YEMEN PROMOTES FOR TOURISM FROM ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVE

By: Mahmoud Assamiee

SABA'A, Oct. 18 (Saba)- Yemen has organized a conference on tourism and Islam aiming at understanding tourism from Islamic perspective.

For this purpose the Ministry of Tourism and Jobari Investment Company invited great Islamic preachers from some parts of the Arab World to attend the First Conference of Tourism and Islam.

According to the conference coordinator Ali Jobari, the idea of the conference is to enlighten Yemeni people how to attract tourists via their good behaviors and to present their country to tourists in good picture.

"The conference is the first of its kind which held in an Islamic country," said Jobari. "Islam argues Muslims to travel across land and see Allah's creations and signs in His land."

The preachers invited to the conference, he says, have been chosen from those who have big audiences and those who are familiar to the Yemeni people and like them.

"The prime aim of the conference is to remove falsified ideas from minds of people", said the Minister of Tourism Nabil Al-Faqeeh. Tourism is not chalets, bars, nightclubs or hotels.

"Yemen will not be a hotbed for impudent tourism. Those tourists who want bars, nightclubs and chalets do not come to Yemen but those who come to Yemen are tourists looking for history and civilization," said al-Faqih.

Executive Director of Tourism Promotion Council Ahmad Al-Biel said that the invited preachers had delivered lectures in grand mosques in the capital Sana'a and a large hall.

The invited Arab preachers were Dr. Aydh al-Qarni, Dr. Ibrahim al- Duwaish, Dr. Mousa al- Sharif, Dr. Mohammad al-Uraifi, Dr. Ragheb al-Sergani, Dr. Abdul-Hia al-Faramawi, Dr. Safwat Hijazi, Dr. Ahmad al-Kukbaisi, Dr. Wajdi Ghunaim, Dr.Salah Sultan and others.

Meanwhile, Yemeni preachers attended the conference including Sheikh Omer bin Hafiz, Sheikh al-Habib al-Jefri, Sheikh Naser al-Shaibani, Sheikh Abu Bakr al-Mashour, Dr. Abdul-Wahab al-Dailami, Sheikh Ali Hasan al-Sharafi, Sheikh Hasan al-Sheikh, Shiekh Hussain al-Haddar, Dr. Abdullah al-Amrani and others.

Their lectures discussed several points, including unity between necessity and obligation, tourism as joy and worship, Islamic nation and factors of rise and challenges, values and their role in society, Islam and its relation with the West, moderation in Islam and balance in building Islamic character.

Concluding the conference in Sana'a, the participants called for establishing an organization for Islamic tourism in the framework of the Islamic Organization Conference (IOC).

They also called the IOC to adopt a project for Islamic tourism and organize a prize for Islamic tourism to be given yearly to the best tourist Islamic city. They called for establishing balanced tourism based on Islamic law and principles and setting up an institute for tourist guiders.

The conference denounced sabotage acts and terrorist incidents that target foreigners and citizens wither by killing or kidnapping because these acts are against Islam teachings.

The participants affirmed that tourist facilities should be committed to adhere to Islamic tourism and provide publications and encyclopedias that help show Islam and its values and principles.

They also affirmed necessity of taking care of Islamic sites which has links to Islam's history and its men as well as taking care of Islamic heritage and historical sites mentioned in the holiest Book of Quran for investing them in present Islam to the West.

They called for increasing studies, researches and activities in deepening the notion of tourism in Islam and curing falsified ideas on tourism. They also called to take care of expatriates' sons and encourage them to visit their Islamic homelands for knowing their culture and historical sites to renew ties between them and preserve Islamic identity.

The participants also called on Islamic countries to pattern Yemen's initiative aiming at continuing the call to this conference that focuses on showing the reality of tourism in Islam. They thanked Yemeni government and people for opening dialogue over one of the most argumentative topics in this time.