The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation has organised a youth networking seminar on Twitter, entitled "How to Make Arabic the Language of Science and Knowledge" that has registered a staggering 229 million views worldwide.
The event was the first of its kind to be held on the micro-blogging website, and counted prominent and influential UAE figures among the participants, including Shamma bint Sohail Faris Al Mazrui, Minister of State for Youth Affairs, and the foundation's CEO, Jamal bin Huwaireb, representatives from the Ministry of Education, along with media representatives including Dubai Media Inc., Abu Dhabi Media Inc., CNN Arabic TV, Al Arabiya News Channel, and others.
"This is the first time that a youth seminar has been held on social media," noted Al Mazrui. "We are delighted with the massive interaction from the local community and the wider Arab audiences, who poured in to respond to questions raised during the episode. This demonstrates the essential role of social media when it comes to interacting with the youth. The topic of the episode comes at a critical juncture, at a time when the need to adhere to our Arabic language is critical if we truly wish to develop it to suit modern inventions and studies," she said.
A number of fresh initiatives were launched during the session, seeking to support the Arabic language, adapt it to science and technology and encourage young people to develop and use it across the board. MBRF announced that it will be launching the Arab Youth Knowledge Council, which seeks to support knowledge production and dissemination in the Arab world, while the Ministry of Education announced the social media-centred ‘Tweeting in Arabic’ initiative to encourage students to use the Arabic language across social media channels.
Source : Wam