NYU Abu Dhabi’s Arabic Language program is a defining feature of the institution. The program’s professors have established and developed Arabic programs in various universities across the United States. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is one of these institutions. When Nasser Isleem, Senior Lecturer of Arabic, arrived at UNC in 2003 he spent years enriching the Arabic program there, while simultaneously working to build a community to erase apprehension about Islam. Nasser — who insists on being called by his first name — came to NYUAD in Spring of 2012 and has similarly contributed to the university’s Arabic language program.

Nasser strives to implement aspects of Emirati culture in all levels of his Arabic classes here at NYUAD. He has taught all levels of Arabic including Levantine dialect, but is most well-known for his Emirati January term class established in 2014.

Nasser explained the origins of the course, saying that “... the idea of establishing such a J-Term was inspired by the director of the Arabic program [at NYUAD] when I was working in North Carolina, and he interviewed me over the phone. He asked me if I could come out with a curriculum that would serve as a textbook that can be taught for the students taking the J-Term.”

Nasser wrote the curriculum for the course and began the search for host families in Al Ain, where the J-Term is taught at the Al-Qattara Arts Centre. Nasser spoke about Al Ain’s importance in facilitating the learning of the Emirati dialect.

“The choice of Al Ain was based on different factors, mainly it is a city that is very rich when it comes to heritage and culture. It’s a city that is also in my opinion a very fertile soil for speaking the Emirati dialect,” he shared.

The search for host families proved difficult in the early years of the J-Term as many local families were unwilling to host boys, and there was a shortage of families for the girls. This meant some students stayed with Palestinian families, so they were not completely immersed in the dialect. Over the course of the J-Term’s existence, however, the supply of families has increased exponentially.

“And now, Alhamdulillah, we have families competing together to receive more students,” Nasser stated happily.

Nasser’s approach to teaching culture alongside language mechanics is evident in the mission of the Emirati dialect’s J-Term and other language classes he teaches. There is not a day that goes by in Nasser’s Arabic 102 class where students don’t hear, “I want to give you guys a glimpse of Emirati culture.”

Nasser is deeply invested in his teaching style and has written and developed multiple books about various Arabic speaking cultures, including Palestinian and Emirati. His devotion to his students and the language has proved fruitful, as Nasser has won various awards including induction into UNC’s Order of the Golden Fleece. His books, letters from past students and awards cover his office walls. Nasser’s credibility as a professor has increased the amount of students hoping to take Emirati dialect over the last five years.

“Last year we had almost 22 students wanting to get into the course, we couldn't take all of them based on different factors. This year I anticipate that we will also have a very big number wanting to get in,” Nasser reported hopefully.

The Arabic Language program at NYUAD serves an important role in the university community, but also within the Emirates as a whole.

Nasser cited getting to know the Emirates as being the primary reason for the Emirati J-Term. However, this aspect applies to all Arabic classes that attempt to engage students culturally with the Emirates.

“When students come here, they come from different backgrounds. They come from different countries, they come as part of the body of NYU Abu Dhabi which is located in the heart of Abu Dhabi. I don’t think it’s fair for them to be out in this city without knowing a lot of highlights or the features of being here and Emirati culture, even glimpses of it would do,” said Nasser.

Apart from cultural immersion, learning Arabic in Abu Dhabi provides students with a powerful skill to bring back to their home countries. In fact, Nasser’s work at UNC Chapel Hill proves the power of teaching and speaking a language in a country where it is uncommonly spoken.

“I really worked so hard to build bridges between nations,” Nasser commented when talking about his time teaching in North Carolina. For Nasser, Ramadan provided the perfect opportunity to engage in this mission. Students, Nasser’s colleagues from Duke University, Meredith College, and UNC and other community members frequented the Isleem household during Ramadan.

“My house was always packed,” Nasser stated.

“My wife and I had divided the four weeks into four events, so every week we had an event close to the weekend. NPR, newspapers, and TV were there with us. It was a chance for us to educate and open other peoples’ eyes to what we do and how we practice Ramadan in our houses. It was a great chance for everyone to learn and live as a human being beside another human being.”

Nasser has continued this tradition at NYUAD, inviting students from the community to his family’s home during Ramadan to learn about Islamic culture but also to enhance the familial aspect of language classes.

While at UNC, he hosted other events in the Chapel Hill community including an Arab day where all Arabic speakers from the community, regardless of religion, could come together to speak in Arabic in a typical non-Muslim area. Non-Arabic speakers were invited to participate as well. Nasser also hosted coffee shop hours at a store in Chapel Hill, and students would come to watch belly dancers, hear an imam speak, or listen to a sheikh.

“So I felt like it was a great chance for me to practice something that is pretty much needed in the heart of the U.S. Reach out to other people; bring them back together and teach them something about our culture.”

In his classes Nasser will frequently recounts his days in Chapel Hill fondly, and in these stories it is evident that cultural engagement allows for coexistence. Nasser ended our talk with an anecdote about a past student and what he felt like was the beauty of language learning:

“I remember a story of one of my students who studied with me for three years, and she went to Vietnam. She emailed me from Vietnam asking me, ‘What am I going to do? I need to practice my Arabic.’ And I said, ‘Well I don’t know anything about Vietnam. How about you try to go to a mosque?’”

Nasser continued, explaining that she went to the mosque, and in the mosque the imam asked her if she speaks Arabic, and if she can read and write it. The imam explained that he and his colleagues were unable to read Arabic, and they asked if she could teach them.

He concluded the story with the following: “She was a Christian, a white Christian from Oklahoma, and she taught the imam along with two other people how to read the Quran. So you plant the seed but you can never tell where the seed will grow. These are beautiful stories you need to share with students so they know what they are learning will come out positively.”

In both countries where Nasser has taught, he has built a community of students and faculty who feel connected to each other through language. Learning Arabic extends outside the classroom and into professors’ homes. Students at NYUAD who learn Arabic are equipped to bring their knowledge of Islam and the Arabic language back to their home countries to build the community Nasser has worked so hard to create.