Launching of the Third Sharjah International Conference for Arab Studies in Europe
Sharjah, 8 November / WAM / Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council, Ruler of Sharjah, Supreme President of the Arabic Language Academy in Sharjah, the work of the “Third Sharjah International Conference for Arab Studies in Europe 2025” was launched today at the residence of Dr. Sultan Al Qasimi, under the title “Contributions of Orientalists in Serving the Arabic Language.”
24 researchers and academics from 19 European countries are participating in the conference. They presented 24 studies that addressed the conference’s main themes, which are the migration of Arabic words to other languages, methodologies for teaching Arabic to non-native speakers, translation of Arabic literature and its impact on spreading the language and achieving the Arab and Islamic heritage.
In its third session, the conference aims to shed light on the origins of European languages and their relationship with Arabic, reveal the linguistic, social and human heritage of nations, focus on translation approaches and methods of communication between civilizations, in addition to studying models of European literature influenced by Arabic literature and its impact on spreading Arabic, in addition to investing human energies and research skills in serving Arabic in Europe, with attention to Arabic and Islamic manuscripts hidden in the treasures of ancient European libraries.
Dr. Muhammad Safi Al Mosteghanemi, Secretary General of the Arabic Language Academy in Sharjah, confirmed that these scientific meetings have become a milestone in the communication of the Arabic language with the world because of the intellectual space it provides that brings together leading researchers and Arabists from the East and West around the Arabic language and contributes to consolidating its presence in the fields of research and academic study. He pointed out that the exchange of visions and experiences achieved by these conferences is a qualitative step in the process of introducing Arabic and highlighting its cultural and human values.
The conference began with two dialogue sessions entitled “The Migration of Arabic Words to Other Languages,” in which Dr. Khairuddin Hojić, Associate Professor at the Faculty of Islamic Education in Bihać, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Dr. Petra Sebestyen, Professor of Arabic Language and Culture at the University of Leiden in the Netherlands, Dr. Samal Tuliubaeva, Professor in the Department of Oriental Studies at the Faculty of International Relations at the National Eurasian University, Dr. Peter Zemanek, Professor at Karl University in Prague, Czechia, and Dr. Wael Farouk, participated in the conference. Director of the Institute of Arab Culture at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Milan, Italy, and Dr. Laura Gago, Professor at the University of Salamanca, Spain.
The participants in the first session spoke about several titles that discussed “Words of Arabic origins in the Bosnian language: methods of transmission, phonetic adaptation, and change in meaning.” The session also highlighted research titled “Daily Life in Abbasid Baghdad: The Use of Arabic Texts in the Middle Ages for Teaching at Leiden University” and “The Journey of Arabic Words in the Kazakh Language.”
As for the second session of the conference, the speakers reviewed a number of papers covering “Arabic words in Czech and other languages in Central Europe,” “Arabic origins of scientific terms,” in addition to “The influence of the Arabic language on the Spanish language throughout history.”
As for the third session, it was entitled “Translating Arabic Literature and Its Impact on Spreading the Arabic Language,” during which Dr. Arben Checchi, Vice President of the Mediterranean University in Albania and lecturer in the Department of History and International Relations, Professor Igdonas Raços, and Dr. Elisabet Fouté, Honorary University Professor at the University of Lyon III, spoke.
The research presented in the session reviewed a number of titles, as it shed light on “The translation movement of Arabic literature in France in the 21st century” and discussed the topic of “Arabic translation as a tool for cultural diplomacy and its role in shaping cultural diversity in international relations,” in addition to a study that focused on “The Qur’an in the Lithuanian language: translation of literary meanings or literary translation of meanings?”
The conference concluded the first day with a fourth dialogue session entitled “Methodologies for Teaching Arabic to Speakers of Other Languages,” and hosted Dr. Sebastian Günther, university professor holding the Chair of Arabic and Islamic Studies at the University of Göttingen, Germany, Dr. Magdalena Levitska, teacher of Arabic to non-native speakers, Dr. Mariana Massa, lecturer at the Catholic University of Milan, and Dr. Fatima Mamedova, associate professor in the Department of the Middle East and South Asia at the Faculty of Oriental Studies at the University of Al-Farabi in Kazakhstan.
Speakers in the session presented their interventions on the studies they participated in, which discussed “Texts before Theories: Teaching Classical Arabic Literature to Speakers of Non-Arabic” and “Prospects for Teaching Arabic in Kazakhstan from Current Challenges to Strategic Vision for the Future.” Some of them also addressed the role of “Mobile Applications for Teaching Arabic: Reality and Future Challenges,” with a focus on “the place and role of terms and expressions with Islamic reference in teaching Arabic to non-Arabic speakers in the context of shaping cultural competence and intercultural communication.”
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