Orientalists and activists comment on idea of teaching Arabic in schools in Caucasus

Although the proposal to introduce Arabic into the school curriculum is politically motivated, it will be received positively in the republics of Northern Caucasus, where many parents of schoolchildren want their children to study Arabic. That has been suggested by human rights defenders and activists. At the same time, they believe it is not worth putting the issues of language learning from the point of view of religion at the forefront.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that the “Rosobrnadzor” (Russian Federal Service for Supervision in Education and Science) proposed introducing the study of Arabic into the school curriculum in Muslim regions of the country, in particular, in Dagestan and Chechnya.

The introduction of Arabic into the school curriculum will be positively received in Chechnya, believes Ruslan Kutaev, the president of the Assembly of Caucasian Nations.

“Unlike other regions of the Russian Federation, the republics of Northern Caucasus have special ties with the Arab world. Especially top-ranking officials of Chechnya,” stated Ruslan Kutaev.

Muslims perceive Arabic not just as a foreign language, but as the language of the Koran, emphasizes Ingush theologian Akhmed Tangiev.

Human rights defender Magomed Mutsolgov agrees that the Arabic language is important, primarily for reading the Koran.

Doctor of Sciences in Philology Boris Bizhoev emphasizes that people consider languages from a practical point of view, as they think about when and where this or that language may be useful. From the above positions, the Arabic language has no practical meaning. It is used only for religious rituals. Therefore, until now it has been studied only in madrassas and other Islamic educational institutions.

“Arabic is not very widespread to be used as a language for international communication,” noted the scientist.

The Arabic language may be studied in schools along with English, French, German, and Spanish, but not instead of them, suggests Zuriyat Akbaeva, a public figure from the Karachay-Cherkessian Republic (KChR).

Knowledge of Arabic, like any foreign language, not only helps a person understand the culture and life of other peoples, but it also helps develop him/herself, emphasizes Said, an Arabic language teacher from Dagestan.

The teacher recalls that Russia, since the times of the USSR, has “fine traditions of good relations with the countries of the Arab world.”