Ras alula negarit11/24/2023 I have no other way but to tell the same story over and over again. I will tell you a story that I probably told a dozen times because this subject keeps re-emerging in old garb and its presenters think it is original: the same tired objections, the same cynical suspicion of Islam and Arabic, and by extension, that of half the Eritrean population. I intend to do that, for the umpteenth time not forgetting that Arabic has been in the land long before the name Eritrea entered our memory. Both remain in trial indefinitely, and the latter is treated like a suspect that needs to prove and reprove, and reprove once more that it is Eritrean. It is even more specific than that-for religion, read Islam and for language, read Arabic. I didn’t choose the topic and though it seems like a dispassionate intellectual topic, I believe it is specific: language and religion as it relates to Eritrea. Like many other languages of humanity, Arabic is the language of Muslims, Christians, Jews, as well as of adherents of other Middle Eastern faiths.) The poster in itself does not prove anything, but the intention here is to provoke people to question their perception and understand that language in itself is religion-neutral. Both are written in a hypnotic Arabic calligraphy. Apart from minor changes, in this version, I have included a poster that shows Surat AlFatiha, the first Surra of the Kura’an, and Abune Zebezemayat the Christian Ft’hat. Still, after so many years of debating the issue of language and religion, there seems to be sever lack of knowledge on the topic because it has been overly politicized and scholarly input to alleviate the situation are lacking. It’s being republished to shed light on the topic as it’s relevant to the ongoing debate. The event was held at the Universities at Shady Grove, Rockville, Maryland, on Jthe organizers of the event assigned the topic to the presenter. (The following was presented at a panel discussion under the theme “Eritrea’s Path towards Democracy: Dialogue on Constitutional Issues”. Posted on Augby Saleh "Gadi" Johar in Negarit 1,007 Comments
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