QatarDebate Centre, a member of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF), opened at Western Kentucky University in the United States of America, QatarDebate Council, in the presence of a number of officials from both sides.
The Executive Director of QatarDebate Dr Hayat Abdullah Marafi, said that the council is a new platform that overlooks the world from the United States of America with a traditional Qatari imprint that emphasises its role in spreading dialogue and convergence of ideas between generations.
On this occasion, she stressed that the Council is a cultural venue to deepen the skills of its visitors who are interested in the dialogue and linguistic aspects, and to discuss controversial topics that involve different opinions.
She said the council also constitutes a free space for Arab American students and professors to gather after being separated by distances.
In this context, she said the center will document through the Council the efforts of the Qatar Foundation globally and the United States of America in particular, and specifically this year as it is the Year of Culture Qatar -USA.
For his part, the Dean of Western Kentucky University Dr John Sunnygard, congratulated the university administration, QatarDebate and the students on the opening of the QatarDebate Council, which reflects the permanent friendship between the university and QatarDebate.
Sunnygard added that the university looks forward to exploring new opportunities in the future for further cooperation with the center because both feel proud of the common past, expressing his happiness for launching this council in the United States, saying that it is a valuable gift that helps strengthen deep ties between peoples.
The Head of Programmes and Marketing at QatarDebate Abdulrahman al-Subaie, praised the initiative to open QatarDebate in the United States of America.
Al-Subaie said that the idea of this council at Western Kentucky University came after the center's delegation visited the university in late 2018, when its management suggested allocating a Qatari council inside the university campus in order to enhance communication between those interested in learning the Arabic language and debates.
Al-Subaie reviewed the stages of the project starting from its study and its future goals, whether at the university level or the level of the United States of America as a meeting place between students and officials at the university and the debate community and the Arabic language community in America, as well as offering various programmes in partnership with QatarDebate, preserving cultural identity and practising the most important customs and the Qatari traditions, which were on the schedule of the opening ceremony of the Council.
For his part, the center's ambassador to the United States of America Mohamed al-Lukhan al-Marri, explained that Qatar and the United States of America signed in 2020 a set of agreements on the sidelines of the strategic dialogue between the two sides, including the declaration of 2021 as a Year of Culture Qatar -USA.
He pointed out that the QatarDebate Center began its tour this year in the United States of America with the aim of spreading debates around the world in Arabic, and its first starting point was from Western Kentucky University.
The Executive Director of QatarDebate Dr Hayat Abdullah Marafi, said that the council is a new platform that overlooks the world from the United States of America with a traditional Qatari imprint that emphasises its role in spreading dialogue and convergence of ideas between generations.
On this occasion, she stressed that the Council is a cultural venue to deepen the skills of its visitors who are interested in the dialogue and linguistic aspects, and to discuss controversial topics that involve different opinions.
She said the council also constitutes a free space for Arab American students and professors to gather after being separated by distances.
In this context, she said the center will document through the Council the efforts of the Qatar Foundation globally and the United States of America in particular, and specifically this year as it is the Year of Culture Qatar -USA.
For his part, the Dean of Western Kentucky University Dr John Sunnygard, congratulated the university administration, QatarDebate and the students on the opening of the QatarDebate Council, which reflects the permanent friendship between the university and QatarDebate.
Sunnygard added that the university looks forward to exploring new opportunities in the future for further cooperation with the center because both feel proud of the common past, expressing his happiness for launching this council in the United States, saying that it is a valuable gift that helps strengthen deep ties between peoples.
The Head of Programmes and Marketing at QatarDebate Abdulrahman al-Subaie, praised the initiative to open QatarDebate in the United States of America.
Al-Subaie said that the idea of this council at Western Kentucky University came after the center's delegation visited the university in late 2018, when its management suggested allocating a Qatari council inside the university campus in order to enhance communication between those interested in learning the Arabic language and debates.
Al-Subaie reviewed the stages of the project starting from its study and its future goals, whether at the university level or the level of the United States of America as a meeting place between students and officials at the university and the debate community and the Arabic language community in America, as well as offering various programmes in partnership with QatarDebate, preserving cultural identity and practising the most important customs and the Qatari traditions, which were on the schedule of the opening ceremony of the Council.
For his part, the center's ambassador to the United States of America Mohamed al-Lukhan al-Marri, explained that Qatar and the United States of America signed in 2020 a set of agreements on the sidelines of the strategic dialogue between the two sides, including the declaration of 2021 as a Year of Culture Qatar -USA.
He pointed out that the QatarDebate Center began its tour this year in the United States of America with the aim of spreading debates around the world in Arabic, and its first starting point was from Western Kentucky University.
