Princess Noaf bint Abdulaziz inaugurated yesterday at King Abdulaziz Public Library in Riyadh the women's cultural activities for the 18th Jenadriyah National Festival for Heritage and Culture. Among those attending was Princess Hissa Al-Shalan, wife of Deputy Prime Minister and Commander of the National Guard Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdulaziz. Speaking on the occasion, head of the Jenadriyah women's cultural committee Jawahir Al-Abdul-A'al commented that the Festival attracts crowds from overseas as well as all over the Kingdom, and noted that the women's events will include seminars, literary evenings and an exhibition of the formative arts. One seminar held yesterday focused on the image of Muslim women in the western media, chaired by Dr. Noora Al-Udwan, assistant professor of education of King Saud University.

Meanwhile, the Festival's theme 'This is Islam' was discussed in a seminar on Friday at the King Faisal Auditorium in Riyadh, with Dr. Abdullah bin Mohammed Al-Mutlaq of the senior ulama (Muslim scholars), Khalid Al-Mazkour of the College of Islamic Studies in Kuwait, Dr. Mohammed Al-Rawi of the Research Council at Cairo's Al-Azhar University, and Dr. Mahmoud Ahmed Ghazi, vice-president of the Islamic University of Pakistan. The speakers stressed the importance of adherence to the principles and teachings of Islam, notably the creed of monotheism, and pointed out that Islam is a religion of moderation, justice and tolerance. Also on Friday, Minister of Islamic Affairs, Endowments, Call and Guidance Shaikh Salih bin Abdulaziz Al-Ashaikh delivered a lecture on the topic in which he underscored Islam's teachings that include exhorting moderation and fighting extremism.

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