The Council of Ministers of Culture of the Islamic World, at its meeting held in Doha today, chose the Palestinian city of Hebron as the capital of Islamic culture for the year 2026.
Minister of Culture Atef Abu Saif said Hebron was nominated to shed light on the Israeli attempts to Judaize the city, steal its heritage and antiquities, and change its Arab-Islamic identity.
He said that naming Hebron as the capital of Islamic culture for 2026 is of great importance because it means that the Islamic world will focus its efforts on cultural work in Hebron with programs, plans and visions aimed at strengthening its Islamic identity in light of Israeli attempts to change its character as an Arab Islamic city.
“We have a great responsibility to present what is happening in Hebron to the Islamic world to tell them a clear message that preserving the holy places requires effort from all of us and strong interventions in order to preserve the Palestinian identity in this city,” said the culture minister.
It is worthy to note that Jerusalem was the capital of Islamic culture in 2019 and the capital of Arab culture in 2009, and Bethlehem was the capital of Arab culture in 2020.
