The 47th Islamic Book Fair, organized by the Social Reform Society in Kuwait, unfolded over a vibrant ten-day period, commencing on April 21st and extending until April 30th, 2025. This annual event served as a significant platform for promoting Islamic culture, fostering intellectual engagement, and connecting readers with a diverse range of publications and activities. Held under the patronage of the Minister of Information and Culture, the fair attracted a wide audience, including students, intellectuals, cultural figures, and the general public, both locally and internationally.

Key Highlights and Activities:

The ten-day event was characterized by a dynamic and multifaceted program designed to cater to various interests and age groups. Several recurring themes and activities underscored the fair's objectives:

• Promoting Islamic Values and Identity: A central focus of the fair was the reinforcement of Islamic values and the strengthening of Islamic identity, particularly among the younger generation. Activities such as educational workshops, lectures, and storytelling sessions were specifically designed to achieve this goal.
• Fostering Intellectual Awareness: The fair provided a platform for intellectual discourse through lectures and seminars addressing contemporary challenges and promoting critical thinking. Topics ranged from the application of artificial intelligence to the complexities of civilizational awareness in a globalized world.
• Engaging the Youth: A significant emphasis was placed on engaging school students, who actively participated in various educational and cultural activities, including Quranic recitation, poetry competitions centered on reading and knowledge, and interactive workshops. The presence and enthusiasm of the student attendees were consistently highlighted throughout the event.
• Celebrating Palestinian Identity: Several activities, such as the "Making a Watermelon Badge" workshop and storytelling sessions focusing on the Palestinian experience, aimed to raise awareness and foster solidarity with the Palestinian cause.
• Promoting Reading and Literacy: The fair underscored the enduring importance of books and reading as vital tools for societal progress. The launch of a comprehensive website and a mobile application further aimed to enhance accessibility to information about participating publishers, books, authors, events, and media, thereby promoting a culture of reading.
• Facilitating Cultural Exchange: With the participation of over 120 local and international entities and publishing houses, the fair facilitated a rich exchange of Islamic literature and cultural perspectives.
• Recognizing Intellectual Contributions: The book signing event for Dr. Maryam Al-Awaish's "Get to Know Him" highlighted the work of contemporary scholars and provided an opportunity for direct engagement between authors and readers.

Daily Breakdown of Key Events:

• Day 3 (April 24th): Focused on educational activities for school students and a lecture addressing the Palestinian issue, emphasizing the fair's commitment to both education and social awareness.
• Day 4 (April 25th): Featured educational tours emphasizing Islamic values, workshops promoting Palestinian identity, storytelling about Palestinian experiences, and a book signing event.
• Day 5 (April 26th): Highlighted intellectual engagement with a lecture on artificial intelligence and a competition testing general knowledge. A significant event was the conversion of two individuals to Islam, underscoring the fair's broader impact. A lecture by Dr. Mohammed Al-Awadhi on "Challenges of Civilizational Awareness" explored critical issues facing contemporary society.
• Day 7 (April 27th): Showcased diverse cultural activities, strong participation from schoolgirls, engaging educational workshops, and platforms presenting Islamic content in innovative ways. A competition focused on Islamic education further engaged the student population.
• Day 8 (April 28th): Marked the launch of the fair's website and mobile application, demonstrating a commitment to leveraging technology to promote reading. The historical context of the Social Reform Society and the annual book fair was also highlighted.
• Day 9 (April 29th): Emphasized the fair's role in bridging tradition and modernity, with significant student engagement in recitations and poetry. Workshops aimed at developing critical and creative thinking skills were also featured.
• Day 10 (April 30th): Continued the trend of strong student participation in diverse activities, including competitions, workshops, and discussions. The fair's broader goals of promoting Islamic values and cultural awareness were reiterated, along with the significant participation of Arab and European entities.

