CHAIRMAN: DR. KHALID BIN THANI AL THANI
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: DR. KHALID BIN MUBARAK AL-SHAFI

Qatar

QatarDebate Council inaugurated in US

Published: 04 Jul 2021 - 08:39 am | Last Updated: 02 Nov 2021 - 04:17 pm
Officials from the QatarDebate Centre and Western Kentucky University during the opening of QatarDebate Council.

Officials from the QatarDebate Centre and Western Kentucky University during the opening of QatarDebate Council.

QNA

Doha: QatarDebate Centre, a member of Qatar Foundation,  has opened the QatarDebate Council in Western Kentucky University in the US   in the presence of a number of officials from both sides.

The Executive Director of QatarDebate, Dr. Hayat Abdullah Marafi, said that the Council is a new platform that overlooks the world from the United States of America with a traditional Qatari imprint that emphasises its role in spreading dialogue and convergence of ideas between generations.

On this occasion, she stressed that the Council is a cultural venue to deepen the skills of its visitors who are interested in the dialogue and linguistic aspects, and to discuss controversial topics that involve different opinions.

She noted that the council also constitutes a free space for Arab-American students and professors to gather after being separated by distances.

In this context, she added that the Centre will document through the Council the efforts of the Qatar Foundation globally and the US in particular, and specifically this year as it is the Year of Culture Qatar  USA.

Dean of Western Kentucky University Dr. John Sunnygard, congratulated the university administration, QatarDebate and the students on the opening of the QatarDebate Council, which reflects the permanent friendship between the university and QatarDebate.

Sunnygard added that the university looks forward to exploring new opportunities in the future for further cooperation with the Centre because both feel proud of the common past, expressing his happiness for launching this council in the United States, saying that it is a valuable gift that helps strengthen deep ties between peoples.

The Head of Programs and Marketing at QatarDebate,  Abdulrahman Al Subaie, praised the initiative to open QatarDebate in the US.

Al Subaie said that the idea of this council at Western Kentucky University came after the Centre's delegation visited the university in late 2018, when its management suggested allocating a Qatari council inside the university campus in order to enhance communication between those interested in learning the Arabic language and debates.

Al Subaie reviewed the stages of the project starting from its study and its future goals, whether at the university level or the level of the United States of America as a meeting place between students and officials at the university and the debate community and the Arabic language community in America, as well as offering various programs in partnership with QatarDebate, preserving cultural identity and practicing the most important customs and the Qatari traditions, which were on the schedule of the opening ceremony of the Council.

Qatar’s Ambassador to the US H E Mohammed Al Lukhan Al Marri, explained that the State of Qatar and the United States of America signed in 2020 a set of agreements on the sidelines of the strategic dialogue between the two sides, including the declaration of 2021 as a Year of Culture Qatar  USA. 

He pointed out that the QatarDebate Center began its tour this year in the US with the aim of spreading debates around the world in Arabic, and its first starting point was from Western Kentucky University.