The Arabian Gulf University (AGU), in partnership with the Embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the Kingdom of Bahrain, is organising an intellectual symposium celebrating the late Arab thinker Dr Mohammed Jaber Al Ansari. The event will take place on Thursday from 10:00 am to 12:00 noon at the Prince Abdulaziz bin Fahd bin Abdulaziz Al Saud Hall at the Princess Al Jawhara Al Ibrahim Centre on the AGU campus.

The symposium comes as a tribute to Dr Al Ansari’s scholarly, intellectual and cultural contributions, and in honour of his academic legacy at AGU as one of the most prominent Arab intellectuals in modern times. It aims to highlight Dr Al Ansari’s role in developing academic programmes at the university, as well as his wide-ranging contributions to enriching intellectual and cultural movements in the Arab world.

His Excellency Dr Saad bin Saud Al Fuhaid, President of the Arabian Gulf University, stated: “This symposium, organised by AGU in collaboration with the Embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in Bahrain and the Mohammed Jaber Al Ansari Centre, marks an important milestone in honouring pioneering Gulf and Arab intellectuals. It reflects AGU’s loyalty to the pioneers who left an enduring impact on its journey and reaffirms its role in supporting intellectual and cultural endeavours across the Arab world.” 

He added that the symposium represents an opportunity to revisit the legacy of the late Dr Al Ansari, who helped shape an advanced cultural discourse through his thought.

The symposium will be moderated by Prof. Waleed Zubari, Dean of the College of Education, Administrative and Technical Sciences at AGU, and will feature a select group of speakers who were personally and professionally connected with Dr Al Ansari. The first speaker will be his daughter, Ms Hala Al Ansari, Advisor to His Majesty the King for Cultural and Scientific Affairs, who will deliver an address titled “In the Presence of Mohammed Jaber Al Ansari: A Journey of a Father, Academic and Intellectual” focusing on his human and familial side.

This will be followed by Prof. Riyad Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, with a talk titled “When Thought Becomes a Civilisational Bridge: A Professional and Human Journey from Collegial Work to the Echo of the Translation Project”.

Her Excellency Shaikha Mai bint Mohammed Al Khalifa, Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the Shaikh Ebrahim bin Mohammed Al Khalifa Centre for Culture and Research, will then present an address titled “A Tale of Thought and Memory: Dr Al Ansari as I Knew Him and as My Father and Grandfather Knew Him”.

Concluding the panel, Saudi critic and intellectual Professor Dr Saad Al Bazei will deliver remarks on “Dr Al Ansari’s Pan-Arab Thought: A Reading of His Journey and Role as an Arab Intellectual”. The symposium will end with an open discussion with the audience to exchange views and ideas on Dr Al Ansari’s intellectual legacy and the topics presented during the session.