ICESCO Joins Gaza’s Children in ‘Enjoy Your Life with Music’

ICESCO Joins Gaza’s Children in ‘Enjoy Your Life with Music’
TT
20

ICESCO Joins Gaza’s Children in ‘Enjoy Your Life with Music’

ICESCO Joins Gaza’s Children in ‘Enjoy Your Life with Music’

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) took part in the closing ceremony of the “Enjoy Your Life with Music,” an ICESCO-funded initiative that was held in Gaza and organized by the Palestinian National Commission for Education, Culture and Science in partnership with Al-Sununu Association for Culture and Arts.

The project is aimed at improving the mental health of Gaza’s children, particularly those who have been exposed to violence and suffer from post-traumatic stress, by using music therapy as a means for unleashing positive creative expression that has an array of psychological benefits and helps unlock children’s full potential.

Dr. Mohammed Zine El Abidine, Head of ICESCO’s Culture and Communication Sector, represented the Organization at the ceremony held on Saturday via videoconference.

In his statement, Dr. Zine El Abidine stressed the need for a peaceful and serene world free of conflict and hostility, noting that music is a universal language we all understand that has deep philosophical roots and appeals to the mind and soul.

He added that ICESCO seeks to promote peace and believes in the role youths can play in peace-building, which has pushed it to launch several programs aimed at training youths and building their capacities, especially in anchoring peace and coexistence and promoting technology, innovation, and strategic foresight.

At the end of the ceremony, Al-Sununu Association for Culture and Arts offered its shield to ICESCO Director-General Dr. Salim M. AlMalik in recognition of his efforts and in appreciation of the Organization’s support for this program.

Dr. Dawas Dawas, the Secretary-General of the Palestinian National Commission for Education, Culture and Science, Chairman of ICESCO’s Executive Council, received the shield on Malik’s behalf.



Melania Trump Hosts White House Event to Unveil Barbara Bush Postage Stamp 

US first lady Melania Trump speaks during an unveiling of a US postage stamp honoring former first lady Barbara Bush, in the East Room at the White House in Washington, DC, US, May 8, 2025. (Reuters)
US first lady Melania Trump speaks during an unveiling of a US postage stamp honoring former first lady Barbara Bush, in the East Room at the White House in Washington, DC, US, May 8, 2025. (Reuters)
TT
20

Melania Trump Hosts White House Event to Unveil Barbara Bush Postage Stamp 

US first lady Melania Trump speaks during an unveiling of a US postage stamp honoring former first lady Barbara Bush, in the East Room at the White House in Washington, DC, US, May 8, 2025. (Reuters)
US first lady Melania Trump speaks during an unveiling of a US postage stamp honoring former first lady Barbara Bush, in the East Room at the White House in Washington, DC, US, May 8, 2025. (Reuters)

In the White House's East Room on a rainy Thursday, first lady Melania Trump and members of the Bush family gathered to unveil a US postage stamp bearing the portrait of former first lady Barbara Bush.

Amid the anticipation of the unveiling, Trump, Bush’s daughter Dorothy “Doro” Bush Koch and Judy de Torok, a vice president at US Postal Service, took turns sharing stories chronicling the former first lady's life and achievements.

Bush Koch held back tears recalling moments from her mother’s early life. “Mom was never one to shy away from speaking the truth or taking a stand,” she said. “With her signature white hair and pearls, she became an icon in her own right, and yet, even as a former first lady, she remained humble and humorous.”

The image on the stamp is Barbara Bush’s official White House portrait, which currently hangs in the entrance to the East Wing. She is depicted in a black suit and purple blouse, wearing her hallmark triple strand of pearls.

After a commemoration ceremony in Kennebunkport, Maine, where the Bush family compound is located, the stamp will go on sale June 10th.

Bush notably championed literacy programs and helped destigmatized people with AIDS and HIV when she cradled an infant during a 1989 visit to a hospice for children with the disease.

Trump also said she appreciated how Bush inspired people to pursue their personal dreams and was ahead of her time when she made the call for a female American president.

“Who knows?” Trump said. “Somewhere out in this audience may even be someone who will one day follow in my footsteps and preside over the White House, and I wish him well,” she said to laughs.

Barbara Bush died in 2018 at 92 years old. She was married to President George H. W. Bush. She is the mother of former President George W. Bush.

She was one of only two first ladies who had a child who was elected president. The other was Abigail Adams, wife of President John Adams and mother of President John Quincy Adams.

And in 2016 — at 90 years-old — Barbara Bush campaigned for her son, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush when he vied for the Republican presidential nomination, according to the George H. W. Bush library.

She had strong words for Donald Trump — back in 2016 she said in a joint CNN interview with Jeb Bush that she was “sick” of the current president. “He’s said terrible things about women, terrible things about the military. I don’t understand why people are for him, for that reason,” she said at the time.

Melania Trump attended Bush's funeral in 2018 while Donald Trump did not attend. The White House said he stayed away to avoid security disruptions.

Bush is the eighth first lady to be honored with a US postage stamp.

Bush Koch said: “It’s unlikely that mom ever pictured herself on the postage stamp, and it’s very likely that she would be wondering what all this fuss is about.”