Abu Dhabi – As part of Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi’s Ramadan Talks Series, the university organized 2 talks this Ramadan 19 and 26 April presenting research findings around different aspects of Ramadan from various perspectives.

On 19 April, the talk titled “What’s the Economic Impact of Ramadan on MENA Region?” by Dr Salem Boubakri, Associate Professor of Economics in the Law and Economics Department at Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi tackled the impact of Ramadan on various economic activities such as increasing household spending, productivity and consumer prices in the Mena region during Ramadan.

The second titled talk “The Meaning of Ramadan. Selected Texts from the Qur’an and the Sunna of the Prophet” by Dr Ida Zilio-Grandi, Associate Professor of Arabic Language and Literature at the University of Venice Ca’ Foscari took place on 26 April during which she explained the meaning of Ramadan from a linguistic and religious points of view and explained the link between fasting and the Qur’anic figure of the Virgin Mary, the revelation of the Qur’an itself and the great Islamic virtue of patience or “sabr”.

The talks were concluded with question-and-answer sessions, where attendees had an opportunity to raise questions and have discussions with the presenters around the topics.

Professor Silvia Serrano, Vice-Chancellor Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi commented “As a research-driven university and a leader in the humanities, we are always eager to conduct constructive research and to share our findings with the community. The month of Ramadan presents a wealth of historical, religious, cultural and economic information to our researchers, and through the Ramadan talks, they have the opportunity to share their research findings with the public and contribute to the understanding and analysis of various aspects of Ramadan, including economic, religious and social aspects.”

About Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi

Sorbonne University was established in May 2006, under the patronage of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al Nahyan, Crown prince of Abu Dhabi, Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE armed forces, and under license from the Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK).

Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi is an Emirati university that benefits from 760 years of experience of the prestigious Sorbonne University in Paris, with a state-of-the-art campus, spanning across area of 93,000 square meters, located in Al Reem Island and combining the comfort with and efficiency of modern-day technologies.

Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi follows the French Education System and Sorbonne University and University of Paris award its degrees, while all degrees are also accredited by the UAE’s Commission for Academic Accreditation.

Over 2000 students of more than 90 different nationalities have graduated from Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi to date

Visit Sorbonne Abu Dhabi’s website: http://www.sorbonne.ae