About the Course
The Arabic language is one of the oldest known languages belonging to the Afro-Asiatic language family. Arabic is a Semitic language that is currently spoken by more than 300 million people worldwide, with more than 25 countries acknowledging Arabic as its official language, predominantly across the Middle East and North Africa. Arabic is also one of the 6 recognized languages of the United Nations.
There has never been a better time to learn Arabic! Not only is it a beautiful language, but it is an important one in many business sectors such as oil and gas, defense, structural engineering and more. In addition, with the world becoming a smaller place through globalization, understanding Arabic can be a valuable asset to any company or organization one may work in.
This course will take you from complete beginner to understanding the language structure and how to hold basic conversations. By the end of the course, you will be able to read and write basic Arabic words and sentences as well as introduce yourself and be comfortable asking and answering questions in Arabic.
Your Instructor
Stuart Repon-Ness BA (Hons)
Stuart is a British military veteran having served 8 years in Her Majesties Armed Forces within the Royal Military Police. He has completed operational tours of Iraq in 2005 where he took part in frontline operations such as ground and aerial patrols, acting upon intelligence with hard entries and detaining subjects, investigations alongside the secret service and training the new Iraqi Police Force to name but a few. He has also served on peacekeeping operations in Bosnia and Kosovo. In 2002 Stuart undertook the challenging role of Weapons Intelligence Investigator in Belfast, Northern Ireland where he became a specialist in foreign weapons and paramilitaries/terrorism in Northern Ireland. The role included on the ground investigations, and compiling important and concise intelligence reports through strategic and accurate analysis that he then briefed to government officials.
Stuart has recently undertaken a BA (hons) Middle Eastern Studies and Arabic Language at the University of Central Lancashire in the UK which has equipped him with specialist knowledge in the Arabic Language (Modern Standard and Levant Dialect), Middle Eastern History, Current Middle Eastern Politics, Political Islam and Islamic Movements, Contemporary Islam, Middle Eastern and world culture, and religion. The subjects he has studied has led him to write papers and convey presentations on challenging and problematic topics such as Islam and the western world, political ideology, conflict, and terrorism with his dissertation written on Operation Cast Lead.