Palestine triumphs in Int'l Universities Debating Championship

The 7th International Universities Debating Championship concluded Wednesday with HE Sheikha Hind bint Hamad al-Thani, vice chairperson and CEO of Qatar Foundation (QF) presenting the first-place award to An-Najah National University from Palestine.

The second and third-place awards were won by the University of Arts and Sciences in Lebanon and Georgetown University in Qatar respectively.

The ceremony was attended by HE Buthaina bint Ali Al Jabr al-Nuaimi, Minister of Education and Higher Education, Machaille Hassan al-Naimi, executive officer of the Vice Chairperson and CEO Office, QF, Mounir Ghannam, Palestinian ambassador, Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Khalifa al-Thani, executive director, Partnerships at Al Jazeera Media Institute, Dr Sharifa Noaman al-Emadi, executive director, Doha International Family Institute, Mazen al-Farhan, acting director of the Translation and Interpreting Institute at Hamad Bin Khalifa University, and Abdul Rahman al-Kubaisi, chair of the championship jury, along with other dignitaries.

Sheikha Hind also honoured the top three speakers in the tournament including Moza Khaled al-Hajri from Georgetown University in Qatar, Abdullah Jassim al-Kubaisi from Qatar University, and Rawan Muhammad Harshi from the University of Arts and Sciences in Lebanon.

Abeer al-Khalifa, president of Pre-University Education, QF, honoured the remaining seven top speakers and presented the championship award for the non-native Arabic speakers’ category to the University of Boğaziçi from Türkiye.

Dr Hayat Abdullah Marafi, executive director of the QatarDebate Centre, congratulated the students' strong analytical and critical skills and fluency in Arabic. Remembering debaters from Palestine who could not participate in the tournament, Dr Marafi remarked: “I would like to emphasise that despite their inability to participate in the championship, the Islamic University of Gaza team is present with us today. The Palestinian cause is our cause and that of every just individual.”

Ambassador Ghannam, noted: “Today represents a milestone in the history of debating, and highlights our nation’s significant contribution to science and culture, with the support of Qatar. I express my sincere appreciation to the organisers and sponsors of the tournament, which demonstrated the key role that Arab communities play in scientific advancement.”

The final round, held under the motion, “This house, as a young Muslim, would migrate to the West,” featured a heated debate that engaged the audience as both teams exchanged their arguments.

Farah Iyad Atatari, a member of the Palestinian team, along with Zeina Jamal Hourani and Hammam Salah Jallad, was thrilled to win in the finals.

Atatari remarked, “Reaching the final was an achievement. Our hard work and diligence paid off and we won the title after an intense final debate. It was a wonderful and beneficial experience, where we had the opportunity to meet brilliant speakers from all over the world.”

Rawan Muhammad Harshi, a member of the University of Arts and Sciences in Lebanon, including Heba Abdel-Hussein Dhaini and Roaa Ahmed Sharaf El-Din, said she was thrilled to represent Lebanon in the final round.

“We are the first Lebanese team to reach the finals, it was a rich experience all around,” remarked Rawan.

Non-native Arabic Speakers’ Category: First Place: Boğaziçi University, Türkiye and second place: Fatih Sultan Mehmet University, Türkiye.

Top Arabic Speakers: Moza Khaled al-Hajri (Georgetown University in Qatar), Abdullah Jassim al-Kubaisi (Qatar University); Rawan Muhammad Harshi (University of Arts and Sciences in Lebanon); Wissam al-Sadiq Muhammad Qadam (Texas A&M University at Qatar); Shahad Louay al-Qatbi (Middle East University); Carmel Saed al-Mady (Middle East University); Anas Maher Ahmed Akkawi (Al-Ahliyya Amman University); Muhammad Awad al-Yafei (Qatar University); Aya Ahmed Abu Saeeda (University of Tripoli) and Heba Abdel Hussein Dhaini (University of Arts and Sciences in Lebanon).

Top non-Native Arabic speakers are: Imran bin Salman (Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia); Daniel Khan Shahiran Ziri (Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia); Azkiaa al-Ghafari bin Mansur (STIBA Ar-Raayah Sukabumi, Indonesia); Muhammad Azhar bin Abdul Rab (STIBA Ar-Raayah Sukabumi, Indonesia) and Ruba Yahya Amin Nazzal (Australian National University).