The glorious historical and cultural bearings of the rich Arabic language is undeniable. ‘The Arabic language will remain the language of the future, science and innovation because it is notable for its flexibility that helped it play a key role in different civilisations’, said His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
Shaikh Mohammad made the remarks as he honoured the winners of the second edition of the Mohammad Bin Rashid Arabic Language Award and as he inaugurated the fifth International Conference on Arabic Language (ICAL).
Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai Crown Prince, and Shaikh Maktoum Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, were present during the ceremony held at Al Bustan Rotana Hotel in Dubai.
“If we look closely into the history of science, mathematics and medical books, we would find that many of those works were written in Arabic and then translated to different languages. Many Arabic terminologies are still used in foreign science books,” Shaikh Mohammad said.
“Arabic language institutes shoulder the massive responsibility in modernising methods and implementing programmes to empower the Arabic language in various contemporary fields. We want these institutes to cooperate in order to restore the brilliant history of our language and its global standing,” added Shaikh Mohammad.
It is interesting to note that ICAL runs until May 7 and has brought together more than 2,500 Arabic language researchers, specialists, academics and experts from 72 countries to discuss the state of the Arab language and ways to improve it. The conference is part of Shaikh Mohammad’s endeavour to enhance the importance and position of the Arabic language given the significance of the language’s cultural, historical and civilisational identity for the Arab word. The conference is also part of the UAE Vision 2021, which strives to make the UAE a centre of excellence for the Arabic language. The conference has more than 172 sessions and lectures that discuss all matters relating to Arabic language.
The award winners are:
- Switzerland’s Dar Al Farah
- Saudi Arabia’s National Centre for Assessment in Higher Education
- UAE’s Shaikh Mohammad Bin Khalid Al Nahyan Cultural Centre
- Lebanon’s Bayt El Lougha centre
- Professor Taha Zarouki from Algeria
- Sharjah Radio
- Professor Nasaruddin Idris Jauhar from Indonesia
- Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz International Centre for Arabic Language
- Saudi Arabia’s King Abdul Aziz City for Science and Technology
- Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organisation (Alecso)