TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN
Mr. Mohammad Yousef has just done a very good job of translation from Arabic for me and he is clearly a man of ability. He seems to be a good man and worthy of any help that can be given him. I much regret that I am unable to offer him a post myself and am pleased to be able to commend him to others. (C.D. Savage) 6-G Gulberg Lahore. 6th Nov 1965
1. Whatever the political relations between Arab countries and Pakistan; the fact that the people of Pakistan are Muslims and have a deep rooted love of Arabic Language, literature and culture.
2. The party politics situation in Pakistan regarding Arabic Language, versus English.
(i) Deep love of all for Arabic.
(ii) English maintained only as necessity.
3. The dread of Arabic language and this notions as a boulder. Most of the educational Pakistanis know a lot of Arabic yet they know it not.
1. Most of the subjects up to middle and even matriculations are in Urdu; this Urdu is only a name the main body of every subject is Arabic for example, in Mathematics, Arithmetic, Geometry and Algebra, Geography, physics, chemistry, history and others, and every block of the whole masonry is Arabic except for the cementing material ( گارا) is used as Urdu. In the higher standards the Arabic technical terms appear side by side with the English.
5. Struggle arabicizing every subject through the medium of Urdu. Why it is not giving productive results.
(i) The question of service.
(ii) Dearth of literary; scientific, philosophic men, capable of rendering translation which is very difficult task demanding higher talent amounting to genius, lack of devotion and encouragement.
(iii) Fear of cutting away from the west in some minds through relatively few.
(iv) Lack of enterprise for culting the boulder through competent translations,
(v) More speeches but little substantial of constructive work.
(vi) Disheartening of hasty behavior of the Arab enterprise in assisting in the problem of teaching Arabic.
(vii) But mainly due to the inability of securing service of livelihood by attending to the Arabic at the cost of English.
(viii) The absence of translations.
(ix) The hasty demeanor of the age of the present-day race for modernizing everything of ensuring defence.
4. The future prospects:-
(i) Are very bright. Because;
(ii) The English or any western language cannot fit in with the texture of Urdu, of the people of Pakistan are not so devoid of good sense not to judge the ridiculous character the mixed language would assume, by this marriage.
(b) Whereas the experience has shown that Arabic and Persian fit in and get amalgamated with Urdu nationally and benefitly.
(c) The people of Pakistan are therefore obliged to adapt Arabic, today or a hundred years hence, sooner or the later.
5. The advantages of one’s own language:-
a. Speedy progress of science etc.
b. The real nature of ken of the subject.
c. Integrity of character and sincerity of purpose of mind etc.
d. A real satisfaction, in everything prose, poetry conversation etc.
6. The advantages of Arabic:-
(i) Unification of Islamic world.
(ii) A guarantee for the safety of Islam as religion.
(iii) Closer ties, better understanding mutually.
(iv) Hope for the next world.
(v) Better understanding of concept and soul of Islam and Islam’s view of the worldly progress.
7. Necessity of:-
(i) Patience and perseverance on the part both of Pakistan’s and Arabs regarding this problem.
(ii) Encouragement of talent of genius in this respect.
(iii) Better understanding of Arabs and Pakistanis mutually. Closer ties.
(iv) Expenditure of money in reasonable amounts judging from the paramount importance of the problem.
8. Pakistanis know a lot of Arabic, and they know not. Arabs have a grave responsibility and duty and they flinch from it peevishly.