
File Photo: The outer gate of Al-Azhar university. Al-Ahram.
“A detailed scientific study is currently being conducted to evaluate the feasibility of Arabizing medical sciences," Al-Azhar University confirmed Wednesday.
It added that the study considers all academic, technical, and practical aspects.
"Any decisions on this matter (Arabization of medical sciences) will be made once the required studies and scientific discussions are completed," according to an official statement from the university.
However, the move has stirred controversy. Some social media users praised it as "wise," while others said it would negatively impact Egypt's medical education system.
How did it start?
The controversy began with a circulating decision from Al-Azhar University President Salama Dawood on 11 January 2025 to form a committee to oversee the Arabization of psychiatry.

Mixed feedback
Arabization, the process of adapting or translating content into Arabic, has sparked mixed reactions in Egypt.

Supporters of the move argue that it is crucial to restoring Egypt's intellectual heritage and reducing the country's reliance on foreign languages in academia.
They believe that Arabizing medical sciences will empower students and enrich the Arabic language with scientific knowledge.
"Arabizing medicine or sciences, in general, is a wise decision beneficial to society, helping to eliminate the foreigner complex and enrich the Arabic language with scientific knowledge," wrote Abdallah Sobhy, a Facebook user.
However, detractors express concerns that English remains the dominant language of scientific research and that Arabization could hinder students' access to the latest medical knowledge and advancements.
"Al-Azhar University’s move toward Arabizing medicine, pharmacy, and engineering is a blatant opposition to scientific knowledge," another Facebook user, Sarwat Al-Ghalban, argued.

Plan under study
Mahmoud Sadeq, vice president of Al-Azhar University for graduate studies and supervisor of the university's hospitals, confirmed to Al-Ahram Gate on Wednesday that the plan is still "under review and subject to discussion."
Al-Azhar media advisor Ahmed Zar’a also echoed this to Al-Ahram Gate and emphasized that internal dialogue is ongoing and broad agreement exists on the decision.
He said Al-Azhar University is poised to lead in this effort, citing examples of other countries, such as Japan and France, where medical education is predominantly conducted in the national language.

Al-Azhar University affirms that this is not an attempt to abandon English completely.
Instead, the university emphasizes the goal of offering Arabic and English language options within the medical curriculum.
Avicenna
Dawood previously discussed the importance of Arabizing medical sciences during the celebration of World Arabic Language Day in December 2024.
He highlighted the historical significance of Arabic in the development of medical knowledge, pointing out that these sciences were initially written in Arabic by Muslim scholars and later translated by Western scholars into English.
"Ibn Sina (Avicenna) wrote medicine in Arabic. Now is the time to restore our standing by embracing our heritage and learning the sciences that we, Muslims, laid the foundations for," he said.
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