A Moroccan minister has come under fire for calling the Arabic language "primitive" and "unscientific." Administrative Reform Minister Mohamed Ben Abdelkader made the offensive comments during a recent university discussion panel held in the city of Tetouan.
"This language is dead and has not been updated for 14 centuries. We cannot use it to study scientific subjects," Ben Abdelkader reportedly said.
"It was used in the age of ignorance and since then it has not evolved, unlike French and English which have become languages of science and communication. For example, Arabic has 15 synonyms for the word 'lion' - so we cannot use this language for science. If you say the word '2019' in Arabic, you will see how hard it is to pronounce," he added.
Understandably, the man's comments stirred controversy across Morocco and in countries across the Arab world, angering thousands.
Amid the intense backlash, Ben Abdelkader issued a statement saying his words were misconstrued.
"I said Arabic teaching methods have always been closer to the ways European schools teach dead languages like Latin and ancient Greek."
"These methods focus on grammatical rules for students to read and understand old texts instead of communication and creativity with the language. I expressed my opinion on the need for these methods to be updated to make Arabic practical and useful in communication and science," he added.
However, this clarification did little to end the controversy over his original statements which were deemed insulting to a mother tongue that has influenced tens of languages throughout its 1,500-year history.
The United Nations recognized Arabic as one of the six official UN languages in 1973 and the world annually celebrates the language on December 18.
Arabic has long been considered one of the most difficult languages in the world. It takes an average of 88 weeks or 2,200 class hours to reach speaking and reading proficiency as opposed to 23-24 weeks of studying required for the world's easiest languages (Spanish, French, Italian, and Portuguese).
Arabic is only seen as primitive due to the fact that many view it as an inferior language
In recent decades, the Arabic language seems to have slowly started to lose its impact on the youth in the Arab and Muslim world. Some, just like Ben Abdelkader, view it as "primitive" mostly for social reasons that have nothing to do with how effective it is but more to do with prestige.
Most Arab countries were colonized at some point in their history and colonial powers focused on culturally infiltrating their population, which helped to further embolden the false idea that foreign languages are more prestigious than and superior to Arabic. In nations across the region, including Lebanon and Morocco, the languages of former colonies namely French still hold significant weight.
In Morocco, the official languages are considered standard Arabic and Amazigh, or Berber. The common language used is heavily influenced by both the Berber and French dialects and is difficult to understand for Arabic speakers. French is used in higher education, business, and government despite efforts to curb its use by Arabization advocates.
Local organizations have since slammed Ben Abdelkader's comments
A local organization promoting the use of Arabic in Morocco heavily criticized Ben Abdelkader's statements and called on him to step down from his position.
The Arab Organization for Arabization and Communication slammed the man's words as an "attack against national unity."
"Every single use of the illegal foreign French language must be stopped," its officials said in a statement on the matter.
However, no official action has been taken against the minister at the time of writing and the country's leadership has yet to comment on the controversy.
