When Arabs ruled Spain and Sicily, scholars from all over Europe flocked to both places. They came, hungry for knowledge and eager to learn Arabic which they knew would open many new doors for them. For in Arabic at that time, much of the knowledge and learning of the ancient world had been preserved. The early Arab rulers in Damascus and Baghdad had commissioned translations from Latin and Greek into Arabic; their purpose was to enlighten themselves, their people and, with the knowledge gained, to enrich their civilization. They evidently took Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, at his word and sought knowledge wherever it was, even in so distant a place as China. And the European scholars who flocked to Spain and Sicily had the same aim as the Arabs: To acquire knowledge and take it home with them to improve the lives of their fellow countrymen and increase the general store of knowledge.
For a variety of reasons, over the following centuries, Arabic yielded its place in Europe to Latin and Latin in turn was partially overtaken by French. Today, however, there is no question at all about what the international language is. Whether we Saudis like it or not, whether we learn it or not, whether we admit it or not, English is today’s international language. It is useless and pointless to discuss the reasons. This is the present reality; this is the actual fact and the only thing left for us to do is learn English.
Do we need to rehearse the reasons for doing so? To begin with, the vast and overwhelming majority of books, articles and research papers dealing with science, technology and medicine are written in English. And the writers and researchers are by no means all native English speakers. They recognize, however, that the widest dissemination and the greatest currency will come from their using English to publicize their findings and discoveries. Most of the Internet is in English; of course there are many websites in other languages but which of them is serious competition for the English ones? There is no doubt that the dominance of English works to the advantage of America and the West and that they promote English as much as they can. Unfortunately, it is from this same English-speaking world that some of the most vicious attacks on our religion, culture and traditions are made — in English of course. How can we evaluate these attacks — let alone respond to them — if we cannot even understand what the attackers are saying and writing? Those who criticize us are usually very eloquent and well-spoken; they are also well informed, analytical and seldom fail to use what appears to be logical and convincing arguments. If we are unable to meet them on their own ground in their own language, the battle will surely be lost. Failing to answer or being unable to respond amounts to defeat in the eyes of the world. And what is perceived as defeat soon becomes defeat in fact.
We have been told that by learning English we stand to lose our own language and cultural traditions. Can any of those who promote this idea cite even one instance of people losing their language and traditions by learning English — or learning any other language? By learning English — or any other language — we open the door to different ideas, different ways of thinking and different ways of living. That, after all, is what education is about — or should be about. Perhaps, on the other hand, that is exactly what some of our people fear and dread. Simply encountering different ideas and different ways of living does not mean that we adopt them. Knowing that some people eat pork does not mean that I will eat pork too. The bottom line here is that if learning English will endanger our language and cultural traditions, that language and those cultural traditions must be very weak to begin with.
If anyone cares to look, all research into language learning supports the idea that the younger children are when they begin their study of a new language, the greater will be the progress made. In other words, the younger learning starts, the better. And by “younger,” I mean as early as possible — even in kindergarten. This is common all over the world, even here in Saudi Arabia. Pre-school children are taught colors, numbers and simple phrases in a language other than their own and so a solid foundation for future language learning is laid.
From my own personal experience, I have observed that Saudis who acquired a good command of English in childhood, read books and are generally well-informed are at ease and confident when dealing with all kinds of people. Also from my own personal observations, I have seen that Saudis whose parents saw that they learned a foreign language are more adaptable, more internationally aware and represent themselves and their culture much better than someone who lacked those chances.
In conclusion, I must point out a fact that should shame us all. In Europe and the US, there are many schools, colleges and universities which offer courses in Middle Eastern studies; these include languages, culture, religion, history, politics, economics — in short, everything about the Middle East. Many graduates of those courses are fluent in Arabic (or another Middle Eastern languages) and are well-armed about our region. Where, I wonder, are the university courses in “American Studies” or “European Culture” or “Comparative Religion” in the Middle East? There may be some but they are too few and most likely too poorly taught to be effective.
We moan the passing of what we look fondly back on as an “Islamic Golden Age” and indeed we should regret its end and study the reasons for its decline. Though we may not be able to recreate it, we could certainly emulate it in various ways. An important one would be to strive for that age’s tolerance, intellectual curiosity and open-mindedness when it comes to education and learning. Those early Muslims were quick to absorb what other cultures and civilizations had to offer and at the same time, neither their language nor their culture suffered. Are we so very different? Knowledge, after all, is power and it is only the intolerant and bigoted who refuse to understand this.
