Qatar has undertaken many initiatives for the promotion of the Arabic language. Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani issued a law in 2019 mandating the use of Arabic in all official and public communications, including education, advertising, and product labelling.
The violations are punishable by a fine of QR50,000. The law requires government and private entities to promote Arabic in meetings, discussions, and scientific research, while ensuring businesses adopt Arabic names.
It also mandates that Arabic must be the language of instruction in public educational institutions, while private schools must teach Arabic as a core and independent subject within their curricula.
The country’s education system integrates both Arabic and English with Arabic serving as the primary language of instruction in early education. The country has implemented programmes and competitions aimed at fostering a deeper connection with Arabic.
One of the projects aimed at promoting the Arabic language is the Doha Historical Dictionary of Arabic. It traces the evolution of the Arabic language from its earliest stages to the present, representing the most extensive linguistic project in the Arab world.
The Qatar Computing Research Institute (QCRI) has been at the forefront of preserving the Arabic language by developing AI-based tools such as ‘Shaheen’, an Arabic text translation platform, and ‘Farasa’, a natural language processing tool used by global institutions.
Besides, the QCRI at Hamad Bin Khalifa University launched the Fanar project, an Arabic AI Large Language Model (LLM). It bridges Arabic language and culture with the latest advancements in AI, aligning with Qatar National Vision 2030 and the objectives of the Digital Agenda 2030.
Meanwhile, Qatar Foundation launched on Saturday a two-day BilAraby Summit to celebrate and promote the Arabic language as a tool for expression, innovation, and identity. It aims to encourage Arabs to speak and think in their language, ask critical questions using Arabic, and use it as a tool to reframe challenges facing the Arab world and propose locally developed solutions rather than imported ones.
