A language of poetry and wit that’s been hijacked by terrorists

Sometimes the simplest of encounters are the most telling. Two tables at a fancy restaurant in Dubai. At one, there is an Arab family with the parents talking to their children in heavily accented English and the children replying in flawless English. At another was a British family and the father, who had a heavily accented grasp of Arabic, was talking to his children, who were trying to reply in Arabic.

It was an interesting cultural exchange, and one that, perhaps, reflects a trend of people being inspired to learn Arabic and those who were born into it seeking to learn other languages. Perhaps those people perceive that learning another language will open doors and secure their future. That is all great, as long as the Arab families don’t forget to teach their own children to enjoy and discover Arabic, which is too often seen as a chore and limited to a few classes at school.

“They won’t really need it,” insisted a mother I have spoken to. “I gave up on the language like I gave up on this unstable region.”

For the past few decades, there has been a steady departure of Arab nationals from around the Middle East who seek out greener pastures elsewhere – and many have never returned. People are in constant migration throughout the world, that is nothing new.

However, I regularly get emails from people whose ancestors were of Arab origin – especially if I have just written a piece on Arab literature or history – asking me about the best way to learn Arabic, and seeking recommendations for Arabic literature. December 18 was UN Arabic Language Day. Many people made it their mission to speak only Arabic on that day. As I worked on finding the origin of this language spoken by millions of people worldwide, I found even this bit is shrouded in mystery, as with many things we try to document properly in this region. So as with everything Arab, even the language begins with a legend.

It is said the language was named after Ya’rub bin Yashjub bin Qahtan, who is said to have been the son or grandson of Qahtan (biblical Joktan) and who is believed to have first spoken the language we know today as Arabic or Al Arabi. He is also credited with the creation of the first form of written Arabic: Kufic, an angular script believed to have been developed in the 7th century. Then there is a legend that Prophet Ismail, son of Prophet Ibrahim, was the one who first spoke Arabic.

“There is yet another legend,” said Hasan Al Naboodah, who is an Emirati historian and dean of the college of humanities and social sciences at the UAE University in Al Ain.

“Three people from the tribe of Tayy put the letters of the Arabic alphabet and measured the Arabic dialogue on Syriac tone. Some people from Anbar learnt it and moved to the Kingdom of Al Hira in Iraq, and then from there went to Mecca,” he says. Arabic could be even older. “Early Arabic sources mention that Arabic was the language spoken by Adam, the first man created by God,” he says.

A language so beautiful, so diverse and deep, with so many words for love, even as it is now being hijacked by terrorist groups such as ISIL who have released colourful, well-designed mobile apps that teach children hate and violence via words.

Called Huroof (meaning letters in Arabic) and Mu’alim Al Huroof (alphabet teacher), it teaches words such as saif (sword) and dabbaba (tank) and includes games and anasheed – Islamic spiritual songs – with extremist terms and concepts at the heart of them.

So not only do they prey on vulnerable and traumatised children in war zones, they are reaching out to children beyond via technology.

As we enter a new year, a proper refresh button needs to be pressed: may it be a year of taking back stolen violated lands, homes and dignity, and may it be the year of a revival of a language and the many cultures that once thrived around it.

‘ Early sources say that Arabic was the language spoken by Adam