Category: News update

To give due recognition to the Arabic language’s prominence and centrality in building civilizations, emphasize its lofty and noble message in calling for the preservation of the Islamic and Arab heritage, and show pride in its lead role in promoting diversity, mutual understanding and dialogue, the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) celebrates the World Arabic Language Day on December 18 of every year.

The celebration of the World Arabic Language Day aims to highlight the intellectual and scientific contribution of Arabic and its luminaries throughout the ages. It also endeavors to lay out clear visions of the future to shape the development of Arabic and determine its objectives to localize knowledge and technology, keep pace with scientific and technical breakthroughs, and promote the use of Arabic in all fields.

On this occasion, ICESCO renews its call upon those involved in spreading and disseminating Arabic education, including think-tanks, research centers, academic institutions, specialized organizations, public and private educational bodies and researchers, to accelerate the integration of Arabic into the digital revolution, and encourage initiatives and efforts geared towards improving its learning environment. Joint action is needed to further develop Arabic on par with innovations, promote broader use of Arabic online, and enhance its contribution to educational, scientific, cultural and economic digital production.

ICESCO calls upon its Member States to adopt modern scientific methods in advancing Arabic and meeting the challenges it faces on several levels, to establish its presence and expand its contribution to all fields.

In celebration of the World Arabic Language Day for this year, ICESCO will hold an international conference entitled: “Women and the Arabic Language: Reality and Future Prospects” on Tuesday, December 21, 2021, that will bring together eminent personalities to cast light on women’s major contributions to the advancement and promotion of Arabic.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) is pleased to announce the winners of its “Bayan” Award for Creative Expression in Arabic, which is organized by the Center of Arabic for Non-Arabic Speakers and aims to enhance the Arabic expressive skills of non-Arabic students from different countries through an Arabic speech that the participants deliver in a short video. 

In the Children category, three winners received USD1,000 prize each:

1- Wareqa Nihad Bint Masoudin, Kindergarten School of Ansar Mosque, Republic of Singapore.

2- Muhammed Aman bin Muhammed Rizal, Primary School Raja Muda Musa Kuala Kangsar, Malaysia.

3- Umulkhairi Mansor Macedo, Darus-salam International Schools in Kaduna, Federal Republic of Nigeria.

In the boys and girls category, two winners received USD1,500 each:

1- Husna Madgren, Institute of Religious Missions in Gala, Thailand;

2- Atika Maisarah Bint Ruslan, Religious High School Sultan Zine al-Abidine, Malaysia.

In the youth category, the USD2,000 award went to two winners:

1- Zebiniso Rasulova, International Islamic Academy of Uzbekistan, Republic of Uzbekistan.

2- Muhammad Samoh, Prince of Songkla Pattani University, Thailand.

Careful preparation, design, and artistic direction are some of the attributes that marked the winning works in addition to diligent attention to educational content. The jury agreed to grant “Bayan” awards to the videos that met most of the required conditions and criteria, most notably sound text, clear ideas, speech quality, artistic charisma, and creative direction.

Careful preparation, design, and artistic direction are some of the attributes that marked the winning works in addition to diligent attention to educational content. The jury agreed to grant “Bayan” awards to the videos that met most of the required conditions and criteria, most notably sound text, clear ideas, speech quality, artistic charisma, and creative direction.

Given the lingering circumstances amid the COVID-19 pandemic, ICESCO could not organize an award ceremony at its headquarters.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) participated in the 13th Session of the Theoretical and Applied International Conference held by the Central Spiritual Administration of the Muslims of Russia and the Russian Islamic University in Ufa, Bashkortostan, Russian Federation. The Conference is being held on 16-17 December 2021, in cooperation with the Pedagogical University of Bashkortostan, the Fund for Support of Islamic Culture, Science and Education, and the Presidential Council for Interaction with religious organizations of the Republic of Bashkortostan.

The Conference’s session is being held both face-to-face and via videoconference, under the theme: “Islam and Education: For the Development of Islamic Education in the Eurasian Region,” with the participation of a large number of officials, educational researchers, and Muslim and Christian leaderships from different regions of Russia and Central Asian countries.

Mr. Adel Bouraoui, Advisor to the Director-General for ICESCO’s External Centers and University Chairs in the Field of Arabic Language, represented ICESCO at the opening session and gave an address highlighting ICESCO’s new vision, which is based on the values of quality, openness, solidarity and innovation. He added that this vision values institutional work and urges Muslim communities to positively participate in building human civilization, play an active role in their societies, and contribute, along with other cultural and ethnic groups, to the growth and development of these societies.

Mr. Bouraoui also reviewed several of ICESCO’s new initiatives, such as establishing specialized centers and providing educational, cultural and scientific alternatives during the COVID-19 pandemic to help the Member States and Muslim institutions outside the Islamic world deal with the pandemic’s repercussions on educational, scientific and cultural activities.

