Gulf | Bahrain
Bill for mandatory use of Arabic proposed
All office, legal and transaction documents, contracts and signs in both the private and public sectors should be in Arabic, two lawmakers have proposed in a Bill to parliament.
- By Habib Toumi, Bureau Chief
- Published: 00:00 February 9, 2007
Manama: All office, legal and transaction documents, contracts and signs in both the private and public sectors should be in Arabic, two lawmakers have proposed in a Bill to parliament.
Members of Parliament Abdullah Al Dossary and Ebrahim Bu Sandal said that the proposal would "help Bahrain maintain its Arab and Islamic identity as it witnesses a massive development associated with an unprecedented and wide opening on the external world."
The proposed law would also help young people preserve their values while being exposed to different cultures, ethics and ideals, they said in their note, parliamentarian sources yesterday said.
"We have noted with alarming concern that the standard of Arabic in our schools and elsewhere has deteriorated. We are now exposed to a wave of foreign words and expressions that are drowning our own language and making us lose our identity," the two conservative deputies said.
"We really need a law that helps us confront the onslaught of the internet and other cultures while helping those who do not have the resources to safeguard our national identity and culture. It is deplorable that the loss phenomenon is now affecting our intellectual elite," they said.
According to the Bill, all documents and reports submitted to a government agency or establishment should be in Arabic. "Even when the original is in a different language, it must be translated into Arabic," the two deputies said in the proposal they submitted this week.
Records and minutes that can be seen or inspected by government officials should also be written or translated into Arabic, the proposal said. Contracts and receipts between organisations and associations are included in the items covered by the law.
Al Dossary and Bu Sandal added that all company, factory and shop signs must be in Arabic, and that in the presence of a sign in another language, the writing in Arabic should be larger and more prominent.
But the deputies said that diplomatic representations and international organisations would be exempted from the law.
"Failure to comply with the the law would result in fines not exceeding 200 dinars (Dh1,945). However, in case the violation is not addressed within three months, the offender or in the case of a company, the manager or the person in charge will be imprisoned for six months or fined up to 500 dinars (Dh4,880)," they said.
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