World Arabic Language Day was celebrated on Dec. 18. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) chose that date, as it was on that day in 1973 that the UN General Assembly approved Arabic as the sixth official and working language at the UN. In 2012, the United Nations approved celebration of World Arabic Language Day. It is noteworthy that UNESCO showed its keenness in the case of the Arabic language when at its third conference held in Beirut in 1948, it decided to approve Arabic as its third official language after English and French. Moreover, the conference of the UN cultural body held in 1960 highlighted the significance of the Arabic language and its prominent role in promoting UNESCO's activities. On the occasion of World Arabic Language Day, several activities were held across the Arab world. These included seminars, transmission of radio and television programs, publishing of articles, recitation of poems praising the language and its beauty, and discourses focusing on its significance, prominence and lofty position as compared to other languages. The role of Arabic language in boosting the intellectual, scientific and knowledge aspects of life was also highlighted. Apart from this, the language enjoys paramount religious significance as far as Muslims are concerned as it is the language of Islam and that of the Holy Qur'an, which was revealed to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Hence, extreme importance has been attached to this language not only by Arabs, but by all Muslims. It is obligatory for them to pronounce an Arabic text while performing daily prayers. The obligatory prayers are acceptable only with the recitation of Surah Al-Fatiha and a few verses from the Holy Qur'an in their Arabic text. Muslim families around the world are keen to teach their children to pronounce the words of the Shahada that "there is no god worthy of worship but Allah and Muhammad is His messenger" as well as some verses from the Holy Qur'an. However, it is very unfortunate to note that many parents attach significance to reading and pronouncing these words of monotheism without understanding their meaning. It also does not mean that attaching importance to learning the Arabic language is done at the expense of other languages and cultures. All other languages and cultures must be given their due importance. Arab students must be taught all the branches of knowledge and sciences in their mother tongue similar to all other communities even if their mother tongue does not enjoy the significance of Arabic in terms of its religious and historical dimensions or the numerical strength of its speakers. Arabic is one of the approved languages at the UN and its affiliated bodies. It is unfortunate that some Arab representatives at the UN and other international bodies prefer to speak in a language other than Arabic, which is their mother tongue. This happens either when they want to show that they are well versed in a foreign language, or when they are not proficient in Arabic. An important question to be asked is whether setting aside one day each year as World Arabic Language Day is the best way of honoring the language. I do believe that the best thing to do to serve and promote the language is to facilitate its learning and to make it a favorite subject of the younger generation. The best teachers should be hired to teach the language with innovative teaching aids and methods so that it will motivate children to learn and acquire proficiency in the language. Unfortunately, the reality of Arabic language learning at present even in Arab societies is quite unsatisfactory. A large number of Arab students graduate from university without acquiring even the ability to write a letter or message in Arabic without any grammatical or spelling mistakes. This is mainly due to defective teaching by inefficient teachers. It seems that the main concern of students and perhaps teachers is how to use education to pass examinations and thus obtain promotion from one grade to another, thus enabling the student to secure a university degree certificate, rather than approaching learning as the best way to achieve the noble goals of education. I feel that the greatest loss of the Arabic language is represented by the presence of around 80 percent of non-Arabic speaking expatriates among more than 10 million of them in the Kingdom and a similar number in other Gulf countries. Even after spending several decades in the Kingdom, some of these expatriates still do not know Arabic while some others have made no effort to acquire the language even though they were born and brought up here. A major factor for this is the apathy on the part of Arabs to take steps to spread their language among the expatriate community through opening evening classes for learning Arabic. As a result, most expatriates take little or no interest in learning the language or in helping their children who were born here to learn it. Of course, I do not want to generalize as there are expatriates who take the initiative to learn Arabic and teach their children the language of the Holy Qur'an. No doubt, this is a welcome step. — Dr. Ali Al-Ghamdi is a former Saudi diplomat who specializes in Southeast Asian affairs. He can be reached at [email protected]
