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| Alafest, a competition that is a forum for increasing scientific knowledge of the Arabic language. (Photo: Istimewah) |
Arabic is an international language and is the mother of many other languages. Moreover, this language is the language used in the Qur'an. It is the background of the Arabic Language Education Study Program Student Association (HMPS) of the University of Muhammadiyah Malang (UMM) in holding the Arabic Language Festival (Alafest). Alafest 2022, with the theme "With Arabic We Color Digital Civilization," was held online in early March.
Muhan Fatih Al-Hikmi as the chief executive of the fifth Alafest explained that this festival aims to prepare the younger generation to welcome Arabic education in the future. Likewise, efforts to explore potential and hone Arabic language skills at the high school (SMA) level and provide Arabic language learning facilities.
"I think this Alafest can be a place to add scientific insight for students, especially related to Arabic, and introduce the PBA Study Program to the public," he said.
Muhan, as he is familiarly called, said that this Alafest had been around since 2016, and this event is the fifth agenda. According to him, in addition to English, Arabic should also be mastered by young people, especially Indonesian youth. It is the trigger for HMPS PBA UMM friends in exploring the potential of students in Arabic. Then it is hoped that they will broadcast Arabic in all corners of civilization.
As for the national Alafest competition this year, several branches are contested. Start from the Arabic language olympiad, qiroatul Pole, Arabic speech, Arabic poetry, and reading news in Arabic. More than 200 participants from all over Indonesia participated in the celebration and competed to win the competition.
"Although it was relatively smooth, we also faced several obstacles during the implementation of the event. Starting from the lack of communication between the committee to the lack of understanding of the participants' official regarding the competition schedule, "he said.
The student from Merjosari, Malang City, hopes that Alafest can continue to take place every year by providing innovations. In addition, it can also correct mistakes made in the previous year's event. "We certainly want a positive response from the community. More and more young people love Arabic and continue to study it more deeply," he concluded. (cdr/haq/wil)
