By YOUSUF MUHAMMAD | ARAB NEWS

MADINAH: An international conference titled “Arabic Language and Keeping Pace with Contemporary Age” opens today at the Islamic University in Madinah under the aegis of Gov. Prince Abdul Aziz bin Majed. The gathering will continue for three days and focus on all issues concerning the Arabic language. Concurrently, a book fair will be held.

University Rector Muhammad bin Ali Al-Oukala said the conference would discuss the future of the Arabic language and the various dialects. “Concurrently with the international conference, the 29th book fair of the university will be held,” he said.

The rector said special areas in the fair would be dedicated for families and added that various children books would be on display. “More than 200 local publishing houses will participate in the fair,” he said.

Al-Oukala said all presidents of the literary clubs in the Kingdom had been invited to attend the conference to enrich its discussions and deliberations aimed at preserving the future of the language of the Holy Qur’an.

He said the university received 581 research works of which 66 were approved and would be delivered and added that male and female researchers from a number of Arab and Islamic countries would be participating.

According to the rector, the conference will discuss five main themes: The role of Arabic language sections in universities to upgrade the level of Arabic language and literature, local dialects, Arabic and language and modern means of communications, the role of contemporary Arabic language works, and the concerns of the language in the age of globalization.

Supervisor of the book fair Emad Zuhair Hafiz, who is dean of library affairs at the university, said a tent would be erected near the exhibition center where visitors can see the outer space and the stars via giant telescopes. He said there would also be a corner for blood donation where visitors can donate quantities of blood for the city’s blood bank.

SOURCE: ARABNEWS http://arabnews.com/lifestyle/offbeat/article608199.ece