Qatar Foundation is offering its university students the opportunity to learn Arabic with a newly launched course for native and non-native speakers alike.
The course, Discover Arabic, runs during the academic semester and is free to Education City university students. Offering a blend of in-person and online teaching, focusing on listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills, it caters for various levels of Arabic language proficiency, and has been developed with the Translation and Interpreting Institute, part of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Qatar Foundation’s (QF) Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU).
Firdavs Fayzillaev, a Business Administration student at Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar (CMU-Q) – a QF partner university – joined the first edition of the course, which ran from September to December.
“I embarked on the journey of learning Arabic primarily because it is the language in which the Holy Qur’an was written. One of my ambitions is to be able to read and understand the Qur’an by the end of my academic journey at CMU-Q,” he said.
Learning Arabic for the first time, Fayzillaev made several unexpected discoveries. “I was surprised by the vast diversity of Arabic dialects, each uniquely shaped by its geographical context,” he said. “Understanding the intricacies of these dialects has given me valuable insights into the rich culture of the Arabic language.
“I’ve also made fascinating discoveries about the linguistic connections between Arabic and my native language, Uzbek.”.
Ibtisam Haseeb, studying Computer Engineering at HBKU, had the same realization while learning, saying: “I discovered that Arabic has several words that are exactly the same as Urdu, my mother tongue, which I found very interesting.”
Reflecting on the past semester, she said: “I especially enjoyed the parts of the program where the professor would ask us to converse and ask each other questions in Arabic to help us practice better and learn the differences while addressing a male and female.”
Dina Mutassem, Academic Programming Lead, QF, explained the purpose behind launching this program for university students, saying: “At QF, one of our foremost priorities is being a custodian for the Arabic language. Our long-term vision is for every graduate of an Education City university to complete their academic journey with some level of Arabic proficiency.
“The Discover Arabic course is the first step of our efforts to expand the opportunities to study Arabic for our students. This promotes integration and cultural exchange among the students and within the different campuses, but it also allows them to gain a deeper understanding of Qatari culture and the broader Arab world.
“We are living in an increasingly globalized world, and we want to make sure that we equip our graduates with the tools to succeed – yes, mainly in the form of a new language, but concurrently, with cross-cultural awareness, tolerance, and empathy.”
Both Fayzillaev and Haseeb encourage other students, in particular non-native speakers, to take the leap and learn Arabic. “Many non-native speakers can benefit from learning Arabic due to their desire to comprehend the Holy Qur’an and the inherent beauty of the language,” said Fayzillaev.
Haseeb said: “Non-natives living in Qatar should consider learning Arabic for cultural integration, improved daily interactions, and enhanced opportunities in this diverse and dynamic environment.”
Those who wish to learn more about, or sign up, for the next Discover Arabic course can contact Dina Mutassem at dmutassem@qf.org.qa