Impact and Reception:

The 47th Islamic Book Fair was widely received as a successful and impactful event. Visitors expressed appreciation for the diverse range of activities, the availability of books at discounted prices, and the fair's overall contribution to promoting Islamic culture and knowledge. The strong engagement of students and the participation of numerous intellectual and cultural figures underscored the fair's significance as a platform for education, dialogue, and cultural enrichment. The emphasis on both traditional Islamic values and contemporary issues, along with the integration of technology to enhance accessibility, demonstrated the fair's adaptability and relevance in the modern context.

The 47th Islamic Book Fair successfully fulfilled its objectives of promoting Islamic values, fostering intellectual awareness, engaging the youth, and celebrating the enduring importance of reading. The diverse program, the strong participation from various segments of society, and the positive reception highlight the fair's crucial role in Kuwait as a hub for Islamic culture and intellectual discourse. The event served as a testament to the Social Reform Society's ongoing commitment to promoting knowledge, preserving Islamic identity, and fostering a culturally aware and engaged community. The anticipation for future iterations of the Islamic Book Fair remains high, building upon the success of this comprehensive and impactful event.

Introduction: Africa - A Continent of Wealth and the Ambitions of Neo-Colonialists

The continent of Africa is known for being one of the richest continents, abundant in various types of wealth, in addition to its stunning nature of mountains, forests, and plains, and being home to many exotic animals and rare plants, as well as rarely exploited natural resources such as diamond, gold, silver, and petroleum reserves. The major Western colonial powers have long recognized these advantages and their potential to advance their own countries, making the countries of the African continent a tempting target. Thus, many conflicts are taking place to control it, and even with the end of the occupation and the return of the colonial states to their homelands, the ambitions have not ended. Rather, new policies have emerged, other than the use of wars and armed force - although not in all countries - to control the African continent and its people. This is what the book "(Targeting Africa: The New Ideological Colonialism in the 21st Century)" came to explain and analyze.

About the Author, the Book, and the Translation: An African Voice Against Soft Colonialism

The author of "Targeting Africa" is the Nigerian medical biologist Obyianuju Ekeocha, born in 1979. She received her secondary education at the Federal Government Girls' College, Owerri, before moving to the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, where she obtained a Bachelor's degree in Microbiology. She also holds a Master's degree in Biomedical Sciences from the University of East London. She currently works and lives in the United Kingdom and is the founder and president of the organization (Culture of Life Africa), through which she seeks to promote a culture of life in Africa through education and the dissemination of knowledge.

The book "(Targeting Africa: The New Ideological Colonialism in the 21st Century)" in its original English version consists of (225) medium-sized pages. The book was translated by the translator Asmaa Abdel Razek Sati, who works as a researcher and author on family and development issues. This was done through the journal (African Readings), which appeared on the cultural scene in 2004 and is a quarterly, peer-reviewed cultural journal specializing in the affairs of the African continent.

The book generally aims to clarify the extent of the danger threatening the African continent, whether for individuals or for the identity of the entire continent. This was done by addressing a set of different issues that the African society suffers from, within eight chapters, each of which deals with one of the thorny issues and its various dimensions.

In the introduction to the book, the author discussed what the various countries of the African continent went through during the occupation period that began in the mid-nineteenth century when the major European countries decided to explore Africa and benefit from it in trade and settlement during the Berlin Conference (1884-1885). This occupation continued until February 1941, when US President Franklin D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill met to discuss their vision for the world in the post-World War II era, one of the results of which was the gradual liberation of African countries from colonial occupation.

Chapter One: Controlling the Population

The author begins this chapter by presenting the statistics announced by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, which show that the African contribution to the global population will rise to (25%) by the year 2050 and reach (39%) in the year 2100. This is a matter of concern for officials because this population growth - under suitable conditions - will represent a large base of the labor force that will make Africa the largest market in the world and a major influence on the global economy. At the same time, the same research shows that thirty-eight countries, including major powers such as (China, Germany, Russia), have witnessed a significant decline in the fertility rate from 2010 to 2015, which has led influential political leaders to sound the alarm about the coming African population bomb.

