Key person: Murtuza Kaizer
Accomplices: Tasneem Kaizer, Yasser Delli, Eman Delli, Farida Harneswala and the youngest member Aliasgar (11 years old).
Murtuza Kaizer: I was born to Indian parents in Abu Dhabi and studied at an Indian school. Both of these made it difficult for me to converse in Arabic. I moved between two language schools then finally on January 2010 I found a course in spoken Arabic at the Berlitz Institute. As I successfully completed five levels of intensive study, I started this group…
Yasser Delli: I teach Arabic at the Berlitz Institute. It’s not just about teaching, but about practicing colloquial conversation. What you learn in books is ‘classical Arabic’ but what we promote is spoken or colloquial Arabic.
Tasneem Kaizer: It is when you have normal conversation that you really learn a language.
Farida Haneswala: Initiative and practice counts. My son’s school teaches Arabic. While he can read, write and score well, he has difficulty understanding. The students are taught to ape action, not understand words.
The Idea:
Murtuza Kaizer: I started this group back in July 2010 and am still searching for a co-organizer. A total of 116 members have joined since we started. Every member who joins is called a “Sagr” meaning “falcon” in Arabic. Different nationalities, professions, genders come together to learn to speak Arabic…and fortunately we have Arab members who volunteer to teach them.
The Pitch:
This group intends to create a bridge between the Arabs and the Non-Arabs. The Non-Arabs can shout and say that they don’t speak Arabic fluently even after spending most of their life in the UAE. In exchange, the Arab members come here to share their language and culture by simply socializing.
Murtuza Kaizer: An idea posted may turn into a Meetup. In the past we organised Iftars, bowling games and dining meets.
What’s the best way of learning or speaking Arabic? The simple and most comprehensive answer…practice, practice and practice!
The Message:
We want to promote this group in universities and institutes and invite locals to join and volunteer to teach. We urge everyone to take the initiative, to buy a book on Arabic vocabulary and practice with us. We next meet on July 16 or check us out at Meetup.
