By Suhaila Shahrul Annuar
SHAH ALAM, Dec 3 — Social media is an advantageous opportunity for its users to highlight their talents, share information and opinions and promote their products, and should accordingly be utilised to the fullest, said Menteri Besar Dato’ Seri Amirudin Shari.
He cited the example of British writer Diana Darke, whose Twitter posts were the catalysts to start the publishing of books which have since been translated into Arabic, French, German, Chinese, and Japanese, among others.
“I read her book, ‘Stealing from the Saracens: How Islamic Architecture Shaped Europe‘ in which Darke discussed about how her book came about.
“It began after the tragic fire at the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France, on April 15, 2019. Darke, an expert on Syria and Middle Eastern cultures, Tweeted that the architectural design of Notre Dame owes a lot to the designs originating from the Middle East.
“She was surprised at the reactions that accumulated within minutes, and decided to explain her knowledge even further,” Amirudin said.
Speaking at the inaugural Selangor International Book Fair (SIBF) 2022, the Menteri Besar said knowledge and comprehensive education are very important.
“In both Malaysia and in Selangor, we believe perfect education allows people to have better lives, which is something that is at the the heart of organising this book festival,” he said.
