RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, April 11 (NNN-SPA) – More than 100 Asian researchers and academics, specialised in Asian Arabists issues from 18 countries, gathered in Riyadh, capital of Saudi Arabia, to discuss Arabic studies in Asian countries.
Western Orientalism has spread and dominated the knowledge activity related to the Arab world and the sciences of Islam, and the field of Asian Arabists has been out of sight for decades, said Yahya Mahmoud bin Junaid, president of the Centre for Research and Intercommunication Knowledge (CRIK), Saudi Arabia’s think tank.
The First Asian Arabists Conference, organised by CRIK, kicked off on Tuesday. The three-day event features 16 seminars, where the researchers discussed 87 research papers on Asian Arabists studies.
“We are meeting in this event with those who have served the Arabic language and worked to develop its education and teaching in all parts of Asia,” bin Junaid said.
Zhu Weilie, director of the Committee of Experts of the China-Arab Research Centre on Reform and Development, stressed the efforts made with CRIK, to revive the idea of the Asian Arabists project.– NNN-SPA
