Mahmoud Al-Mahmoud
From time to time, we see the strength of the people of Bahrain, who are able to break through the sound barrier in quickly scoring Bahraini goals against the countries of the world, at all age levels. Last week was one of these days that carries strong messages with the victory of our student son, Muhammad Jassim Mubarak, in second place in the Arab Reading Challenge competition in its ninth session, out of more than 32 million students, both male and female, who participated in this session in its various stages, from 50 countries.
It is unimaginable to imagine the scale of the competition that took place between 32 million students, both male and female, from 50 countries, for our son to seize this award and through it confirm that Bahrain is a birthplace and that every Bahraini generation brings with it the creativity that makes the machine of development and prosperity continue its movement without stopping.
Despite the great interest in the achievements of young people in Bahrain, our children also wanted to be active and bear the flag of Bahrain so that it could be raised in every site of international achievement. This child, who spoke with the power of expression, coherent thought, and beautiful and powerful sentences and expressions, made the world hear the voice of Bahrain through his vocal cords and his authentic dialect.
But let us learn about the competition, which consists of six stages, starting with registration, then reading ten books in 5 other stages and summarizing them in ten pages until he finishes the fifth and final stage of reading, and thus he has read and summarized fifty books outside the course during the academic year.
The idea of this project was launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Dubai, to encourage reading among students in the Arab world, through the commitment of more than a million students to participate in reading fifty million books during each academic year, with the aim of instilling a love of reading in the hearts of young people as a basis for progress and excellence in our Arab countries, and creating a renaissance in reading through the initiative reaching all students in schools and universities in the Arab world, including members of the communities. Arabic in foreign countries, and learners of the Arabic language who are non-native speakers.
The UAE has always had initiatives that extend beyond its borders to include countries in the region and the world, but this initiative elevates our children, preserves our beautiful language, and encourages those who have abandoned books and grabbed their phones around the clock.
Our son Muhammad has proven that there is hope that the next generation will not lose the compass. He confirmed with this award that there are young people in Bahrain who have abandoned phones and means of communication and taken hold of the true reality of the future, because the book is the foundation of building the system of science, learning and progress.
I expect a promising future for this beautiful child, Muhammad, in the next few years. Perhaps we will see in him a successor to the late Dr. Muhammad Jaber Al-Ansari. I commend the hands of his parents, who instilled this righteous approach in him, and the Ministry of Education. This achievement could not have been achieved except through the visions of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, King of the country, may God protect and preserve him, which are achieved in every generation of Bahrainis and through the tireless work of the government headed by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, may God protect him.
