Al Qasimia, part of Emirate’s vision to promote tolerant teachings of Islam

 As the UAE and the region mark the crowning of Sharjah as the UNESCO World Book Capital 2019, celebrations at the region’s youngest university, Al Qasimia, have been rather special.

The Al Qasimia Islamic University came into being as part of the emirate’s celebrations as the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation’s Islamic Culture Capital in 2014.

While Sharjah is an epitome of knowledge, scholarship and the best of Islamic civilisation, under the patronage of H.H. Dr. Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, the university is perhaps the most powerful expression of his love of books.

The University library stands witness to Sharjah's love of books and the whole-hearted support of H.H. the Ruler of Sharjah and the President of Al Qasimia University in the pursuit of knowledge and education. The library boasts more than 150,000 books, which were gifted by Sheikh Sultan. Books have always remained a defining cornerstone of Sharjah’s journey of excellence.

Speaking to the Sharjah Government Media Bureau, Dr. Rashad Salem, Chancellor of the Al Qasimia University, underscored the role played by the Ruler of Sharjah in honouring scholars and supporting knowledge and education throughout his long and illustrious rule.

"The entire world has recognised the efforts of the Ruler of Sharjah, patron of the educational renaissance, author, publisher and giver of books, by selecting Sharjah as the World Book Capital 2019. This selection, which makes us all immensely proud of the emirate, marks the culmination of a long history of valuing books and realising the benefits of knowledge.

"As we all celebrate this extraordinary honour of Sharjah’s selection as the World Book Capital 2019, we, at Al Qasimia University, are proud to have been a key part of the great project of the Ruler of Sharjah. This University, itself, demonstrates his extensive experience and knowledge of higher education and represents a gift from Sharjah to the world introducing it to Islam and its tolerant and humane teachings and message," the Chancellor noted.

"We are also proud that the entire Al Qasimia University library is a special gift from the Ruler of Sharjah, which is an honour to the University and its students who come from all over the world," he added.

The library was inaugurated by H.H. Sheikh Sultan following the formal opening of the University on 26th April, 2014. With over 150,000 books, it forms the cornerstone of the university project.

The library is located to the north of the main campus. It has two main entrances, one for male students leading to the ground floor, and another for female students leading to the upper floor of the building. Both entrances lead to electronically protected gates aimed at preserving the property of the library and regulating entry and exit of visitors, who include students from diverse cultural backgrounds and researchers from outside the university.

The library generally aims to achieve the university’s objective of forming a beacon of excellence in higher education and scientific research, seeking to reflect the authenticity of Arab Islamic culture and conveying the legacy and appreciation of the people of Sharjah for knowledge.

Dr Khaled Abusen, Library Affairs Officer at Al Qasimia University, noted, "The library is home to major references in Islamic Sharia, the Arabic language and literature, education, psychology, communication sciences, law, and Islamic and general culture, as well as historical books and the full collection of titles written by His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah on history, geography and culture."

The library contains specialised sections, including cataloguing and classification, provisioning, loaning and reference services, added Dr Abusen.

The contents of the library include various types of references, books, periodicals and magazines that cover those subjects taught at the university. Besides these, the library is engaged in nurturing the skills of students in scientific research and meeting their needs.

The library offers its services to students from within and outside the Al Qasimia University, and to researchers from around the world, given the university is international and attends to different cultures and nationalities. It works to serve its visitors, answer all queries, listen to suggestions and meet their needs. Being aware of the digital transformation sweeping student communities, and their increasing use of social media and the internet, in general, the Al Qasimia University Library has been keen to make its presence known across social networking sites, as well.

As Al Qasimia University attracts students from throughout the world speaking languages other than Arabic, such as English and French, among others, its library offers books on the general culture of Sharjah and the UAE, as well as books on the Islamic culture, literature, fiction and poetry. It also provides books that are aimed at assisting those studying Arabic and English, and accelerate their learning process.

The Al Qasimia University Library is home to a unique collection of books and references, including 33,097 titles in Sharia and Islamic sciences, 11,171 in Arabic language sciences, 1,895 in economics and business administration, 6,691 in Islamic history and civilisation, 779 in administration, 4,119 in education, 790 in media and 8,016 in law.

Moreover, the library is keen to organise activities, as part of its general cultural mission. It holds book summarising competitions to encourage students to read and improve their summarising skills. The library also organises lectures on general topics, which are given by scholars in various fields.

Dr Rashad Salem remarked, "The Al Qasimia University Library has been working on several projects, including the implementation of integrated library management systems and digital library systems, to further develop the management of conservation, classification, archiving and research operations, which are in line with the latest developments in library sciences."

The library also expects to set up a children's book centre, given that the gift of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah included a large number of books for children and for students specialising in child education and psychology, which aligns with the emirate’s efforts to be a child friendly city.

The Al Qasimia University includes the colleges of theology and Sharia, law and Arabic studies, Islamic economic and financial sciences, engineering and Islamic architecture, and law and media.

Located at Sharjah’s University City, Al Qasimia University seeks to equip its students with science, knowledge and the best practices in Islam, as a way of life. It also endeavours to continuously develop its academic and research programmes to keep pace with the continuous and infinite realm of new knowledge, while maintaining sound Islamic values.

Source: Wam