Overview

The Seventh Arab Conference on Space and Astronomy was held under the theme “Physics, Astronomy, and Space Sciences in the Service of Arab and Islamic Communities” to commemorate the centenary of Einstein’s theory of relativity. The conference was attended by 120 researchers from 17 Arab countries, as well as experts from Bulgaria, Russia, France, and the United States.

 Key Points and Recommendations

– Educational Integration: The conference recommended addressing Arab ministers of education to propose the inclusion of astronomy and space sciences in the curricula at various educational stages to instill cosmic concepts in school students.
– Unified Islamic Calendar: The participants suggested that the Crescent and Timings Committee study the project of establishing a unified Arab Islamic calendar, with Mecca’s coordinates as the reference for the Hijri calendar.
– Establishment of an Arab Space Agency: A committee was formed to pursue the establishment of an Arab Space Agency. The committee members include:
– Dr. Hamid Majul Al-Nuaimi (Iraq)
– Shouqi Al-Dallal (Bahrain)
– Muslim Shaltout (Egypt)
– Hanna Sabbat (Jordan)
– Saleh Al-Shaizani (Oman)
– Hassan Basurah (Saudi Arabia)
– Jamal Maimouni (Algeria)

This committee was tasked with preparing a working paper to be sent to the members within three months, in preparation for presenting the proposal to the Arab League.

– Database Creation:* It was agreed to establish a database for individuals and institutions involved in astronomy and space sciences in the Arab world and to issue a directory in this regard.
– Support for Educational Institutions:* The conference emphasized supporting space and astronomy institutes and departments in Arab countries, particularly the Institute of Astronomy and Space Sciences at Al al-Bayt University, by providing it with Arab and Jordanian students and research projects, as it is the only Arab institute combining space and astronomy disciplines at the master’s level.

Executive Council of the Arab Union for Astronomy and Space Sciences

The conference elected the following members to the executive council:
– President:  Dr. Hamid Al-Nuaimi
– Secretary-General:  Engineer Khalil Qunsul , President of the Jordanian Astronomical Society
– Vice President for Scientific Affairs:  Dr. Shouqi Al-Dallal
– Vice President for Conferences and Activities: Fouad Anan
– Vice President for Media Affairs: Dr. Muslim Shaltout
– Members:  Dr. Jamal Maimouni and Dr. Imad Barghouthi