Dubai: 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.
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.
Also present during the ceremony were Shaikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development, Mohammad Abdullah Al Gergawi, Secretary-General of Mohammad Bin Rashid’s Global Initiatives, Abdul Rahman Mohammad Al Owais, Minister of Health and Prevention, and senior officials.
Award winners:
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)
