(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Sanaullah Ataullah |The Peninsula
Doha, Qatar: A seminar held yesterday in Doha stressed developing awareness programmes tailored to each age group to enhance political and national awareness.
The panellists also called for involving young people in the planning and implementation of these programmes to ensure their effective participation.
They noted that national affiliation is more prominent among individuals with high levels of education who actively participate in local political life, and interest in politics is an indicator of the strength of national identity.
The seminar titled 'Cultural Diversity and the Challenges of Change: The Role of Legislative Councils in Preserving the Gulf Identity' was organised by Shura Council in cooperation with GCC General Secretariat.
The event was attended by a group of experts and legislators, and a number of senior officials and specialists. The seminar was moderated by Ghanem Saad Al Humaidi, a curriculum expert at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education. The speakers stressed the importance of the Gulf identity, reviewing the ancient history and deep ties between the GCC countries, which include religion, language, and common heritage, and the role of legislative councils in supporting that identity.
In the first session of the seminar, which focused on“Challenges of Change and the Gulf Society's Response to Change,” Senior Research Assistants at Social & Economic Survey Research Institute (SESRI) of Qatar University Fahad Ali Al Boinin and Hend Ibrhaim Al Sulaiti discussed the challenges facing the Gulf society in its response to rapid changes. They stressed the importance of adapting to changes, while maintaining the basic values of society.
Al Buainain, in his research paper, said that national identity has a fundamental importance compared to tribal affiliation, indicating that there is an increase in the feeling of national belonging, especially among the older age groups.
Speaking in the same session, Hend Al Sulaiti said that four main components contribute to the formation of national identity in the Gulf countries, which are: language, religion, local culture (including dress and customs), and national history.
Al Sulaiti's paper indicated that culture, which includes shared ideas, standards, and practices among people in the same geographical region, is considered crucial to shaping national identity.
She said that the Gulf cultural identity faces several challenges, including the influence of foreign relations, economic requirements that affect the composition of the population, and the effects of globalization and social media.
Al Sulaiti said that every Gulf country faces a difficult challenge to preserve its cultural identity with global interaction and the digital era.
To confront the challenges facing Gulf cultural identity, the paper presented by Al Sulaiti made a number of social and legislative recommendations, including embracing cultural pluralism, supporting cultural initiatives, and creating historical encyclopedias for each country.
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