Where some simply see letters, words, and sentences as the makings of a language we either speak or want to learn, NYUAD’s Manal Mohamed Belal Al Marzooqi sees beauty, heritage, melody, and culture rooted in centuries of tradition. As an Arabic lecturer, Al Marzooqi feels her purpose is not only to teach students proper Arabic but also to protect and keep the language of her forefathers alive.
“Many of my students ask me how to say certain things in Arabic. If they do that at home, it could annoy their mothers, grandmothers, and fathers,” Al Marzooqi said. “Some of the generation Z have a hard time speaking proper Arabic. That’s a problem.”
Al Marzooqi teaches several Arabic courses at NYUAD. Al Marzooqi, like any faculty passionate about their craft, is always looking for ways to reach and inspire every student. At NYUAD, which prides itself on diversity, students with different levels of Arabic take Al Marzooqi’s classes, looking to perfect their language skills. As someone who loves Arabic, Al Marzooqi is excited to help them switch from dialects to Modern Standard Arabic.
For students ready to go beyond the basics, Al Marzooqi is developing a new 14-week Arabic language program. Explicitly designed for native speakers, the initiative is slated to launch in the spring of 2025.
“If you’re focusing on government sectors, you must speak Arabic,” Al Marzooqi said.
Al Marzooqi fell in love with Arabic growing up in the UAE. For her, the language and its grammar, complicated for some, always came easy. As a little girl, she’d sometimes sneak into her big sister’s room to read the extensive library.
“I went through all the books, even if I didn’t understand the words, but I read everything, science and history, and poetry, anything related to the Arabic language,” she said. “It’s like diving deep into the language.”
Al Marzooqi came to NYUAD in 2014. She said she’s always appreciated the University’s educational environment, the options provided to students, and overall diversity. Al Marzooqi said she is excited to help her students learn and grow.
“There are so many people here from all over the world,” Al Marzooqi said. “I noticed that many people want to learn Arabic. Muslims especially have a passion for learning this language. They want to learn the Quran and read it. I feel that my major is very important for people.”
