How to be polite and an asset to your society?

The shape of the city and the behavior of its sons, their rhetoric and how they deal with reality, from streets to gardens, driving vehicles, respecting queues and how residents deal with strangers gives an indication about the city you are entering and how civilized it is.

Cities refine human behavior, or so they must. Civilization is science and related to behavior, but this has not been formed in many cities worldwide because there is a vast difference between cities full of buildings and those that contain meanings and activate them within the lived roles. Interestingly, civil concepts were the interest of Muslim philosophers centuries ago.

Civil science

“Civil science examines the varieties of acts, administrative approaches, morals, qualities and characteristics which acts and approaches are based on, and which aims are achieved for,” said renowned Muslim philosopher Al-Farabi (874-950). “It examines how these should be present... and how their presence in humans is about having virtuous acts and approaches distributed in cities and nations in order and mutually used.”

Civilization is also discipline, and is the basis of establishing the strict law abided by, and the development of the social aspiration to change for the best and cooperate with one another to create a reality that benefits everyone. This was the vision of John Locke (1632-1704), who considered individuals’ concession of certain freedoms as the basis of establishing a reality beneficial to all. It is a big wish that people’s civility befits their city.

This article was first published in Okaz on July 25, 2016.

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Turki Aldakhil is the General Manager of Al Arabiya News Channel. He began his career as a print journalist, covering politics and culture for the Saudi newspapers Okaz, Al-Riyadh and Al-Watan. He then moved to pan-Arab daily Al-Hayat and pan-Arab news magazine Al-Majalla. Turki later became a radio correspondent for the French-owned pan-Arab Radio Monte Carlo and MBC FM. He proceeded to Elaph, an online news magazine and Alarabiya.net, the news channel’s online platform. Over a ten-year period, Dakhil’s weekly Al Arabiya talk show “Edaat” (Spotlights) provided an opportunity for proponents of Arab and Islamic social reform to make their case to a mass audience. Turki also owns Al Mesbar Studies and Research Centre and Madarek Publishing House in Dubai. He has received several awards and honors, including the America Abroad Media annual award for his role in supporting civil society, human rights and advancing women’s roles in Gulf societies. He tweets @TurkiAldakhil.