Using the Arabic language as a mediator for civilized dialogue.. The Asian Debating Championship was launched in Muscat

Muscat -

The second edition of the Asian Arabic Debating Championship, organized by the Qatar Debate Center in cooperation with the Oman Debate Center and the Omani Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth, kicked off in the Omani capital, and will continue until February 2, 2023.

42 teams from Arab countries such as Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Palestine, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Yemen and the host country, the Sultanate of Oman, are participating in this edition, in addition to Asian participation from Malaysian, Pakistani, Azerbaijani, Indian, Indonesian, Thai, Vietnamese, South Korea and Australia teams.

The tournament contributes, through communication channels created by competition between university students from various countries of the Asian continent, to spreading a culture of dialogue and debate among young people, and to developing educational activities at the local, regional and international levels for the target group of the tournament.

On the contribution of debates to spreading the culture of the Arabic language, Abdul Rahman Al-Subaie, program director at QatarDebate, said that the center is keen, through organizing rounds of competitive debates and local, continental and international championships, to enable the use of the Arabic language as a mediator for civilized dialogue based on respect for the other and fighting argument with argument away. Far from fanaticism.

Al-Subaie added, in an interview with Al-Jazeera Net, that all participating students from various Asian countries (Arab and non-Arab) "debate on the most important hot issues on the global scene in various fields such as politics, economy, society, sports, culture, education and others, in standard Arabic."

A group of Omani youth in the field of debates are participating for two days in the training camp for the Omani teams participating in the #Asia_Debating_Championship through a group of arbitration workshops that will qualify them to arbitrate in the tournament 🛎 pic.twitter.com/sXC2Sz9384

- Watad platform (@Watad_mcsy) January 26, 2023

Promoting the Arab identity

And he added, "The impact can be summarized on two levels: first, by strengthening the Arab identity of Arab students through the use of their mother tongue in a sophisticated civilized practice, and second, by embracing non-Arab students who are interested in learning and practicing the language, as they have the opportunity to come into direct contact with their peers under the umbrella of the Arabic language."

On the role of the tournament in opening broader horizons for the participating students and participating universities, Al-Subaie indicated that the debate itself is an educational practice that has a great impact on the student, indicating that this is what he touched in developing the skills of critical thinking, pilgrims, research, analysis, public speaking, and others.

He added: The continental and international championships are distinguished by the fact that they bring together students and universities within a unique network that allows everyone to gain and exchange experiences, as students and universities benefit not only from their direct relationship with QatarDebate and the educational and training opportunities that the center offers, but rather the participants get wider benefits. By consolidating their relations between each other and the various institutions involved in the art of debate participating in the tournament.

On the role of the championship in developing recitation and eloquence among young people, Hilal Al Siyabi, Director General of the Directorate General of Youth at the Omani Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth and vice-chairman of the main committee of the championship, confirmed that the Asian Debating Championship focuses in its objectives on promoting the Arabic language as a language of dialogue between different cultures and peoples. Knowledge, thinking and analysis skills.

He stressed that the goal of the championship is to spread the culture of dialogue and debate among young people, and is reflected in the development of diction and eloquence, which is also consistent with the structure of the ministry through the Youth Dialogue and Communication Department. , including programs specialized in debates.

The launch of the Asian Arabic Debating Championship in the Sultanate of Oman (Omani Press)

Tournament rotation

The Asian Debating Championship will be held this time in the Omani capital, Muscat, after it hosted the competitions of its first edition in 2020 in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, and was won by the Jordanian Sumaya University of Science and Technology team.

On the importance of rotating Asian debates in Arab and international cities, Al-Subaie stressed that the "QatarDebate" center seeks to spread the culture of debate in the Arabic language in various parts of the world through the various programs launched by the center, such as the Elite Academy, Ambassadors Programs, Arbitration Academy, Continental and International Championships, and many other activities. .

He said, "We find in rotating the Asian Inter-Cities Championship a very important matter to support the debate communities outside the State of Qatar and promote the spread of the debate culture. Each country brings it to the atmosphere of the tournament."

From Kuala Lumpur 🇲🇾 to Muscat 🇴🇲… copy after copy, the tournament is getting more excited and glamorous. ⁰ # QatarDebates # QD_AADC pic.twitter.com/AQrG4byWvp

- QatarDebate Center (@QatarDebate) January 16, 2023

Choose the Sultanate of Oman

Regarding the reasons and criteria for choosing the Sultanate of Oman to host the tournament, Al-Subaie said, "The Sultanate of Oman is one of the first countries to cooperate with us and participate with us in forming the global community of debate in the Arabic language, as it hosted the first training workshop for the art of debate in the Arabic language outside Qatar in 2009."

He added that the Sultanate of Oman has established an institution that shares its vision and goal with "Qatar Debate", which is the Oman Debate Center. It reflected exceptionally on their ability to host an exceptional tournament."

Hilal Al Siyabi considered the Sultanate of Oman, represented by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth, hosting this event, as a great addition and value that enhances the directions for hosting regional and international cultural events in Oman, adding that "hosting the second session of this Asian Championship with the participation of nearly 18 countries as participants and a group of other countries as arbitrators It is an incentive for many aspects related to investment and tourism destinations in the future, and opens a window for such hosts that are consistent with the vision and directions of the ministry.