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Researchers, linguists and Arabic language experts gathered to discuss the current status of the usage of Arabic by its native speakers, at a symposium titled: “Arabic in Various Environments and Domains.”  The symposium, which commemorated the World Arabic Language Day, was co-organized by the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies and the Doha Historical Dictionary and took place from 26-27 December, 2015.

The opening remarks at the symposium featured Dr. Yasir Sulieman Malley, Acting President of the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, he said: “Fears about the future of the Arabic language stem from our collective concern regarding our identity.  Therefore, the solution to current issues of the usage of Arabic will come from working towards strengthening Arabs, as a nation.”     

Participants at the symposium agreed that there are significant digital gaps between Arabic speaking societies and the developed world.  As a solution to this problem, speakers stressed the importance of providing quality Arabic education programs alongside another language such as English or French, in order to effectively contribute to digital content development and knowledge production in Arabic. 

Experts from various organizations participated in the symposium, including: Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies, Doha Historical Dictionary, Arab Organization for Renaissance of Arabic Language, Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, Qatar University and Qatar Computing Institute.