The Arab Cultural Club honors Beirut Arab University

Within the Beirut International Book Exhibition, the Arab Cultural Club launched its program with the Beirut Arab University honorary symposium on December 3rd, 2011 that was presented by Prof. Ghazi Yamout who touched on the history of BAU. The symposium was attended by Professor Amr Galal El-Adawi, President of Beirut Arab University; Dr. Mohamed Majzoub, and Professor Hassan Hallak, in the presence of former Prime Minister Fouad Siniora; Mohammed Tawfiq, Ambassador of Egypt in Lebanon; Deputy Ammar Houri; Issam Houri, BAU Secretary-General; Deans of BAU faculties and lecturers, and a large crowd of graduates, President and Board of Trustees of “Al Ber wal Ehsan” Association, in addition to a crowd of figures and those concerned with academia and culture.

After the Lebanese national anthem and the university anthem, Fadi Tamim, President of the Arab Cultural Club, gave a welcoming speech.

Then the academic historian Hassan Hallak presented the development stages of Beirut Arab University, back to the date when “Al Ber wal Ehsan” Association started planning for the establishment of educational institutions in the area that was known as “Mahalat Al-Ramel” that later became known as “Tareek Al-Jadidah”. The Association had also established two primary schools followed by the first secondary school in Beirut which was called “Jamil Rawas School” followed by building a college next to “Al-Ramel Prison”.

Dr. Mohammad Majzoub considered that the Lebanese should be proud that they contributed to the development of human civilization with two accomplishments: the invention of the alphabet, and reverence for the idea of Law, that are still fresh in the Lebanese souls and transactions. The construction of the Faculty of Law at Beirut Arab University was a consecration and a consolidation of the second contribution in recognition of the supremacy of Law and its impact on the progress of nations.

He considered that the role that has always been played by the Arabic Faculty of Law in Beirut in terms of bright intellectuality in the area of law is reflected in a variety of outstanding accomplishments: The Arabization of Law study and breaking the unilateralism of teaching in a foreign language only; standardization of terminology and concepts and legal content in our national language; enriching the Legal Rights library in Lebanon with the most outstanding product of Law ideology in the areas of studies and research, interpretations and comparisons, opinions and attitudes, and the extension of intellectualization of the Faculty to reach several Arab countries in the East and West.

Professor Amr Galal El-Adawi commenced his speech by thanking the Arab Cultural Club for its honoring initiative. He expressed that the club has always had people who enriched the Lebanese and Arabic culture. Those had a strong belief that when members practice the culture of their societies, their culture becomes the means to their society’s sustaining its civilization.

President Fouad Siniora spoke about the university and said: I have personally lived the stages that Lebanon passed through to establish this huge university especially that it provided chances for tens of thousands of Lebanese, Palestinian and Syrian students. The University has filled a major gap by providing opportunities and thus solutions for people who had planned for their future, and thus became a location for intellectual, academic and cultural attraction. The university succeeded not only through the center in “Tareek Al-Jadidah”, but also by expanding its premises to become an educational landmark in Lebanon and the Arab region. Opening colleges and branches in the different regions of Lebanon, BAU has succeeded in providing excellent opportunities for areas that suffered from lack of opportunities.

Mr. Siniora also said: I do note the role played by the university and the role played by Prof. Amr El-Adawi.

He concluded his speech saying: We hope that Egypt will be back to normal to be the leader of the nation with the movement of “Arab Spring” and move forward to a future with the brothers in the Arab Countries. All the appreciation to the Arab Republic of Egypt and to the cherished memory of President Jamal Abdel Nasser and the role he played in the awakening of the nation with his famous saying: “lift your head up my Arab brother”.

At the end of the ceremony, the Arab Cultural Club offered Beirut Arab University the Honoring Shield, whereby the latest in its turn presented also for the Arab Cultural Club a Shield of Appreciation for their kind gesture.

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