Arabic Language-Americans vs. Arabs

I spent more than 20 years in the United States, during which I obtained my masters and doctorate degrees in Arabic language, literature and linguistics. While I was studying, I suffered ridicule from other Arab-Americans who were astonished, saying, “You’re studying Arabic in America instead of computers or engineering?! ... What’s the point?!” However, my religion, my language and my culture were my eternal passion. It was as if the picture became clearer and more refined as I saw it from a distance and from a different point of view.

This is the American generation, which has no history or civilization — they have nothing more than material advancement.

It is strange how this fondness for the American dream dissolves and melts away the more one gets deeper and deeper in its society.

Because of Sept. 11, there has been a drastic impact on Americans in numerous areas, one of which is the realization of their complete ignorance of that which lies beyond their continent. Another effect has been a revolutionary shift in the teaching of languages in American universities, particularly the Arabic language.

During the George W. Bush administration, $114 million was allocated to the support of the critical languages project in America, especially the Arabic language. There has also been an astounding increase in the number of students of Arabic studies.

Statistics have indicated that Harvard University has been witnessing a substantial increase of 93.9 percent in the number of Arabic language students between 2002 and 2005. An increase of 89.6 percent has also happened to Georgetown University. Today, there is hardly any American university that does not have a department for teaching the Arabic language.

Teaching the Arabic language in America presents many difficulties and challenges, such as the difficulty of the language itself, simplifying rules and a shortage of teachers specialized in teaching Arabic to non-native Arab speakers. This is in addition to the limited amount of books that can be used in this area.

Ironically, American students are taking great interest in the Arabic language and Arab culture as opposed to an astounding disregard for the same language in Arab countries; Arabs take pride in speaking other foreign languages.

This is occurring at a time when the West, especially the U.S., is beginning to completely collapse in every way, economically and morally.

I sent one of my students last year to an Arab country to practice his Arabic, but when he returned to America, he sarcastically said, “I learned French instead of Arabic!”

Sending American students to an Arab country to practice the Arabic language is considered one of the most difficult things to do.

The people from the country to which my student traveled to practice Arabic took pride in speaking French, even though it has become the least important language in the world. In another Arab country, you frequently hear Western and Asian languages, and rarely do you hear Arabic. Yesterday I noticed, while watching a television interview with an educated Arab woman, who was speaking in Arabic, then switching into French and English that this forced the confused presenter to become an interpreter.

I call on psychologists, sociologists and educators to study this alarming and disturbing phenomenon.

What does it mean when Arabs try to escape from their own language and seek refuge in everything that is Western, even at a time when the Western world is collapsing and living off the sounds of bombs and machine guns used on Arab and Muslim countries?

We must sound the alarm before it is too late. Is it logical for Americans to master the Arabic language while we — the Arabs — act as if we are someone else? Someone who is a complete stranger and has no relation to us whatsoever!

Americans themselves are searching for an alternative and realize that their country is on the verge of destruction.

Be kind to the Arabic language, to our heritage and to that which remains from our civilization so that we will not say after it is too late, “We have dug our own grave!”