Paris: Ambassador of the State of Qatar to the French Republic H E Sheikh Ali bin Jassim Al Thani and President of the Arab World Institute in Paris H E Jack Lang unveiled a plaque of thanks to the State of Qatar for its contributions to the Arabic Language House project.
The ceremony was held at the Institute’s headquarters in the presence of FIFA representative in Paris, Kenny Jean-Marie, and prominent Arab, French and international figures. Models of the stadiums that will host the matches of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 were also displayed at the event.
In his speech at the ceremony, Sheikh Ali bin Jassim Al Thani stressed the historical importance of the Arabic language as one of the oldest languages spoken by humans since the dawn of history.
He said that the Arabic language, for centuries, linked peoples through literature, music, poetry and philosophy, as it was the common language of communication in the fields of commerce, art and science.
“It is a rich and vibrant language, uniting hundreds of millions of people in 22 Arabic speaking countries,” he added.
He said Qatar’s contribution to the Arabic Language House project that the Arab World Institute intends to establish reaffirms the important role that the Arabic language plays in building bridges of communication between peoples in culture, science, literature and many other fields, as language is the incubator of identity that cannot be preserved without preserving the Arabic language.
Qatar, under the wise leadership of Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, has been leading great efforts for years to promote and consolidate the status of the Arabic language within Qatar and in the Arab world, by organising conferences and seminars on the importance of the Arabic language and searching for means which bring back brilliance to our beautiful language, he said.
The Ambassador reviewed Qatar’s efforts to protect the Arabic language, which began with the initiative of H H Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development, when H H launched the “World Organization for Renaissance of Arabic Language (WORAL)” in 2013, and continued with the launch of the Doha Historical Dictionary of Arabic, until FIFA’s adoption of Arabic as an official language.
For his part, President of the Arab World Institute in Paris Jack Lang expressed his happiness to unveil the plaque that was launched in appreciation of Qatar for its commitment to the Arabic Language House project, stressing that thanks to the strong relations that exist between Qatar and the Institute, a new impetus will be given to the spread and promotion of the Arabic language in France, Qatar and the world as a global language in the field of knowledge, communication, culture and creativity.
