QatarDebate takes Arabic debating to the US

QatarDebate, a member of Qatar Foundation, has succeeded over the recent years in entering agreements with some of the largest American universities, including the University of Chicago, Harvard, Utah, Western Kentucky, Illinois, and others, to implement specific programs for debates in the Arabic language with the aim of promoting the language in an unconventional way.

As part of the celebration of the Qatar-USA Year of Culture 2021, a delegation from QatarDebate recently visited the United States to inaugurate the QatarDebate Majlis at Western Kentucky University. During this visit, the delegation also held the second edition of the Arabic Debate Capacity Building Program, and the second debate curriculum forum.

Dr. Hayat Marafi, Executive Director of QatarDebate, said: “The center’s activities in the United States provide an open platform for discussion and exchange of knowledge about Arab and global issues, and this emulates the students’ passion to explore the Arab perspective on global issues, and how to express them

“During the past years, QatarDebate managed to launch the first American Arabic Debating Championship hosted by Harvard University. The Center also contributed to the adoption of a new curriculum to teaching Arabic through the art of debates in a number of American universities. Work is now underway to establish the American Debating Association in the Arabic Language.”

QatarDebate follows a creative and interactive approach in achieving its message. The Center works to promote and spread Arab culture through various activities, while relying on engaging students and youth as part of the learning cycle. The results of these initiatives can be seen through the increasing demand for those who are wishing to join the center’s programs, and through the requests for partnership and cooperation that the center constantly receives.

“QatarDebate is proud of what it is achieving in the United State,” Dr. Marafi said. “Despite the great responsibility and effort expended to achieve the aspirations of partner educational institutions and the aspiring generations to learn the language and interact with Arab culture, the center's members work hard, and with faith, to continue carrying the torch of Qatar to light the paths of the future generations who are eager to learn the Arabic language, and to learn about the history and present of Arab civilization.”