Accordingly, world leaders began to develop a well-thought-out plan to control African population growth, starting with working to ignore women's desire to have children and striving to reduce their fertility rates, and spreading the culture of using various contraceptive drugs and devices, without regard to the negative effects that may result from them, such as an increased risk of cancer and heart disease, or the fact that these means are a primary cause of sexually transmitted diseases.

The author expresses her strong objection to the use of these methods, arguing that working on family planning should in reality be a good, sound, and healthy idea, and that it should be natural and healthy for both spouses, not destructive to the health of the soul and body as contraceptives do, which result in many risks and harms that officials deal with with absolute silence. She mentioned some of the most prominent of these, including blood clots, sinusitis, cardiovascular diseases, in addition to ovarian cysts, or the occurrence of heavy menstruation and others.

Chapter Two: Drowning Youth in Desires

In this chapter, the author explains that the target group of sexual rights activists in recent years has been children; claiming that this is considered an international right protected by law in the first place. If it achieves the desired success, future generations will be fully aware of what is called fundamentalist gender ideology. This claim includes encouraging many harmful ideas such as masturbation, homosexual acts, and pornography.

The proponents of this vision claim that they are seeking to solve one of the biggest problems facing developing countries and that achieving the required goals will ensure the health and well-being of families, encourage equality between both sexes, eliminate the stereotyping of tasks for men and women, reduce the maternal and infant mortality rate, and eliminate unsafe abortions, thus contributing to the formation of a pluralistic democratic entity. Those in charge of this thought did not take into account the cultural and religious nature of people in the African continent, which is represented in the vast majority of its population rejecting abortions, contraception, and premarital sexual relations, in addition to rejecting homosexuality and divorce.

As a result of the previous thought, the rates of AIDS prevalence on the African continent have become catastrophic, and wise people have begun to seek a solution to this problem. One of the most prominent solutions was the ABC prevention plan, and each letter symbolizes a step to be followed, in order:

A = Abstinence before marriage.

B = Be faithful in marriage or to one partner.

C = Condom use if A and B are impossible.

This program achieved great success in Uganda at its beginning - where AIDS infection levels were record-breaking - as the number of unmarried young people who engaged in sexual activity decreased. In the following years, the country recorded a significant decrease in HIV/AIDS cases, reaching (70%) since the epidemic began. In contrast, countries whose populations continued to use contraceptives and condoms extensively - in response to global calls - maintained high infection rates.

Chapter Three: Seeds of Fundamentalist Femininity

At the beginning of this chapter, the author makes a small comparison between the women in Africa she had seen since childhood, who were of pure mettle, whose freedom and strength lay in performing their religious duties and loving their husbands and children, both those who were born and those who were not yet born.

As for the feminist model in the West, freedom in it is represented in sexual liberation, and strength in it means selfishness, individualism, and savage independence.

Then the author clarifies the stages that the Western feminist movement went through. In the first stage, the movement focused on women obtaining basic rights such as education and choosing a profession. During the second wave, the goal became to move away from the essence of femininity and focus on defining and affirming reproductive rights. The third wave came to present personal viewpoints related to various gender issues. The African feminist movements that emerged in parallel with the Western feminist movement, but with the fundamental difference between each in goal and content, include examples such as: the African Women's Development Fund (AWDF), the African Women's Network for Development and Communication (FEMNET), and others that were explained in detail.

Chapter Four: Incitement to Legalize Abortion

The author begins this chapter by asserting that the human soul is precious, valuable, and sublime, and this vision is at the core of the beliefs of the people of Africa. Therefore, everyone views abortion as a great injustice that no one has the right to commit. This has been proven by many different studies, such as the "Ipsos" study in 2014, which concluded that (87%) of Kenyan people reject abortion based solely on the mother's desire without a medical need for it. The "Pew Research Center" study conducted in the same year in (40) different countries in Africa, in which approximately (40,117) participants took part, affirmed that abortion is considered a moral crime. Most African countries have issued laws prohibiting abortions except under specific circumstances such as: physical or mental health impairment, or in cases of rape and incest, or the presence of fetal defects and other legitimate reasons.

