|
Press
Release
Berlin,
November 2010. Freedom of Thought is having a hard time at present in a
world
shaped by confrontations between systems. Making or maintaining peace
between
nations and cultures is the major challenge of the 21st
century.
Dialogue is the only way for contrary viewpoints to approach and to
explain
oneself and one's understanding of the world to each other. It
is not
least for these reasons that the Ibn Rushd Fund, which wants to foster
freedom
of thought in the Arab World, has made it its primary goal in 2010 to
support
explicitly those developing their own viewpoints and daring to voice
them and
those who facilitate spreading these free thoughts against all the
odds. The
Ibn Rushd Prize 2010 called for an "Internet Activist/Weblogger who
fundamentally enriches and advances public discourse." An
independent jury constituted of members from four different Arab
countries (CVs
of the
jury)
elected
the internet platform al-Hewar al-Mutamaddin (www.ahewar.org)
as the
winner of the 12th Ibn Rushd Prize. The
forum
al-Hewar al-Mutamaddin was founded 2001 by the Iraqi internet activist
Rezgar
Akrawi. Articles published here are being read by around 550 million
people.
Al-Hewar al-Mutamaddin is therefore one of the most active platforms in
the
Arab World, with more hits every day than those of well-known Arab
newspapers. Al-Hewar
al-Mutamaddin's editors live in various countries. They all work
without
payment, as do the overall 15.000 authors (amongst them Nawal El
Saadawi,
Bourhan Ghalioune, Tarek Heggy , Kadhim Habib oder Amel Grami). As
the
name 'al-Hewar al-Mutamaddin' indicates, it is a forum for modern
dialogue, a
civilised way to discuss topics relevant to today's society. Al-Hewar
strives
to promote modern secular forces, and to facilitate networking and
collaboration between groups who share the aim of establishing civil,
secular,
and democratic societies in the Arab World. It is al-Hewar's chief
concern to
support and promote women's rights, and to fight injustice in general,
as well
as any kind of radicalism. The
forum
has set as a ground rule that everything may and indeed should be
discussed,
and that taboos are not applicable. Even the forum's own political
orientation
towards the left is open to debate, as it is only in this way that a
change for
the better is possible. As may be expected, this degree of openness
will meet
with opposition, and as a consequence al-Hewar is not accessible in a
considerable number of countries due to state censorship of the
internet, and
its authors also often have to contend with restrictions to their
personal
freedom. The
founder of al-Hewar al-Mutamaddin Rezgar Akrawi will personally travel
from Denmark
to Berlin to receive the award for al-Hewar al-Mutamaddin on 26th
November
2010 at 7 PM in Museum for Islamic Art. The award ceremony is open to
the
public. The attendance is free, registration is recommended (see
attachment),
as seats will be given to registered guests first; if available,
remaining free
seats will be given to unregistered guests. There will be a reception
with tea
and bakhlave following the formal part of the award ceremony. Short
biographies of members of the jury Biography
of
laudatory speaker Ibn
Rushd
prizes Ibn
Rushd Fund for Freedom of Thought Erich-Weinert-Str. 17 10439 Berlin Germany Tel. +49 (0) 30 2960685 Fax +49 (0) 30 44650219 Web: www.ibn-rushd.org E-Mail:
contact@ibn-rushd.org ________________ Support
the Ibn
Rushd
Fund by donation (PayPal)
or becoming full or sustaining
member. please send an email to unsubscribe@ibn-rushd.org with „unsubscribe“ in the subject line. |