Book Review Ceremony Held to Mark Afghanistan’s Independence Days
On Monday, 26 Asad 1405 (5 Rabi al-Awwal 1448 AH A book review ceremony was held on Monday in the presence of Minister of Information and Culture Sheikh Shir Ahmad Haqqani to promote a culture of reading and scholarship. The ceremony was organized by the Directorate of Calligraphy of the Holy Quran and Bayhaqi Book Publishing to review The Conspiracies of the Jews and Al-Bay'ah wa al-Ta'ah fi al-Islam.
The ceremony was attended by Deputy Minister for Publications Affairs Mohajer Farahi; directors of the Ministry of Information and Culture’s central departments; representatives of government institutions; writers, cultural figures, researchers and literary scholars; young people; as well as representatives of the media and journalists.
At the beginning of the ceremony, Mawlawi Mohammad Tahir Azizi, head of the Annual Affairs Department of the Directorate of Calligraphy of the Holy Quran and Bayhaqi Book Publishing, spoke about the purpose of the event. He said the review would provide an opportunity for comprehensive discussions on the content, academic value and publication needs of various books. He added that books serve as guides and preserve history, emphasizing that Islam is also preserved and transmitted through books.
Speaking at the ceremony, Minister of Information and Culture Sheikh Shir Ahmad Haqqani highlighted the importance of reading and benefiting from the knowledge and experience contained in books. He said people should strive to expand their knowledge through reading and share valuable ideas and objectives with others through books and other useful written works.
Mr. Haqqani called on authors to focus on useful and relevant subjects when writing their works so that readers and society could benefit from them. He assured participants that comprehensive support and cooperation would be provided to publishers, booksellers, writers and literary figures, and that further efforts would be made to address their challenges. He also said that jihad-era works and writings would be collected, preserved and published so that they could be passed on to future generations and those interested in them.
During the ceremony, Deputy Minister for Publications Affairs Mohajer Farahi said the Kabul Machine House had been transferred to the Ministry of Information and Culture in accordance with the directive of the Amir al-Mu'minin (may Allah protect him). He added that, based on a decision by the Ministry, the facility had been designated for publishers and booksellers.
According to Mr. Farahi, writers, young people, and other members of the literary and intellectual community should also play their part in promoting a culture of reading and book readership, as Afghan society has a pressing need for books, reading and writing.
The Deputy Minister called on participants to share their views, proposals and recommendations with the relevant authorities to further strengthen the publishing and literary sector.
Later, Mohammad Rafiq Sajistani; Mawlawi Amir Jan Saqib, Deputy Head of the Technical and Natural Sciences Division of the Afghanistan Academy of Sciences; Qazi Pamir Sahibzada, Director of the Licensing Department of the Ministry of Public Health; Mufti Latifullah Hakimi, Inspector General of the Ministry of Defense; and Mufti Mahmoud al-Hassan Mahmoud, Adviser to the Ministry of Higher Education, delivered comprehensive remarks on the importance and value of books. They discussed the content of books and academic works, the proper citation of sources and references, as well as the importance of a clear structure, subject matter, introduction, main body and conclusion.
At the conclusion of the programme, The Conspiracies of the Jews and Al-Bay'ah wa al-Ta'ah fi al-Islam were introduced and reviewed. The speakers discussed the content and objectives of the two books and highlighted the importance of reading and benefiting from academic and research works.
