Azernews.Az

Laman Ismayilova

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A panel session titled "Culture of Islamic Countries in the Digital Age" has been held within the framework of the OIC Culture Festival: Baku Creative Week – 2025, Azernews reports.

At the panel session, moderated by Aydan Nuralizade, Head of the Department for Cooperation with Foreign Countries at the Azerbaijan Culture Ministry, Director of the Cultural Affairs Department of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Lhoucine Rhazoui, pointed out that artificial intelligence, while posing challenges, also creates opportunities. He emphasized that countries must incorporate digital literacy into their national plans:

"Every individual in the Muslim world has a responsibility to preserve our rich cultural heritage. The culture festival carries symbolic significance. It brings together a network of like‑minded people. Our goal is to unite the objectives and aspirations of Islamic countries. Young people will be the carriers of our cultural values. Unfortunately, the main global tensions are concentrated in Islamic countries. There is inequality in infrastructure and technology. A digital divide exists. We must address this. Most cultural heritage artifacts have been destroyed during wars. Some have been stolen. We must restore them and return them to their rightful countries. For this, we need to present a new concept."

Mahmud Erol Kılıç, General Director of the Research Center for Islamic History, Art, and Culture (IRCICA), congratulated the Government of Azerbaijan for organizing the festival. He emphasized that cultural history is more important than political history and highlighted the necessity for Muslim countries to be knowledgeable about their rich cultural past. Speaking about the use of technologies in the cultural field, M. E. Kılıç:

"Technology should never be superior to culture and humanity, but should be used as a tool. For example, we can consider methods of digitizing the manuscripts of great poets and writers using artificial intelligence."

Director of the Coordination Bureau of the OIC Standing Committee for Information and Cultural Affairs, Ameth Diallo, expressed gratitude to the Government of Azerbaijan and the Ministry of Culture for organizing the event. He noted the strong optimism demonstrated by Azerbaijani youth. A. Diallo stressed the importance of creating specific platforms within the organization:

"We must work together and harmonize these platforms. They can serve as a database for us. However, investment is crucial for building digital infrastructure. There is no escape from digital transformation. We must use these technologies to contribute to our work. Therefore, we must come together and discuss various tools."

Vasif Eyvazzade, Chief Executive Director and Chairman of the Board of the Chartered Culture and Education Institute (CCEI), emphasized that civilizations and nations are shaped not only by preserving their heritage but also by passing it on to future generations:

"Today’s digital era gives us a wonderful historical opportunity for this. The digital age provides us with tools to promote our culture. Young people can use digital tools to showcase their cultural identity."

Jimi Elgohary, Executive Creative Director and Co-Founder of MistikA in the UAE said that technology allows people to appreciate the beauty of Islamic heritage. He noted that digital storytelling is an important tool in this field and spoke about its contributions to Islamic culture.

The panel continued with a Q&A session and discussions.