Panel stresses significance of strengthening Gulf identity

Doha, Qatar: Speaker of the Shura Council H E Hassan bin Abdulla Al Ghanim underscored the importance of safeguarding the Gulf identity which derives...

Doha, Qatar: Speaker of the Shura Council H E Hassan bin Abdulla Al Ghanim underscored the importance of safeguarding the Gulf identity which derives its strength from Arab and Islamic values.

He noted that GCC states have maintained their identity, despite the persistent challenges and renaissance witnessed by the region.

This came in His Excellency’s speech delivered before the inaugural panel discussion organised by the Shura Council, in collaboration with the General-Secretariat of the GCC under the theme: ‘Cultural Diversity and the Challenges of Change: The Role of the Gulf Legislative Councils in Preserving the Gulf Identity’.

H E Al Ghanim stressed the importance of strengthening and maintaining the Gulf identity because it earns more interest on the part of think tanks and decision makers, thanks to the increasing interest in domestic challenges arising from imbalance of demographics and external influences, global and technological advancements, and external challenges such as global incidents and cutting-edge technologies that squarely affect the Gulf identity.

The establishment of the GCC in 1981 has significantly bolstered the unified identity notion that includes religion, language, history, as well as the shared cultural and social traits among the GCC states, His Excellency pointed out. He reviewed the successes made by the GCC states in shaping the Gulf identity within a broader Arab and Islamic identity.