It Is Time to Deal with Arabic’s Diglossia
Not treating Arabic’s diglossia is causing an education crisis. Children speak one language at home and are expected to learn in another.
ALECSO Leader Urges Arab Universities to Teach Skills for the Future
Mohamed Ould Amar, head of the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organisation, says a failure to update curricula is creating “an army of the unemployed.”
New Arabic Textbook Is Designed to Enhance Skills of Native Speakers
A professor of Arabic in Qatar has written a textbook that seeks to counter a decline in the public use of Arabic among inheritors of the language.
‘Murder for Amateurs’: Ahmed Mourad on Writing as the Craft of Killing Boredom
In his new book, the Egyptian novelist Ahmed Mourad talks about the art of writing and storytelling, and how to become “a professional killer of boredom.”
Hosni Hadhad, Egypt’s Oldest Doctoral Student, Dies at 85
Hosni Hadhad earned a master’s degree in Arabic literature at age 83 and was keen to pursue a Ph.D. too. Unfortunately, death cut short his dream.
Egyptian Professor Wael Farouq Uses Music and Poetry to Teach Arabic in Europe
Wael Farouq, a professor of Arabic studies in Milan, says introducing non-native speakers to the rhythms and sounds of Arabic poetry and music facilitates language learning.
Arabic Calligraphy’s New Heritage Status Lifts Hopes for Keeping It Alive
Arabic calligraphy was recently inscribed on Unesco’s intangible cultural heritage lists. Calligraphers hope that inspires more support for teaching it in schools.
Recommended Reading, 2021: Books from the Arab World
Al-Fanar Media presents its choice of some of the most interesting books published in the Arab world in 2021.
Syrian Publishers and Bookstores Become Casualties of War
Several prominent Syrian publishing houses and bookstores have closed in recent years, the latest signs of cultural death in an economy hard hit by war.
‘Academic Prisons’: Bahrain’s Nader Kadhim Rejects Disciplinary Silos
“University is universal in nature, hence the name,” argues the Bahraini scholar Nader Kadhim. His cultural criticism takes an interdisciplinary approach.
