Sultan to restore gutted Cairo institute

Generosity is no new concept when it comes to Sharjah. No one expects less with the leadership of His Highness Dr Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah. From Paris, the Ruler made a call, a call that sparked hope within the troubled nation of Egypt, and ignited pride in his hometown of Sharjah. Live on air, when he spoke to presenter Mona Al Shazlay on Dream TV on Monday night, he offered to rebuild the Scientific Institute of Egypt, which was gutted during clashes in Cairo on Saturday. The incident was reported on Monday. Sharjah swelled with pride and love for the soft-spoken scholar, who declared that this is Sharjah’s way of giving back to Egypt. As Sheikh Sultan explained, Egyptians helped and educated the people of Sharjah, “What happens to Egypt affects us, and this is part of giving back, especially from the people of Sharjah, who were taught by the Egyptians until they completed their way to universities, and whatever we do, it will not be enough to give back.” Not only has Sheikh Sultan offered to rebuild the institute, he will also be donating manuscripts and books from his personal collections. On a personal level, Egypt is very close to Sheikh Sultan’s heart. He studied in Egypt during the late 60s and obtained his Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Engineering at Cairo University in 1971, at a time when Egypt was thriving in every possible sense of the word, flourishing culturally and politically. These days, no doubt, created great love and respect for the people and nation of Egypt with the Ruler and the people of Sharjah, many of whom followed the same route as Sheikh Sultan and studied there. Egypt has seen a lot of sadness of late, and three days ago, that sadness escalated when a great piece of history went up in smoke. Engulfed in flames, the Scientific Institute near Tahrir Square, Cairo, was ruined to the anguish of millions for whom knowledge is power. Fuelling these flames were over 192,000 books, invaluable journals and writings. Amongst them, was the 24 volume handwritten Description de l’Egypte. The Description of Egypt was a series of publications, which began during the 1798-1801 French occupation and included 20 years of observations by more than 150 French scholars and scientists containing detailed scientific descriptions of ancient and modern Egypt including its natural history and its monuments. The fire raged for more than 12 hours as firefighters did what they could to salvage the historical building with its priceless contents. Nothing destroys paper as fast as fire, which fed its way through  200-year-old manuscripts and irreplaceable texts. Fire doesn’t distinguish between pages, and neither does ignorance, it seems. A wise leader leads by example, and Sheikh Sultan has given us the finest, highest example of what it means to be a good person and a good leader. After the television programme, residents of Sharjah took to Twitter and other social networking sites to express their gratitude and happiness. Thanks also poured in from Egyptians everywhere. From the people of Sharjah, we send thanks to the erudite Sheikh Sultan for his pledge to keep culture alive and his determination to make things better for generations to come. We give back to Egypt, the beautiful country which will no doubt find its footing again, and thrive with all its might.