Arabic Language Promotion Aims to Boost Multilingualism in France, Says Former Minister

The learning of the Arabic language would contribute to "weakening separatisms", indicated the president of the Arab World Institute (IMA), in an interview given to the magazine Le Point.

Jack Lang regrets from the outset that the Arabic language is "exclusively associated with Islam". According to him, one can speak Arabic without being Muslim: "the Eastern Churches use this language, as well as Jewish communities - not to mention atheist Arabs. Arabic existed before Islam!", he said.

The French politician has also presented his work "The Manifesto of Jack Lang", published to promote the Arabic language. It also represents "a plea for cultural openness and multilingualism".

For Lang, while Arabic is the fifth most spoken language in the world, it remains an unknown in France with a sulfurous resonance. However, he regrets that it is insufficiently taught and at the heart of controversies that distort its perception.

In his work, he tackles these preconceived ideas and invites the reader to discover the amazing history and richness of a language introduced in France centuries ago, and which now belongs to the cultural heritage. Furthermore, he pleads for the school of the Republic to give it its rightful place in its teaching. Considered by the author as a Manifesto for the recognition of a language of France, this work is also a plea for cultural openness and multilingualism.