Despite this being the nature of the African people, it has been met with objection from some organizations, most notably (the pro-abortion organization – Ipas), which in 2014 issued a guide (Abortion Rights and Laws in Africa), a special guide for judges that addresses African restrictions on abortion that must be removed. The World Health Organization also strongly supports abortion in African countries based on global demands; claiming that this is the best way to reduce the maternal mortality rate, which the author affirms is incorrect because maternal mortality rates are also high in many countries that have been working to legalize abortion for decades.

Chapter Five: Normalizing Sexual Deviance

In this chapter, the author clarifies that the specific nature of the African people's structure and culture categorically rejects the celebration of the marriage of two women, or the desire for offspring for two men. Striving to prove the possibility of marriage between two women or two men requires the demolition of this culture, which is what activists supporting sexual deviance seek to achieve in Africa.

The rejection of homosexuality by Africans has been proven through many surveys, such as the one conducted by the "Pew Research Center" in 2013, which showed that (98%) of Ghanaians, (93%) of Ugandans, (92%) of Tunisians, (88%) of Kenyans, and (85%) of Nigerians reject homosexual behavior. This is despite the direct call made by former US President Barack Obama, through which he urged Africans to accept homosexual behavior in their societies and abolish the legal penalties imposed on its practitioners.

The author emphasizes that it is the duty of the United Nations not to take decisions, especially in sensitive issues that contradict the beliefs, culture, customs, and laws of many countries. She adds that Africa, which wants to move along the path of progress, growth, and stability, will not reach that by paving the way for sexual rights, but rather by encouraging original rights that promote human flourishing and ensure the achievement of the common good. She concludes that African rejection of normalization with homosexuality is currently more solid than ever before.

Chapter Six: The Contemporary Colonial Masters

In this chapter, the author explains the state of unjust interference by Western society in African countries on a recurring basis, despite the passage of more than half a century since the continent's liberation from colonialism. The author cited many examples of this, the most prominent of which was what was described as American meddling in 2009, which appeared in electronic correspondence between the American federal employee in family planning (Laurie Rubiner) and the Secretary of State (Hillary Clinton), urging her to use her influence to stop the Kenyan government from amending its own laws related to the legal personality of fetuses (abortion procedures). Although the response to the previous request consisted of denying that the US Secretary of State had any connection to health or women's activities in Kenya, this is still considered evidence of the continuous attempts by American leaders to change many of the strict laws followed by African countries regarding abortion procedures.

Chapter Seven: The Addiction of Aid

In this chapter, the author discusses the financial corruption that occurs in governmental institutions on the African continent, which is clearly evident in the high life of some elected and appointed African government officials, which she described as a royal life. She attributes this luxury in part to their salaries, which are much higher than the national average salaries of professionals in other countries. In fact, some parliamentarians - in Nigeria, for example - have salaries classified as the highest in the world, amounting to $189,000, meaning that the average salary of a Nigerian parliamentarian is approximately 116 times the per capita share of the gross domestic product.

Despite this, many members of the Nigerian government have been involved in corruption cases. During 2017, the Nigerian Economic and Financial Crimes Commission accused a former government member of collecting $487.5 million in cash, in addition to many properties, through looted government funds. In 2003, former Zambian President Frederick Chiluba was arrested and charged with stealing and laundering millions of dollars of public money during his presidency. The author cited many other examples that confirm her point.

Then she poses an important question about why donors continue to give African leaders money when they are fully aware that they are appropriating it for themselves. The answer lies in their lack of genuine concern for African corruption as long as they can obtain what they actually want from these grants or deals. Their willingness to give money is met by the willingness of corrupt officials to allow a new kind of ideological colonialism of the African peoples.

The author concludes the seventh chapter of the book by emphasizing that the true beneficiaries of foreign patronage for various programs in Africa are the aid-addicted high-ranking government officials because their dependence on support funds has made them unable to imagine their lives without it, even if the consequences are a new kind of colonialism. Aid for the ruling class in Africa has become like an opium addiction.

