Issue No. 611
Opinion
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7 - 13 November 2002 Issue No. 611 Opinion |
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 | Recommend this page | ||
Mind and money
The Arab Thought Foundation, ATF, brainchild of Saudi poet and prince Khalid Al-Faisal, was created a year ago as a gesture of solidarity between money and intellect, offering a chance for Arab businessmen to stimulate science, sponsor art and generally encourage creativity. The ATF was thinking big. It was supposed to further research in sciences of the future, pay homage to pioneers of the past, preserve heritage, encourage unity, and generally make the Arabs feel and look better.
Last week the ATF held its first conference. And the event turned out to be a series of lectures discussing long- standing political issues in the same old tone. Was this a case of money over mind, or of governmental mindsets triumphing over the individual?
The ATF was an attempt at creating, or reviving, a process of Islamic mortmain, one that allows the rich to donate part of their wealth for the greater public good. As such it is a commendable effort. In reality, however, the rich insisted on running the ATF themselves, on the grounds that many of them are intellectually disposed or even gifted. As a result for a whole year, the ATF failed to set for itself a clearly defined path or get anything done. It succeeded in fund raising, perhaps. But many still regard it, wrongly, as a Saudi media association.
My own view is that the ATF is not going to be effective unless it separates finance and management. The latter should be assigned to a team of Arab intellectuals left to act without outside interference. Otherwise, it will remain an uncomfortable liaison between money and, well, money.
This week's Soapbox speaker is editor- in-chief of the weekly Al-Qahira, published by the Ministry of Culture.
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