DR. ALI AL-GHAMDY In a recent article, I wrote about the importance of the Arabic language for non-Arab expatriates living in Arab countries and the opportunities they are losing by not learning Arabic. I pointed out that this was especially true for their children who were born in Arab countries and received their primary, intermediate and secondary education in international schools there, but who are unable to express themselves in fluent Arabic. I blamed Arabs in the first place for this and then the expatriates themselves.
A friend of mine, an Arab diplomat has who has held high posts in his country and in some international organizations, criticized the article. He said what I was asking was illogical and unfair because expatriates would not benefit from learning Arabic. Although we discussed the subject at length, he was unable to accept my viewpoint and I was unwilling to accept his. In the end, I must admit that I felt deep sorrow and great disappointment with his point of view. Language – any language – represents the identity of the nation that speaks it. The language of a nation has the status of a legal personality that expresses the existence, goals and ambitions of a nation and its people. Furthermore, Arabic is not a dead language nor is it restricted to a certain country so that no one benefits from it except those who live in that country. It is an international language spoken by the people of 22 member countries of the United Nations and all the organizations affiliated to them. It is also the official language of numerous regional organizations, apart from being the language of the Holy Qur'an, which is recited by Muslims all over the world. In some Muslim countries, there are people who read Arabic more than the language of their own country, although they may not understand what they are reading, because all are keen to teach their children how to read the Holy Qur'an. In this connection, I recall an incident that took place at a G-77 meeting which was held in Colombia. My friend, the Arab diplomat whom I mentioned above, was representing his country at that meeting. There was no translation to or from Arabic hence causing the Arab delegates, and I was one of them, to protest to the meeting's secretariat and to threaten not to participate in the meeting. The matter ended with an apology from the secretariat and a promise to avoid such mistakes in future. If globalization has enabled the English language and to some extent the French language to spread, it has also given an opportunity to all languages to take their rightful place in the world. However, this will not happen unless the speakers of a language work hard on behalf of their mother tongue. Unfortunately, the Arabic language has not received the care and effort it deserves from Arabs, for whenever an Arab meets a non-Arab who speaks Arabic fluently, he does not talk with him in Arabic nor does he try to simplify his use of the language. On the contrary, he insists on speaking the foreign language of the other person despite the fact that he might not be as fluent in that language as his non-Arab friend is in Arabic. Also, when Arabs speak with one another, they have the tendency to include the use of foreign expressions in their conversation in order to show off their knowledge. Regrettably, this shows a lack of respect for the Arabic language and in many cases is evidence of an inferiority complex and a weak personality on the part of those who use Arabic in this way. When one reproaches such people gently, they give the excuse that the Arabic language does not have many modern scientific terms.
The reply to such people is what the famous Egyptian poet and litterateur Hafiz Ibrahim said over 60 years ago in a poem defending the Arabic language. He likened the Arabic language to a sea that is so rich with words that the argument of such people is refuted. One wonders how they can resort to pretexts that the Arabic language does not have the words to describe some machine when the Holy Qur'an – which contains Almighty Allah's words – is in Arabic. Although I was disappointed by my Arab diplomat friend's stance, I was consoled by numerous telephone calls which I received from some expatriates in the Kingdom and some who had lived in other Arab countries, but are now living in the West. All of them have supported my viewpoint, and they regret having lost the opportunity to learn the Arabic language during their stay in Arab countries. — Dr. Ali Al-Ghamdy is a former Saudi diplomat who specializes in Southeast Asian affairs. He can be reached at [email protected]
