By Uzma Zafar
ISLAMABAD: The Senate on Monday approved the Compulsory Teaching of the Arabic Language Bill 2020 which makes teaching of the Arabic language mandatory in primary and secondary schools in Islamabad.
The bill was presented by PML-N Senator Javed Abbasi and approved near-unanimously by members of the Senate, with PPP Senator Raza Rabbani offering the sole dissenting note. The ministry concerned will implement the bill within a period of six months. The bill states that Arabic will be taught in schools in Islamabad from grades 1 to 5, while Arabic grammar will be taught to grades 6 to 12.
Abbasi said Arabic is the world’s fifth most-widely spoken language and the official language of 25 countries.
He emphasised that learning Arabic could open up more job opportunities for Pakistanis in the Middle East and lead to lower unemployment and increased remittances. He also said the Holy Quran and daily prayers were read in Arabic and “we would not go through the problems we are currently facing if we understood the Holy Quran.”
He added that he was in favour of multiple languages being taught such as Russian, Spanish and English. “No one objected to this [teaching of English] and said that English shouldn’t be taught.”
Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan concurred with Abbasi, saying that the government “categorically supported” the bill. He added that according to Article 31 of the Constitution, “Measures should be taken to spend our lives according to the Holy Quran and Sunnah.”
According to Khan, learning Arabic was crucial to “become a good Muslim and understand God’s message”. Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam Senator Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri also voiced his support for the bill and said, “Arabic is the language of the heavens.” He added that learning Arabic could help in understanding the Holy Quran.
Rabbani, meanwhile offering his dissenting note, alleged that the legislation was the state’s attempt to use “Islam for achieving a political agenda”.