During the Conference, the Central Spiritual Administration of the Muslims of Russia announced the establishment of the Eurasian Association for the Promotion of Islamic Education, which includes the Russian Federation, Uzbekistan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Kazakhstan.

In celebration of the World Arabic Language Day, the National Coalition for Arabic Language in Morocco organizes the 4th Arabic Language Week 2021, in partnership with ICESCO Center of Arabic Language for Non-Arabic Speakers, the Moroccan Education Inspectors Training Center, ALECSO Arabization Coordination Bureau, and Ibn Sina Institute for Human Sciences in France.
The launch of the event held on Thursday, December 16, 2021, at the headquarters of the Arabization Coordination Bureau, featured an international symposium on “Digital transformation in teaching Arabic for non-Arabic speakers,” which saw the participation of Dr. Majdi Haji Ibrahim, Head of ICESCO Center, and Dr. Youssef Ismaili, Expert at the Center.

In the opening session, Dr. Majdi delivered a speech wherein he welcomed the participants in the symposium tackling the rapid digital transformation and its relationship with teaching and learning Arabic. The symposium aimed at intensifying and coordinating efforts to achieve practical results and make effective recommendations for developing curricula of teaching Arabic to non-Arabic speakers using modern technologies.

In the second working session, Dr. Majdi reviewed the experience of the Center in training teachers of Arabic for non-Arabic speakers and the Center’s salient initiatives and training workshops for the benefit of teachers of Arabic in the ICESCO Member States and beyond. “The Center seeks to develop Arabic education and update teaching strategies of Arabic for non-Arabic speakers, in line with the most appropriate educational approaches to the local learning environment, and capitalize on the technologies of teaching Arabic in non-Arab environments,” he stressed.

Dr. Youssef Ismaili moderated the third session on “Experiences and initiatives in teaching Arabic for non-Arabic speakers”, which brought together five participants representing institutions working in the field of teaching Arabic to non-Arabic speakers from different countries. They reviewed their experiences in teaching Arabic for people eager to learn it remotely during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) announced the winners of its Women’s Poetry Prize “Poem of the Year of Women 2021,” as part of the Year of Women Program, held under the high patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI of Morocco.

The first prize went to the poem “Hya Saydat al-Ard” (Greatest Woman on Earth), by Hajar Omar, from the Arab Republic of Egypt. The poem “Mir’at Vinus” (Mirror of Venus) by Sherihan Al-Tayeb Kalbash Daleel, from the Republic of the Sudan, and the poem “Ila Ikhdirari,” (Toward my self-fulfillment) by Laila Naji Ali al-Omari, from Yemen, received the second and third prizes respectively.

The contest, held by the ICESCO Center of Arabic for Non-Arabic Speakers, saw the participation of 333 women poets from more than 20 countries. The Center chose an international jury, in line with the criteria of technical quality, innovation and creativity, to examine the participants’ works and selected the poems meeting the conditions and criteria of the Prize. The Center also decided to publish the best 70 poems participating in the contest in a poetry collection entitled “Hina Asrajna Adayajir Shi’ran” (When their poetry turns darkness into light).

The Prize aims to promote women’s poetry in classical Arabic (fus’hâ) and revitalize its positive role in promoting cultural interaction and human communication. It also aims to enrich the Arab library and the poetic scene with a plethora of quality women’s poems, dealing with women, their concerns, hopes, and aspirations. The goal is also to consolidate the presence of creative women poets in the Arab literary spheres and allow them to compete and publicize their achievements and roles in promoting society through literature.

The Education Sector and the Social and Human Sciences Sector of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) held a meeting with the Regional Office for North Africa of the Korean Global Care International (GCI) to explore prospects of cooperation between the two organizations in aiding marginalized groups to benefit from educational and health services.

During the meeting, held at ICESCO’s headquarters in Rabat yesterday, Monday, December 13, 2021, representatives from the Sectors of Education and Social and Human Sciences highlighted a number of ICESCO’s initiatives and activities aimed at providing medical and educational services for the benefit of Member States, while Dr. Seup Park, Director of the Regional Office in Rabat, reviewed GCI’s activities and projects, expressing his aspiration to strengthen cooperation with ICESCO in areas of common interest.

At the close of the meeting, the two parties discussed key mechanisms and ways for developing cooperation, stressing their eagerness to sign a partnership agreement to contribute to achieving sustainable development in the countries of the Islamic world.

The meeting brought together Dr. Youssef Abu Daqqa, Dr. Ahmed Al-Zanfali, Mr. Aziz Al-Hajir, Program Managers at ICESCO’s Education Sector and Dr. Sungbong Kim, Expert in the Sector. Also attending the meeting were Mr. Alioun Ndiaye, Program Manager at ICESCO’s Social and Human Sciences Sector, and Mr. Fazil Irwan and Ms. Safaa Zebakh, Experts at the Sector, in addition to GCI’s representative Mr. Boubaker Chlihi, Program Manager.