What is illiteracy? Its dimensions and shapes? This is not an easy question. The real definition is a stage that leads to addressing its negative aspects as well as to improve it. It is not about somebody's inability to read, but it goes further to the fact that he is able to reads but unable to understand. Many people mistakenly assume that those who are unable to read are unable to understand. Many others are certain that who are able to read but unable to understand represents the worst form of illiteracy. Compare some celebrity biography - both in our time or hundreds of years earlier– you will find out that concepts of our time, although related to ability to read, is linked to awareness and efficiency of mind concepts. I personally know illiterate men of influence who had achieved fame and successful business in Riyadh. Some are senior citizens with limited ability of reading, but were socially very successful. Others, some are well known businesspersons to me, used to work in a low paid outlet positions and did not have the time to learn but manage to make success not by financial abilities but rather by their knowledge and general information abilities, including proficiency in English. We come to the true illiteracy which is against knowledge of those who learned but were unable to understand. Almost all newspapers published objections against the book fair held in Riyadh in a manner that we should read only what our older generations used to read. Reading contemporary knowledge such as the history of communism or viewing a Western channels that is showing a woman physique is questionable as if you are going to adopt these concepts, while you are only looking to expand your information to justify rejection of these concepts. Some of the so-called civilization behavior cannot be objectively encountered unless you have sufficient knowledge and fully aware of these down sides, its historical existence and how it came about.
