Damascus-SANA
National identity and ways to establish it at the cultural and intellectual levels was the focus of the symposium held by the Damascus branch of the Arab Writers Union, entitled (Our National Identity, the Legitimacy of Questions Problematic Answering) by researcher Dr. Farouk Aslam.
Dr. Aslim pointed out that the Syrian national identity is the outcome of a long-standing cultural and civilizational creativity presented by the Syrians throughout their history, and it was the main pillar in the face of the attempts of cultural invasion pursued by the foreign occupation.
Aslim touched on the means of consolidating the national identity, which stems from cultural pillars in the first place and at the same time depends on means of a creative nature such as literature, plastic art, theater and others, and ways to employ them in promoting national unity, collective identity and a sense of belonging.
Aslim discussed a number of questions and proposals about new terms promoted by the other and their aim of invading the culture of identity, pointing to the importance of working to revitalize the memory of national belonging and national ties in the face of American and Turkish attempts to end identity.
Dr. Ibrahim Zaarour, head of the Damascus branch of the Writers Union, who ran the symposium, pointed out that Dr. Aslim used an analytical and inductive approach based on studying the past and projecting it onto the present to provide results that serve the future.
The symposium was attended by the President of the Arab Writers Union, Dr. Muhammad Al-Hourani, members of the Executive Office and some writers.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Farouk Aslam is a member of the Executive Office of the Arab Writers Union and editor-in-chief of the Arab Heritage magazine.
Muhammad Khaled Al-Khidr
