The Johnsonian

Issue date: 9/18/08 Section: International News

Arabic professor Saba Hanbali teaches class in Owens earlier this week.

Media Credit: Javy Gwaltney A student is shown practicing her Arabic handwriting

Spanish professor Barbara Heinemann said she "has to be on her toes" in class.

But she's not teaching the class; she's learning her sixth language - Arabic.

The modern languages department is offering Arabic classes for the first time this semester. The Arabic professor, Saba Hanbali, moved to the United States from Jordan in August.

Hanbali said the biggest differences between Arabic and other languages students learn is that Arabic doesn't use Latin letters and the sentences are written from right to left. And since Arabic is read from right to left, the textbooks open from the left.

"Having to look at the squiggly lines and decipher what it is is kind of hard," sophomore Spanish major Sybil Senn said.
Heinemann sits in elementary Arabic class with some of the same students she teaches in Spanish, so she said she makes sure she studies.

"It's difficult," she said. "It's not our conventional writing."

The students are learning how to write the letters of the Arabic alphabet and are up to about the twelfth letter. Apart from learning to read and write the characters, students spend time at the end of each class learning about Arabic culture.

"You can't teach a language without saying something about the culture," Hanbali said.
So far, the class has learned about topics such as marriage and divorce, food, gas prices, Ramadan and the Arab perception of women.

"Our countries are not well-known by the Americans," Hanbali said. "There are stereotypes, so we have to clear them."

Hanbali wanted to break the Western stereotype that women are not equal to men in Arab countries.

"If you go to Jordan, you will find women in parliament, as teachers, doctors or engineers," Hanbali said.

Women are also allowed to put their money in separate bank accounts from their husbands Hanbali said.

She also said that women have the choice to cover their hair or not.

"It's in the religion to cover your hair, but nowadays, if you feel it's a must, you wear it. If not, then you don't," Hanbali said.

The students have also learned about Ramadan, the holiday celebrated during the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. For 30 days, Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset. They don't eat, drink, gossip or have intercourse, Hanbali said.

Hanbali said that it is important to teach the Arabic language and culture in the U.S. because of the wars in Iraq and the Middle East.

"We should know your language and you should know ours," Hanbali said.

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