Al Qasimia University concludes first ICMD

Jamal Al Tarifi, Al Qasimia University's Head, Dr. Awwad Al Khalaf, Al Qasimia University's Acting Director, and members of the University's Board of Trustees attended the conference. The conference drew 194 scientists and professionals from 31 Arab and non-Arab nations.

The conference opened with a speech by Dr. Awwad Al-Khalaf, Director of the University, in which he expressed his heartfelt gratitude to His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, for his generous support of the event. He thanked the President of Al Qasimia University for his directives to develop the university.

He stated in his speech that manuscripts form an important part of the nation's legacy and history, and that it must be preserved, cared for, and protected.

Then, Dr. Adam Abdullah, delivered  a speech on behalf of the main speaker, José Luis Cardoso, Director of the Institute of Social Sciences at the University of Lisbon, affirming that the Lisbon Institute of Sciences is proud of preserving a rich collection of original Arabic manuscripts and making digital copies of them available for viewing in the House of Islamic Manuscripts at Al Qasimia University. He emphasized that   the Academy looks forward to expanding its collaboration with Al Qasimia University, making collections of Arabic manuscripts available through the open access initiative, and working to guarantee the best possible conditions for their preservation.

Then, Jamal Al-Tarifi, accompanied by Prof. Dr. Awwad Al-Khalaf, honoured the conference's attendees, presenters, and participating and supporting entities.

The conference programme covered several focuses, most notably manuscript digitization, its evolution and value, the reality of manuscript preservation, national, Arab, and worldwide perspectives on manuscript digitisation, difficulties, solutions, and experiences with manuscript digitisation.

Among the conference recommendations was a call to consider establishing legal and ethical controls that regulate the process of free access to digitized manuscripts without infringing on intellectual property rights, as well as benefiting from joint cooperation between institutions interested in Arabic manuscripts, which contributes to manuscript digitization and preservation.