"Darkness is faced with light. Light is the true word, the luminous science, and the culture that can fill empty minds."

His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, at the opening of the Sharjah International Book Fair, November 2017.

His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, recently summarized the validity of the idea of cultural development that the Emirate of Sharjah worked on for decades, and the Book Fair was one of its pillars, and its annual global gatherings. The idea of knowledge and science, nurturing and developing minds to be the winning horse against every race or stormy flood of ideas facing today's young people, with the great media and technological development.

The idea that Sharjah followed, and put it as an approach, is culture and knowledge. The various institutions that contributed to the dissemination of the culture of reading, learning and love of the book, the vocabulary that combines to form the concept: the light.

The light, as defined by His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah, is the truthful word, and honesty here includes all actions and words. This is what makes a person fruitful in his work and his dealings, so that the results are good for the service of society and the country.

The light is a culture that can fill up empty minds. intellectual block is the most dangerous thing can be exposed human. Then the mind can receive any idea, especially wrong thoughts, which is what His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah meant by darkness at the beginning of his speech.

His Highness, the Ruler of Sharjah, says that if truthful words, luminous knowledge and culture are combined, then there is no fear of darkness for a person. Darkness will never be able to envelop this educated, enlightened, and honest mind. This is what Sharjah worked on to ensure an educated individual who loves science and knowledge, and lives on honesty and culture.

Sharjah's bet was to spread science and knowledge, so that the person would be the safety valve of society against all wrong and negative ideas that only bring backwardness, regression and human abuse in all its forms.