Al-arab In UK | Arabic is a gift to be protected. - العرب في بر...

1445 رمضان 18 | 28 مارس 2024

Arabic is a gift to be protected.

Arabic is a gift to be protected
Reem Al-Otaiby 22 March 2022

Here and through these lines, I want to share my fear of Arab immigrant children losing their mother tongue language, Arabic. Fear of being held accountable for such in front of Allah almighty. As it is our responsibility to keep the language of the Holy Quran, Arabic, alive within us.

 

What arose this fear for me, is seeing children who had only lived here, in the United kingdoms, for two years and already had started losing their native language. However, their ability to master English language in such a short time is still indeed impressive, but it should not be done on the account of losing their Arabic language.

 

We have lost the privilege of living in our own countries, some of us even lost the privilege of seeing their families or holding them in their arms, lost their jobs, their friends, even their own homes. We should not allow ourselves to also lose what’s left, our language.

 

If our children do not speak Arabic, do know that it is our doing…

 

 

Arabic is a gift to be protected
Arabic is a gift to be protected (Unsplash)

 

Teach your children to respect those around and speak their language, but do teach them to speak their mother tongue around you.

 

What brought this matter to my attention, is my fear of the future generation understanding the Arabic language not being able to communicate with it, not being able to fully understand, to argue and debate with those speaking it. I fear for their confidence. And I fear for them being foreigners among those speaking their native language.

 

And so teach them to speak their mother tongue around you …

 

If they ask for something in English, do not grant it until they ask in Arabic, they will eventually understand that: At home, We speak Arabic!

 

 

Arabic is a gift to be protected
Arabic is a gift to be protected (Unsplash)

 

In the future, they will be grateful for you, you have saved their language, you have granted the ability to speak and voice their opinions in the language of the Holy Quran.

 

When we think of this as important as providing for our children, we will be then able to protect our heritage.

 

My message today is nothing but a reminder, as I know and am sure that this issue is faced by immigrants all around the world and not just in Britain.

 

May God protect our children from all evil.

 

 


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