Chapter Eight: Towards Liberating Africa from Colonialism

In the final chapter of her book, the author explains that the journey of true freedom and prosperity for the African peoples will not begin before they recognize the harm resulting from the ideological colonialism of their societies and its direct link to the foreign aid being provided. This step begins by carefully examining what lies behind the soft words that pretend to be friendly, such as partnership, equality, choice, diversity, rights, and others.

She attributes the reason for this to the fact that this language has been deconstructed and rebuilt to become more suitable for a specific vision through which the forbidden can be turned into the permissible. Thus, the killing of fetuses becomes safe abortion, and sexual relations between two men are considered marriage, which leads to the fragmentation of sexual moral standards under the guise of sexual rights.

She adds that Africans should stand up against condescending treatment and Western disregard for the validity of their experiences. She emphasizes that their understanding of marriage and family life is supported by medical science, and that the most precious gift the African people can offer the world at present is their inherent culture of life, where religion and custom define the sanctity of human life, the beauty of femininity, the mercy of motherhood, the blessing of marital life, and the gift of children. Knowing the value of all the above will cause many leaders of African countries to be willing to speak with complete frankness and great confidence about the treasures of African culture.

Finally, at the end of the book, the author included an appendix containing her message to Melinda Gates - the former wife of the founder of Microsoft, who has a charitable foundation that operates actively and with significant financial support in Africa - asking her to redirect her funds to what truly serves the peoples of Africa. To achieve this, she suggested many things, the most prominent of which were:

• Providing a good healthcare system, especially for prenatal, neonatal, and pediatric care.
• Nutritional programs for young children.
• High-quality higher education opportunities.
• Chastity programs.
• Supporting small business opportunities for women.
• Strengthening existing non-governmental organizations.

In conclusion, this book is a way to open new horizons that were not widely known or discussed, not only because it deals with a set of highly sensitive issues that Western world leaders seek to keep hidden as much as possible, but also because it addresses these issues truthfully through experiences that its author personally went through and witnessed during her various life stages, making it more credible and realistic. It enables the reader to realize the extent of the organized disaster that many Western countries are perpetrating against the African peoples, working diligently to demolish the religions, customs, ideas, and cultures rooted in their citizens for centuries. The author has excelled in presenting images of this new ideological colonialism carried out by Western countries and institutions, a new war without weapons or fighting, but one that is highly influential and effective.

The activities of the 47th Islamic Book Fair continue since its opening on the morning of Monday, April 21st, amidst a vibrant atmosphere, renewed cultural activity, and a deep-rooted Islamic thought that seeks to enhance values and knowledge in society.

A Tour for the Educational Experiences Club

The sixth day of the exhibition witnessed a series of diverse activities during the morning period. The Companionship Sector at the Educational Experiences Club organized an educational tour aimed at instilling the concepts of brotherhood and Islamic values in the participants through practical, interactive, and engaging activities.

Planting the Palestinian Identity in the Hearts of the Young

At the Athar Social Center, the morning activities continued with remarkable momentum. The Mastaba Club held a workshop entitled "Making a Watermelon Badge," an art workshop aimed at introducing children and youth to the symbolism of the Palestinian flag by designing models inspired by the shape of the watermelon, which has become a symbol of Palestinian identity and resistance.

In an enchanting storytelling atmosphere, the storyteller Jihan presented a story for children entitled "The Tale of History's Foot in the City of Watermelon," which dealt with the suffering of the Palestinian people under the yoke of occupation in a simplified manner and language close to the child's conscience. This gave the event a deep emotional and humanitarian character and planted in the hearts of children an early awareness of the justice of the Palestinian cause.

A Window on the Most Beautiful Names of Allah

From another corner of the exhibition, the activities lens spotted a book signing in the Doha Bookstore pavilion. The Media Committee met with the preacher Dr. Maryam Al-Awaish during the signing of her book entitled "Get to Know Him," amidst the presence of visitors and interested individuals.

Al-Awaish said: "All praise be to Allah who has bestowed upon us and facilitated the publication of these books, which we hope will be a source of knowledge and a breath of faith for every reader."

