Vice Chairperson and CEO of Qatar Foundation H E Sheikha Hind bint Hamad Al Thani honours the winning team from An-Najah National University in Palestine.
Doha, Qatar: The 7th International Universities Debating Championship concluded with a victory for An-Najah National University from Palestine, marking their first win in the competition. The award was presented by Vice Chairperson and CEO of Qatar Foundation (QF), H E Sheikha Hind bint Hamad Al Thani during the closing ceremony of the championship held at the Qatar National Convention Centre yesterday.
The championship saw intense competition among universities worldwide, with the University of Arts and Sciences in Lebanon and Georgetown University in Qatar securing second and third places respectively. The event was graced by dignitaries including Minister of Education and Higher Education, H E Buthaina bint Ali Al Jabr Al Nuaimi, and Palestinian Ambassador to Qatar, H E Mounir Ghannam.
H E Sheikha Hind honoured the tournament’s top speakers, including Moza Khalid Al Hajri from Georgetown University in Qatar, Abdullah Jassim Al Kubaisi from Qatar University, and Rawan Muhammad Harshi from the University of Arts and Sciences in Lebanon. Abeer Al Khalifa, President of Pre-University Education at Qatar Foundation, presented awards to the top ten speakers and recognised the University of Boğaziçi from Türkiye as the champions in the non-native Arabic speakers’ category.
Zeina Jamal Hourani, a member of the winning team from Palestine’s An-Najah National University, shared her team’s journey with The Peninsula: “This year was way more difficult for us than last year due to the situation in Palestine. Our team didn’t meet in person before coming here; everything was online. We didn’t know if we would make it to Qatar until the last minute. This win is not just our win; it’s a win for Palestine, more specifically for the Gazan people. We are very sad that we couldn’t meet with the team in Gaza this year.”
Expressing her happiness, Heba Dhaini, who secured the 10th best speaker award and whose team from Lebanon won second place, told the newspaper: “We cannot describe our happiness. To reach this stage from our first participation is beyond amazing. We benefited a lot from this experience, learning about different cultures and perspectives.”
Reflecting on her long journey, Moza Khalid Al Hajri, the winner of the top speaker award from Georgetown University in Qatar, said to the Peninsula: “It took a lot of hard work and preparation to reach this stage. As a team, we are really happy to represent Georgetown and Qatar in this championship. Debate means a lot to me; I’ve been debating since I was twelve years old. It’s been a long journey, and I am happy to end it on such a high note.”
Imran bin Salman, the best speaker for non-native Arabic speakers from Malaysia, noted: “Debate for me is about being able to communicate, how to build your ideas, make conclusions, and think critically. It’s about how you make analyses and come up with the best solutions.”
Highlighting the event’s diversity, Mohammed A. Al Marri, the debate ambassador in Qatar, remarked: “In the 7th championship, more than 100 teams from over 50 countries participated. This championship was diverse in teams and subjects debated. I advise anyone to push themselves, discuss different topics, and improve their skills. Debating enhances not only speaking and presentation skills but also critical thinking.”
Abdulaziz Barakeh, a debate judge, said, “This 7th international championship was a significant milestone for Qatar and all debaters”.
“Non-native Arabic speakers are improving their language skills and engaging with different Arabic teams, which is the ultimate goal of Qatar Debate – to spread the Arabic language globally”, he added.
