DR. ALI AL-GHAMDI TUESDAY, December 18, was celebrated as World Arabic Language Day. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) decided to celebrate this day in recognition of the role of the Arabic language in disseminating information across cultures and civilizations. December 18 was chosen as it is the day in 1973 when the General Assembly approved Arabic as an official UN language. In a statement issued on the occasion, Irina Bokova, director general of UNESCO, emphasized the significance of Arabic as the language of 22 member states of UNESCO, a language with more than 422 million speakers in the Arab world and used by more than 1.5 billion Muslims. Bokova said: “By celebrating the Arabic language, we are also acknowledging the tremendous contribution of its writers, scientists and artists to universal culture. These are the Arabic language authors who enabled the transmission of Greek knowledge to the Latin of medieval Europe, weaving indissoluble ties between cultures through time.” She noted that the works of Averroes, Ibn Khaldun and Naguib Mahfouz are among the most profound of the human spirit and it is in Arabic that they deliver their full power. “This love and fascination for the language – expressed for example in calligraphy and poetry, so dear to the Arab culture – is a crucible from which the greatest cultures have emerged.” The Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO) recently organized a study day on Arabic language in Riyadh to mark World Arabic Language Day. Addressing the function, Dr. Abdulaziz Othman Altwaijri, director general of ISESCO, highlighted the significance of preserving and promoting the Arabic language. “This day gives us an opportunity to learn the issues facing the Arabic language as well as to discuss ways to promote it and enable it to overcome hurdles in its way and keep pace with the latest developments and adapt to changes,” he said. Dr. Altwaijri also drew attention to the gravity of challenges faced by the Arabic language and the potential drawbacks in addressing them. At the local level, several seminars and meetings were held to mark World Arabic Language Day in various cities and regions across the Kingdom. In Makkah, the Cultural and Literary Club organized a seminar to mark the occasion. Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Ahmad Salem, president of the Saudi Scientific Society for Arabic Language, called on the people of Makkah to implement the directives of Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, Emir of Makkah region, to ensure that the signboards of shops, businesses, and streets are written in Arabic, replacing foreign names and scripts. Dr. Yaseen Al-Muhammad, who also spoke, put the blame on university professors for shortcomings in teaching the Arabic language and attributed this mainly to their reliance on the colloquial language instead of the standard language. He stressed the need for translating applied sciences into Arabic in order to teach them in the Arabic language. Baha Literary Club, in cooperation with Baha University, organized a cultural evening under the title of “The Arabic language on its celebration day.” Addressing the gathering, Dr. Muhammad Ali Saad spoke about the misleading propaganda about the Arabic language that has adversely affected the language. Dr. Waheed Muhammad Awad, another speaker, noted the so-called difficulty in both learning and teaching the Arabic language. In Jeddah, World Arabic Language Day was given due prominence mainly by women. The education office in central Jeddah organized an event to celebrate the day at Elementary School No. 35 for Girls. The function with the theme “My language is my identity” was held in the presence of the head of the Arabic language department of King Abdulaziz University. Speaking on the occasion, Meetha Al-Musaed, director of education in central Jeddah, underlined the need for being proud of the Arabic language and preserving it. While stressing the need for giving due prominence to the language in which the Holy Qur'an was revealed, she called for holding workshops and exhibitions, in addition to providing training to gifted people in the art of composition, public speaking, theatrical performance and essay writing. However, these celebrations, seminars, speeches and song programs glorifying the Arabic language and extolling its advantages and impact on other languages are not enough. Those organizations and agencies that celebrated World Arabic Language Day should go beyond merely holding programs and speeches to mark the occasion. Instead, they should open Arabic language learning centers and organize Arabic language courses at universities and literary clubs as well as at community centers and even at mosques. Foreigners from non-Arab countries must be invited to learn the language. I am sure that this would receive a tremendous response as there are many expatriates who wish to learn Arabic. I realized this when I wrote a column in this newspaper in which I called on expatriates to come forward to learn the Arabic language. It is clear that it is we Arabs who are failing to fulfill our duties toward our language. We are not doing enough to promote our language and we should make an effort to open language learning centers, appoint qualified teachers, make books available, create an appropriate learning environment and honor those who have learned the language by awarding them prizes. — Dr. Ali Al-Ghamdi is a former Saudi diplomat who specializes in Southeast Asian affairs. He can be reached at [email protected]
