A UAE newspaper has commended the UAE's Year of Reading Initiative, saying that it encourages people to pick up books and finish them from cover to cover. A brainchild of Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, this project has taken the Arab world by storm and could usher in a new era of knowledge and understanding in the Middle East.

In an editorial on Tuesday, the Khaleej Times said, "Strife has engulfed the region, but the UAE has remained an oasis of calm as it pursues knowledge in earnest, and is willing to invest in the right resources and people. There's a larger goal for this country; to become a knowledge superpower.

"Innovative use of technologies, entrepreneurship and learning are being taken seriously in the UAE which is charting a new course and is hoping to take the Arab world to the heights of yore. The economy is being weaned off oil in an ambitious diversification process.

"The country is home to major book festivals and is also becoming an art hub. It is tapping into technology to make people read more on their gadgets even if they don't carry a real book with them. There's wifi connectivity in most public areas, including major parks in Dubai. Even the airport has wifi for free.

"There are incentives, prizes and even a law to boost reading; a unique move that other countries in the Middle East should adopt. However, there remain political and social hurdles that the region must surmount to reach its full potential in human progress.

"Violence continues to roil some countries where many people do not have access to food, clean water and sanitation. Where's the time for books in this scenario? This country's model of governance, which puts people and their welfare first, offers hope to the troubled region and a divided world.

The paper concluded by saying, "A thinking nation like the UAE is secure in the power of knowledge. It has booked its date with history."