatar museums authority.