Arabs read for an average of six minutes per year. Can’t be true! That was what we were led to believe. But a new survey had nailed it as a lie. And the results are very encouraging. It not just showed that we Arabs spent a lot more time reading and we read books in our native language, Arabic.
The widespread belief that Arabs read almost nothing came as a huge disappointment. We are the people to whom the holy book of Quran was revealed in Arabic to our Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), with the first surah “Read”. And we do not read! Well, the six minutes a year have proved to be a myth. Many of us who lamented about our poor reading habits can now heave a sigh of relief.
The first Arab Reading Index in 2016 showed that the average Arab reads 17 books a year. This is five more than the average American, and the same as a college-educated American.
Interestingly, Arabs read books in more than one language. Out of 14 books Iraqis read each year, six are in a language other than Arabic. Also, almost half of the 13 books the Syrians read are in foreign languages.
In the US, less than 1 per cent of American adults are proficient in a foreign language learned in a classroom, reports said. And the US is among the top 10 countries in international literacy assessment.
In Europe, learning foreign languages is very common with nearly 98.6 per cent of all students at the lower secondary school level studying at least one foreign language, and nearly 59 per cent were studying two foreign languages in 2016.
In Arab countries, we seem to stress learning a foreign language at the expense of our mother tongue. Many young Arabs speak English or French much better than Arabic. Proficiency in a foreign language is a necessity in our globalised world, but it should be accompanied by eloquence in the native tongue.
Gladly this is also changing, thanks to several initiatives, particularly those undertaken by the Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation.
“Bil-Arabi”, which means “In Arabic”, is one of those initiatives by the foundation to raise the profile of the rich language spoken by more than 300 million people on this planet, and encourage people to use it and spread it. The initiative, which enters its seventh year, calls for spreading Arabic though various platforms, including curriculum, radio shows, and online discussion forums among others.
Reading competitions are being held across the Arab world to revive interest in Arabic. Dubai hosted the second edition last year with enormous success.
When the UAE declared 2016 as the “Year of Reading”, book sales soared. Book stores reported an increased interest in reading translated books, including those on self-improvements, as well as novels and children’s books. Women showed more interest than men. Nearly 14.5 per cent of a Dubai bookstore’s sales last year were Arabic books, compared to 85.5 per cent of foreign-language books. That is to be expected in a cosmopolitan city like Dubai.
Interest in Arabic books
When a bookstore offered a discount recently, I noticed that some Arabic books sold out quickly and they had to order two titles I was looking for. During my visit to the shop, I was amused to find a little girl, around 10 years of age, searching for books.
She was browsing the Arabic section, and whenever she came across an interesting book she would show it to her mother for approval. The interest in Arabic books is well and truly alive, I told myself.
Publishers believe Arabs read to understand their situation, history and problems, especially with what was called the “Arab Spring”. Some people showed interest in reading more about politics, past and present, while others opted more for romance and novels: maybe to escape violence in their countries. As the number of Arab readers grow, it should be matched by an increase in translated novels and books.
Illiteracy in Arab countries – one of the highest in the world – is a major stumbling block in spreading the love of books. There are at least 60 million illiterate Arabs and an estimated nine million children without education. It calls for concerted efforts, including adult education, to eradicate illiteracy.
When people learn to read, it opens their minds to novel ideas and interests. Reading will take them to new countries, new cultures and new experiences. They will find the joy of books. That joy is boundless.