She added, explaining the idea of the book: "'Get to Know Him' takes the reader on a journey of knowledge through the most beautiful names of Allah. We present each name in a simplified manner, accompanied by a real-life story that reflects the name and its meaning. A QR code is also added with each name to facilitate access to a recorded explanatory episode, making the experience more interactive."

She emphasized that the ultimate goal of this work is to bring the reader closer to Allah Almighty and deepen their knowledge of His attributes and most beautiful names in a way that touches both the heart and the mind.

She concluded her speech by praising the Islamic Book Fair, saying: "The exhibition is a leading platform for books that nourish the heart and mind and provide beneficial knowledge that benefits a person in their religion and their worldly life, bringing them closer to their Lord."

 The Social Reform Society is hosting the 47th Islamic Book Fair at its Rawda headquarters under the slogan "Towards Civilizational Awareness" from April 21st to May 3rd, 2025. Generously patronized by the Minister of Information and Culture and Minister of State for Youth Affairs Abdulrahman Al-Mutairi, the fair includes over 120 local and international participants from the Gulf region, Levant, Jordan, Egypt, Iraq, Turkey, the Arab Maghreb, and Europe.

The 47th Islamic Book Fair, which opened on the morning of Monday, April 21st, continued its activities with ongoing vitality, renewed culture, and a deep-rooted Islamic thought.

The fifth day of the exhibition began with a lecture on "The Application of Artificial Intelligence" delivered by Mr. Muhammad Al-Ayoub, an e-trainer holding a Master's degree in Learning Technologies. The lecture addressed several key areas, including the emergence and development of artificial intelligence, the opportunities and challenges it has created, as well as the potential risks associated with it.

During his lecture, Al-Ayoub also explained the methods and ways to benefit from and utilize artificial intelligence technologies in various fields.

On another note, he highlighted the security and social harms of these technologies, concluding his lecture by stating that no matter how advanced artificial intelligence becomes, it will never reach human intelligence.

The second event was a lecture on "Challenges of Civilizational Awareness" presented by the Islamic thinker and Kuwaiti preacher Dr. Muhammad Al-Awadhi. He addressed the topic from various angles, starting his talk by commenting on the term "freedom." He pointed out the significant ambiguity surrounding this concept, shedding light on the reasons for the differing understandings of freedom. He emphasized the necessity of adhering to Islamic values and that freedom must stem from an awareness of faith and legitimate guidelines.

In his lecture, Dr. Al-Awadhi warned against the call for Western openness and unlimited freedom, concluding by answering questions from the participants and attendees.

The third activity of the exhibition was the semi-final round of the "Challenge of Geniuses" competition organized by Muhammad Al-Shammari. The competition took place between 4 teams (The Distinguished, The Cultural Salon, The Stars, Al-Rayyan) and included diverse questions in the Quran, the Prophet's biography, Islamic history, geography, medicine, science, and Arabic language.

In the same context, the competition concluded after a fierce competition that lasted for approximately an hour, with the "The Distinguished" team winning and qualifying for the final round.

The fifth day also witnessed the public cultural competition "Educate Yourself 4," in cooperation with the Da'wah and Religious Education Sector of the Social Reform Society. It saw wide interaction from visitors, with instant prizes distributed to the winners, creating an atmosphere of enthusiasm and suspense among the attendees.

In a moving and unforgettable human moment, the Islamic Book Fair witnessed the conversion to Islam of two young men from the Asian community. It was a wonderful scene that embodied the meanings of Islamic brotherhood and the beauty of the spirit, amidst an atmosphere filled with the noble values of Islam and the honorable message of Da'wah.

 Featuring the participation of over 120 local and international entities from the Gulf, Levant, Jordan, Egypt, Iraq, Turkey, the Arab Maghreb, and Europe, the 47th Islamic Book Fair is taking place at the Social Reform Society's headquarters in Rawda from April 21st to May 3rd, 2025. The fair operates under the slogan "Towards Civilizational Awareness" and the generous patronage of the Minister of Information and Culture and Minister of State for Youth Affairs Abdulrahman Al-Mutairi.