(MENAFN- Qatar Foundation ) Turkey, Istanbul, June 23, 2022: Texas A&M University at Qatar has won the top spot in the 6th International Universities Debating Championship, beating the team from Jordan’s University of Science and Technology and the team from Higher Institute of Islamic Studies and Research in Mauritania, who won second and third spots, respectively.
The debating championship, was organized by Qatar Foundation (QF) member QatarDebate, in which Arab, Asian, European, and American countries participated – some competing for the first time in an Arabic language debate – and was attended by dignitaries, including His Excellency Dr. Ibrahim bin Saleh Al Nuaimi, Undersecretary of Qatar’s Ministry of Education and Higher Education, and a number of official figures from some of the participating countrieswith Dr. Ahmad M. Hasnah, the President of QF’s Hamad Bin Khalifa University, being the Guest of Honor.
The Executive Director of QatarDebate, Dr. Hayat Abdullah Marafi,highlighted how 324 debaters, 150 judges, and 80 volunteers, representing more than 50 countries, gathered at this competition to express human connection and unity,that we always strive to achieve.
“The Arabic language has brought together young people from many countries. Their races, their varied religions and cultures, their different languages and dialects, shared in their belief of the message of the spoken word,” Dr. Marafi said.
Dr. Marafinoted that this year has witnessed many events that demonstrate the far-reaching message of QatarDebate, including the appointment of Salma Elkhaoudi, a PhD candidate from Stanford University who has been appointed as QatarDebate’s ambassador in the US – a result that stemmed from the cooperation between QatarDebate and the Fatih Sultan Mehmet University. A center, known as “Arabic Language Studies and Debating”, was also launched as the result of the partnership between the university and QatarDebate.
QatarDebate also recently announced the QatarDebate Research Fellowship Program – a new program that seeks to empower and support researchers in order to develop knowledge in the field of debates.
Sending a message to all debaters, Dr. Marafi said: “Your participation in this tournament is not just a competition with the aim of winning, but rather a pledge to spread the message of peace in all languages and dialects of the world.”
Studentsof the Texas A&M University at Qatar (TAMUQ) team who won the championshipexpressed their joy at this achievement despite the intensity of the competition. Moaz Mahmoud Ahmed Rabie said that the real meaning of “victory”changes after winning such an intense competition against extremely strong teams.
Mohamed Khalid Suliman Ahmed, another student from TAMUQ’s winning team,said: “My association with debating started when I was in first grade, and since then I have continued on the path of debating, experiencing the various stages of loss and victory.
“Next year, when I graduate from TAMUQ, I will aim to focus on coaching and refereeing in debating competitions.”
At the competition, the winner of the Debating Pioneers Award was also announced. This is an award given every two years to honor people of determination and innovation in the field of debating. The award for this season was won by the Debating and Thought Foundation from Jordan.
MENAFN23062022004929011400ID1104421044
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.