[MANNAM] Diplomat breaks stereotypes with Arabic

Mohammed El Halawani, diplomat with the Egyptian Embassy in Korea, talks at the embassy in Seoul, Tuesday, about how he sees offering free Arabic lessons as a way to break stereotypes of Arabs and misconceptions about Arab culture. / Korea Times photo by Philip Iglauer

By Philip Iglauer
There’s an Arabic expression that means, “We are enemies of what we don’t know.”
That is the reason Egyptian diplomat Mohammed El Halawani is offering Arabic language lessons free at the Egyptian Embassy in Korea. And he is doing it on his spare time out of his interest in Arabic and to share his language with the international community in Seoul as well as Koreans ― anyone willing to put in the time and the effort to learn.
“You get a chance to be immersed in this pharonic atmosphere and get acquainted with the calligraphy and sounds of Arabic,” Halawani said. “It is a good way to get yourself and others familiar with Arabic drawing ― its calligraphy, and the lifestyle and culture that lives behind the words.”
Halawani said he wanted to do something but did not know how to attract students. That’s when his wife suggested he put up a notice on Craig’s List.
The response was immediate and overwhelming. Some 40 replies came from people interested in learning the language.
Halawani said he sees teaching Arabic as a way of knocking down misunderstanding about the Arab world.
“Arabic is one of the six official U.N. languages. It is an international language that is under-represented and under-presented,” Halawani told The Korea Times in an interview before a class started at the Egyptian Embassy. “It’s a language that needs more attention and passion.”
Classes are open to anyone. Almost all the students are beginners, but a few have lived in Arabic-speaking countries and have had some exposure to the language. “We have settled to around 20 regular students now,” he said.
Halawani said he owes special thanks to the Mannam Volunteer Association in Korea for providing the first location he used for the classes at the group’s offices in Gangnam.
Over time Halawani got the opportunity to teach the lessons at the Egyptian Embassy in Hannam-dong, as Egyptian Ambassador to Korea Mohamed Elzorkany shared Halawani’s enthusiasm to help people get better acquainted with Arabic.
Halawani was posted in Tanzania as a diplomatic attache from 2002-2005. He has a degree in law and mass communications from Cairo University. In addition to his work at the embassy and teaching Arabic, he is currently also busy with law classes online with London University. He began his posting in Korea in 2009.
He suggested it might be a good idea to organize among interested parties a permanent institution in Seoul for the promotion of Arabic, something like France’s Institute Francaise or Great Britain’s British Council.
The classes are on Tuesday evenings, but he is not accepting any more students for this session, which began Oct. 18 and will finish in late December.
Don’t despair. Halawani promised to teach a second session starting in mid-February. If you are interested in learning Arabic, you can contact Halawani by email at embassyegyptkorea@yahoo.com This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/include/print.asp?newsIdx=99155