On Wednesday, the President of the Senate, Faisal Al-Fayez, chaired a meeting with university presidents at the Senate House to mark International Arabic Language Day, which the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has designated as December 18 each year.
Al-Fayez emphasized that the responsibility to protect the Arabic language is a shared one, falling on the shoulders of governments, scholars, thinkers, the media, and various civil society institutions, as well as families, schools, and universities. He highlighted the important role of universities in preserving the Arabic language, Arabizing sciences and knowledge, and supporting the national project to defend the Arabic language.
He called on universities to reestablish the Arabic language’s prominence, commit to implementing the provisions of the Arabic Language Protection Law, and build linguistic awareness that establishes a comprehensive cultural renaissance, which would lead to a civilizational rise for the nation. Al-Fayez also emphasized the importance of fostering a sense of responsibility among students toward the Arabic language.
He stressed the necessity for universities to adopt Arabic as the official language for all conferences and activities held within or on behalf of the university. Additionally, he called for all legal means to be used to Arabize higher education, contribute to increasing channels for learning and mastering the Arabic language, such as poetry clubs, theater groups, and libraries containing books on Arabic heritage, literature, and language. He also encouraged the establishment of competitions and activities that encourage students to appreciate the language, as well as enriching the internet with Arabic content and focusing on translating scientific books into Arabic.
Al-Fayez noted that the meeting is part of the efforts made by the Amman Forum for Future Dialogues to defend the Arabic language through its launch of the national project for its protection.
Bilal Al-Tal, head of the Amman Forum for Future Dialogues, discussed the dangers facing the Arabic language, citing behaviors and lifestyles around us and families' preference to teach their children foreign languages at the expense of Arabic. He stated that language is the solid foundation for a nation's renaissance through the localization of sciences and knowledge in its language, which is one of the main reasons for its scientific, industrial, and economic advancement. He reaffirmed that defending the Arabic language is a fundamental base for achieving civilizational progress, with universities being pivotal in taking on this mission.
Senator Dr. Jawad Al-Anani highlighted that the education system suffers from an artificial cultural duality, which suggests a contradiction between learning foreign languages and Arabic. He stated, "There is no objection to learning foreign languages and broadening students' knowledge, but true culture lies in their mastery of their mother tongue." He stressed that the Arabic language represents a symbol of our identity and should be returned to its rightful place among the new generation through changes in teaching methods.
The former minister, Dr.Mundhir Haddadin discussed key milestones in the history of the Arabic language and the evolution of the Arabic script, which originated from the Nabataean Aramaic script. He also mentioned the role of Arab Christians in protecting the Arabic language from the dominance of the Turanian language.
For their part, university presidents emphasized the need to focus on writing in Arabic, translation, and Arabizing scientific journals, as well as revising school curricula to strengthen knowledge of the Arabic language. They pointed out the weak linguistic proficiency among students, which calls for a reassessment of the educational system.