Minister Karamy Highlights Education as Foundation for State Recovery

Minister of Education and Higher Learning Rima Karamy presided over the graduation ceremony for students of Al-Maqasid University’s faculties of Islamic Studies, Nursing, and Teacher Preparation. The event was attended by Dr. Sheikh Muhammad Assaf, head of the Sunni Sharia courts, representing the Lebanese Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Latif Daryan, along with numerous dignitaries.

The ceremony commenced with the procession of graduates and faculty members, followed by the recitation of ten verses from the Quran, the Lebanese national anthem, and the Al-Maqasid anthem. Professor Hassan Ghaziri, president of Al-Maqasid University, addressed the audience, stating, "We strive for Al-Maqasid University to become a national center for knowledge and innovation, a platform to revive Arab and Islamic intellectual movements, and an incubator for developing practical solutions to the challenges facing our society."

He further remarked, "Great universities are not built within a year or two but through accumulated efforts, the belief of their community in their mission, and the support of their members and supporters. Therefore, Al-Maqasid University requires everyone’s support because investing in it is investing in the advancement of our society and the prosperity of our nations."

Following this, Diana Tabara, president of the Al-Maqasid Association, spoke, saying, "This university campus, established to be a space for knowledge and dialogue, has fulfilled a humanitarian and national duty in recent months by hosting families displaced from southern Lebanon during one of the most difficult periods Lebanon has experienced. This celebration declares that private institutions can fulfill their humanitarian responsibilities when the nation calls upon them, while simultaneously returning to their fundamental mission with full responsibility."

She added, "This is the distinctiveness of Al-Maqasid University; it carries an Arab and Islamic identity that it imparts to generations: the Islam of knowledge and learning, mercy and moderation, openness to others, respect for pluralism, and the belief that a person is measured by their knowledge, ethics, and contributions to their country and society."

Tabara continued, "The war imposed unprecedented challenges on the education sector across various Lebanese regions and demonstrated that education is among the sectors most in need of national crisis management plans. These plans must preserve every student’s right to learn, ensure fairness in opportunities, uphold the strength of the Lebanese certificate, and maintain global confidence in it."

She concluded, "Education is not a service provided only when circumstances allow; it is a pillar of the state’s resilience and continuity."

Minister Rima Karamy delivered a speech in which she said, "There remain institutions that view education as a national project, not merely a sector caught between narrow interests and trivial politics. Therefore, I feel that my presence here today is not just participation in a graduation ceremony but an opportunity to renew the partnership between the Ministry of Education and the Al-Maqasid Association, the national institution that has been a fundamental partner in shaping Lebanon’s educational history for over a century."

She added, "When we review the history of educational renaissance in our country, it is difficult to recount this story without acknowledging Al-Maqasid’s contributions. Al-Maqasid has not only added educational institutions to Lebanon’s education sector but also helped establish the idea that true investment in nations begins with investing in people, and that education is not a service provided but a message upon which societies are built. I believe that just as Al-Maqasid played a pivotal role in the advancement of Lebanese education during critical stages of our history, it can today also be a key partner in Lebanon’s recovery from its deepening crisis. I continue to believe, along with the reform government I am proud to belong to, that this renaissance is inevitable. The restoration of the state does not start with politics alone; it also begins with schools, universities, teachers, researchers, and everyone who believes that building the human being is the shortest path to building the nation."

Karamy continued, "I will not ask all of you to remain in Lebanon because I am convinced that love for one’s country is not measured by the number of kilometers separating us from it. However, I hope you do not allow the distance between you and Lebanon to turn into estrangement or for your relationship with Lebanon to become merely nostalgia for the past. Instead, contribute to building its future. Remain part of its story. Invest in it whenever you can. Open doors for it wherever you are. Be ambassadors for it through your knowledge, ethics, and achievements. Return to it whenever possible, not only physically but also with your ideas, expertise, and connections. Modern nations are not built solely within their borders but also through their diaspora. Despite all Lebanon has endured, I still believe that its most beautiful chapters have yet to be written."

She emphasized, "Education opens doors we cannot always foresee. Life has shown me that a person does not need to know every detail of the path from the start. What is needed is to hold onto one’s values and continue learning to be prepared to face challenges and seize opportunities when they arise. Openness to the world is incomplete unless a person knows what they carry with them into that world. Many of you may be considering building your futures outside Lebanon, which is understandable and natural. The world today is more open than ever, and opportunities for learning and work no longer recognize geographical boundaries. Many of you may take your dreams to cities, universities, and institutions around the globe. I hope the bond between you and Lebanon remains unbroken because the relationship with one’s homeland is not a residency permit or an administrative decision; it is a connection of belonging, memory, and responsibility."

Karamy added, "After 15 years, I returned to Lebanon and learned an important lesson: Lebanon’s future will not build itself, nor will wishes alone create it. Nations do not rise simply because their people love them but because they find those who build their institutions, uphold their standards, and perform their work with integrity and diligence even when no one is watching. I learned that nation-building does not begin only with major decisions but with the small decisions each of us makes every day. Therefore, I believe that building Lebanon is not a task solely for the state and its government nor for one generation. It is a long-term national project that no individual, generation, or institution can build alone but one we all build together, each from their own position. Starting today, you are part of this project, each from your place, specialty, and wherever life takes you."

Minister Karamy concluded, "I am confident you will acquire knowledge, gain experience, and have many doors opened to you. But what will truly define you is how you use all of that. My generation often spoke about the value of diversity that characterizes Lebanon. Your generation, I believe, will have a harder mission: to transform this diversity into trust and this difference into the ability to work together, whether in Lebanon, the Arab region, or anywhere in the world. Building trust across diversity is fundamental to achieving a humane society characterized by peace and safeguarded by justice. Societies do not advance when people become alike but when those who differ learn to work together, respect their differences, and seek commonality in their humanity without relinquishing their particularities. Despite all Lebanon has endured, I still believe in it as a unique model and dream and work seriously from every position I hold for it to rise from its disappointments and become an example to follow in this world."

Al-Maqasid University awarded an honorary doctorate to Dr. Youssef Salam, who received the degree from Minister Karamy, Sheikh Assaf, Engineer Tabara, and University President Ghaziri. Subsequently, diplomas were distributed to the graduating students, and nursing students took their oath.