A while back, I stumbled across a digital illustration on social media which read “English is a language, not a way to measure someone’s intelligence.”
The meme resonated with me. It spoke to a phenomenon that happens across the Arab world and particularly in Egypt where a native’s level of proficiency in English — or whatever second language they speak — has become a measure of their worth and an indicator of their socio-economic class.
Many Egyptians have refined and perfected their English, at times to the detriment of their mother tongue, which they have lost due to a lack of practice, or rather due to the disproportionate weight placed on speaking a foreign language.
An individual with advanced skills in the Arabic language — considered one of the hardest to learn for English-speakers — and a beginner’s level English is perceived differently socially than the individual with advanced English and beginner’s Arabic.
This concept permeates many aspects of society in Egypt where entry to several bars and clubs around the capital hinge upon one’s level of spoken English, which is used to gauge patrons’ education and socio-economic class. If the person’s accent is to the liking of the door selector, then they are immediately granted access. If it is not, they are denied access.
The degree to which an individual’s accent is imbued with a western inflection is directly proportional to the degree to which their peers will admire them — the English language therefore becomes a tool to measure one’s intelligence and socio-economic class in Egypt.
However, the language considered the international language of science for centuries was, at one point in time, Arabic. This was due to the advancements brought on by Arabs during Islam’s golden age — the effects of which are still felt to this day.
This obsession with speaking a language that is not our own to perfection while neglecting our mother tongue is not exclusive to Egypt. It has spread across the region with the exception of a few countries.
This infatuation with the West as superior has proliferated in many aspects of our lives, overtly in some cases, and inconspicuously in others. Though it is not always said outright, it can be felt in the conversations when comparing the West to the Arab world.
Egyptians even have a term for this mentality that has become pervasive in the country: 3o2det El Khawaga (the complex of the foreigner).
THE INTERNATIONAL LANGUAGE OF SCIENCE
Baghdad’s (House of wisdom), founded in the eighth century, was a flourishing hub of knowledge and science, the discoveries and inventions of which went on to influence the world.
Whereas today, we have imported Western ideals — in the way we speak, dress, and think — into our customs, there was a time when the Arab civilisation was an an exporter of innovation, invention, and advancements.
It was an era when knowledge was at the centre of the civilisation. The Arabic language was not always associated with a lack of education, but rather the opposite.
The House of Wisdom was established during the Islamic empire’s golden age while Western Europe was still entrenched in what is known today as the dark ages.
During that time and for centuries afterwards, Arabic would become the international language of science. By the 12th century, discoveries made during Islam’s golden era would then be translated to Latin.
Scholars hailing from the region contributed to the advancements in several fields including astronomy, mathematics, natural history, and medicine, among others.
The term Algebra, a branch of mathematics, stems from the Arabic word al-jabr which was coined in the ninth century by Muslim mathematician, Muhammad Ibn Musa Al Khwarizmi.
Algebra, a branch of mathematics, was improved upon by Al Khwarizmi in the ninth century. While he did not invent algebra itself, he did revolutionise it.
THE ARRIVAL OF PRINTING (AND MASS LITERACY) IN THE WEST
The invention of paper was a pivotal moment in history. It was first manufactured in China and began its journey to the West through the Arab region. With the widespread use of paper, printing would soon follow. The advent of the printing press brought about major changes to the global landscape as it allowed for the propagation of knowledge on a large scale in Europe.
At a time when mass literacy was at the budding stages of its development in Europe — as a result of the Gutenberg printing press — the Middle East and North Africa had already been witnessing a proliferation of knowledge 600 to 700 years prior under the Abbasid caliphate.
Taking a look back through the history of the Arab region and the advancements that these Arab thinkers and scholars brought to the world, one cannot help but feel a sense of pride at the achievements that were once synonymous with the region — and that were precursors to much of the progress achieved by the west today.
Being aware of the history that comes with Arab culture is pivotal in understanding our heritage and being inspired by our roots to reach new heights. Unfortunately, that has not always been the case in recent years.
Source : egyp