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On a hot summer day, most people would enjoy a plunge into a pool. But last summer 19 Americans plunged themselves instead into Cairo's traffic and summer heat for another kind of immersion. They studied Arabic six hours a day in the Intensive Arabic Immersion Program at Al-Azhar University.
Their time in the classroom was supplemented by optional two-hour classes in Islamic studies, comparative religions, and Arabic tutoring. And then there was homework every day. But there was also time for lighter activities, such as the calligraphy workshop shown here, and for sightseeing and shopping.
Who Came and Why
The students ranged from young adults to middle aged. Most were Muslim but some were not. Some had studied Arabic at the university or abroad. There were beginner, intermediate, and advanced students among them.
Baseema, a lower intermediate student, is the principal of the Clara Muhammad School in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She could read and write a bit of Arabic before joining the summer immersion program but hoped to improve her vocabulary and speaking skills.
Another sister, who wouldn't give her name, from Orlando, Florida, is thinking of making hijrah (moving) to the Middle East. She wanted to learn the language for religious reasons, as well as for living in an Arabic-speaking country.
Krysta, a beginning student from Kentucky, has been trying to understand Islam and Muslims since the 9/11 attacks in New York. She also hopes to go into government work.
James, an intermediate student, had already taken four semesters of Arabic at the University of Kentucky.
Mohammed, whose family comes from Algeria, hopes to one day study Qur'an, tafseer (interpretation of Qur'an), and Islamic studies at Al-Azhar.
Abdullah, a police officer in Baltimore, Maryland, said he was primarily motivated to study for religious reasons, but he also uses Arabic on the job. In fact, his work paid his way. He is the liaison between the Baltimore Police and the Muslim community, which has a lot of Arabs and Somali refugees. He previously studied Arabic in Egypt, Jordan, and Yemen. At home he has an Arabic tutor and watches Aljazeera two hours a day to learn spoken Arabic.
Several others could speak colloquial Arabic (`amaya) but wanted to improve their reading, writing, and grammar. Sarah, whose parents are Pakistani, was born in Saudi Arabia and went to primary school there. Yvette's parents are Egyptian but she was raised in the States. She could speak `amaya and read a little but couldn't write Arabic.
Sahar was another Egyptian who was raised outside of Egypt. She speaks `amaya well and said it is sad to not be literate in Arabic. She studied Arabic at the American University in Cairo (AUC) in 1985–86, and at the University of Chicago in 1987–88, where she earned a master's degree in public policy and Middle East studies. Sahar used to work for the federal government. Now she is a private consultant for not-for-profit organizations working in the Middle East. She joined the summer program to improve her Arabic reading and writing.
Impressions of Egypt
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Calligrapher Ahmad Ibrahim demonstrates the correct proportions of letters.
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Asked what they had seen outside of class, the students gave a surprising answer. Rather than listing the museums and monuments they had visited, they spoke of the unpaved roads [in newly developed areas] and unfinished buildings they had seen, the unsafe working conditions, and the polarized society of rich and poor.
Sarah found Egypt more conservative than she had expected. Mohammed was surprised to find Cairo was less Westernized than Algiers. James said he had thought that Cairo would not be safe for foreigners, especially with the current Middle East situation, but he found the people nicer than he had expected.
Sahar also found the social conservatism striking, especially in women's dress and the number who wear niqab (face veil). She visits her extended family every two or three years and can see the changes in Egyptian society. She said she was dismayed at the commercialization and the amount of junk food that is available. In the past, she said, people would not eat in public; it was considered improper. But now children eat anything in the street and think nothing of it.
She also said that she was surprised that the Egyptian people were so frustrated because they couldn't find a voice about what was going on in Lebanon with the Israeli bombing.
Building Bridges
The Summer Immersion Program was offered by Cordoba University in Ashburn, Virginia; Al-Azhar University; and Al-Ameen Associates, which provides consultation, education, and counseling services.
The group was brought to Cairo by husband-and-wife team Dr. James Jones and Matiniah Yahya, founders of Al-Ameen Associates. Jones, the director of the Arabic Summer Immersion Program, is a professor of comparative religion at The Graduate School of Islamic and Social Sciences and an associate professor of world religion at Manhattanville College. Yahya has a masters degree in education and has taught for over 20 years. She is now an education consultant.
Jones explained that this Arabic immersion program — which he said was his wife's idea — was one of a series of projects that he and his wife have organized to "make the point behaviorally that Islam unites and builds bridges." The couple wanted to connect Al-Azhar with Americans.
Jones said that he and his wife, based in New Haven, Connecticut, also have projects to help innercity development, to house exprisoners, and to bring together Zionist and Muslim leaders for dialogue.
They explained more about the immersion program, which was in its second year. The students went through three stages of testing in order to be placed in the right level. There was a self-assessment in the application, an oral exam over the phone, and a written and oral assessment in Cairo the day before classes started. Students must know at least the alphabet and vowel marks to join the program.
Moqattam, a plateau overlooking Cairo, was chosen for the students' residence because it is quieter, less distracting, and more conducive to studying. It is also above much of the pollution and is cooler at night. A charter bus took the students to and from classes at the university, and twice a week it took them to Carrefour for shopping.
Carrefour? A huge Western-style department store and supermarket? How un-Egyptian can you get? Wasn't this supposed to be an immersion program?
Jones explained that it was easier for the students to shop there because they were not familiar with Egyptian foods. There was a suq a few blocks from the residence, where students could buy fruits and vegetables and "even have a chicken slaughtered before their eyes." There were also plenty of take away restaurants, "ranging from Egyptian ful (beans) and taamiya (falafel) to global chains."
Thoughts on Language
Egyptian-American Sahar spoke about the need for liaising between peoples, but not just at the community level. There needs to be much more translation. In Turkey, she said, popular books in English are translated to Turkish very quickly. That is not the case in the Arab world. Manuals and training materials need to be translated to Arabic.
"Language is a barrier rather than a link," Sahar said. "But we should put things in perspective. This is just a slice of time when English is the predominant language, but Arabic was once predominant." Now fusha (Modern Standard Arabic) is "an unnatural language for native speakers," Sahar said. "English is predominant now, but that doesn't mean that other languages can't be mastered."
Would you like to take the plunge in 2007? Click here to learn more about the next Al-Azhar Arabic Summer Immersion Program, or visit the website of Cordoba School of Professional Studies, part of Cordoba University. Application deadline is March 19, 2007.
For more information or an application, contact Matiniah Yahya M.Ed. or Dr. James E. Jones, PO Box 8484, New Haven CT 06531, USA, Voice: 203-865-9411, Fax: 203-787-1423, e-mail: al_ameenllc@yahoo.com.
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