Sharjah Ruler Calls for Preservation of Arabic at African Summit
SOURCE: GULF NEWS
Nouakchott, Mauritania: Experts have been urged to preserve the Arabic language at the opening of the Arabic Language Conference in the Mauritanian capital of Nouakchott.
The call came from His Highness Dr Shaikh Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah.
He called on researchers, specialists and various Arabic speakers congregating at the conference to take care of the language.
“The prestige of the Arabic language requires us and all who care to look at its contemporary issues and to examine its affairs and conditions. We pin our hopes on you, as Arabs, protectors and guards of the Arabic Language, to study its affairs and put practical programmes and projects for the generations that may facilitate use, employment and speaking of the language,” Dr Shaikh Sultan said.
This was stated during a speech delivered on behalf of the Ruler of Sharjah by Dr Eisa Saleh Al Hammadi, Director of the Educational Centre for the Arabic Language of the Gulf States in Sharjah. The speech was delivered during the conference being held from September 5-7, in cooperation with the Arabic Language Academy in Sharjah.
In his message, the Ruler of Sharjah highlighted the date of the entry of the Arabic language to the African continent, where he explained: “The Arabic language has reached Africa and its origins have been consolidated with the first Islamic opening of Arab Al Maghreb since the time of Uqbah Ibn Nafi, after which it had spread and its roots had consolidated.”
He continued: “In spite of the difficult circumstances experienced by many African countries in the last two centuries due to the diverse Western colonialism, which tried hard to undermine the pillars of the Arabic language and ignore and disregard it, this unique language has remained standing, and continued to live, and survive instead of disappearing and vanishing, because the means of its preservation are inherent in it, where all the elements of survival, life, development and continuity exist.
“Our interest in the historical dictionary of the Arabic Language is still the pivot of our projects under the supervision of Language Academies. We have established poetry houses in several Arab capitals and cities. We spare no effort to always serve this great language, which God has honoured us with as the language of the Holy Quran.”
Mauritanian Prime Minister Ismail Ben Cheikh Sidiya said at the conference: “We highly appreciate the fruitful cooperation between the Council of Arabic Tongue (Majlis Al Lisan Al Arabi) and the Arabic Language Academy in Sharjah, under the leadership of the Ruler of Sharjah.” This cooperation transcends the solid ties between Mauritania and the UAE, he added.
The conference was attended by several representatives of Arabic language academies in Arab and African countries and witnessed eight scientific sessions, during which 37 papers were selected from among 150 presentations presented to the Scientific Committee of the Supreme Council of Arabic Tongue.