“It was not by choice, but if I were made to choose, I would have chosen to be Arab… I still believe in our Arab mother tongue, and I call upon myself and you to cherish it,” proclaimed the student at the College of International Studies at the American University of Iraq-Baghdad (AUIB), Muhammad Al-Hamid, in a speech he delivered at a celebration organized by AUIB’s Department of Enrollment Services and Student Affairs and hosted at the American Space on campus, on the occasion of the World Arabic Language Day. The students were the stars at the celebration, the agenda of which was dominated by readings of poetry, some of it original, with a few speeches delivered in classical Arabic, focusing on the themes of identity, culture, and belonging.
An American university immerses its students in American culture, however, this does not at all mean that students should forget their own culture; on the contrary, they should respect and celebrate their culture, said AUIB’s Vice President for Enrollment Services and Student Affairs, Dr. James Pounder, in his opening remarks. And the students present demonstrated clearly their deep understanding of the inseverable bonds that join their national language, their great, rich cultural heritage, rooted in antiquity, and the terms they use in their everyday lives in all its aspects, including the practical, the scientific, and the sentimental.
“Language is not simply a tool for communication, but also a gateway to the nation’s history and a custodian of its cultural heritage… our language connects us with our Arab kin, from the Euphrates to the Atlantic… our language is the love of Iraq that was implanted in our souls… and it is a daily prayer;” and basically, it is the language of daily life in all its facets and preoccupations, said the student Muhammad Al-Hamid in his speech, calling for efforts at “advancing the status of the Arabic language in the fields of science and art.”
Poet Ali Abdul-Karim, a student at AUIB’s College of International Studies, shone in his recitation of a few of his original poems, the themes of which varied, ranging from monologues addressed to his parents to romance, engaging a very responsive audience. On a similar note, AUIB student Daniel Ibrahim, born in Germany to an Iraqi father and a German mother, excelled in delivering a speech in a very remarkable and eloquent classical Arabic, speaking about his upbringing in a home where his father took utmost care to teach him Arabic, and where “the love of language was deep-rooted… Arabic is not simply a language, but a journey worth every moment to discover,” said Daniel.