Persian, the 2nd Language of the Muslim World
A number of university students from Saudi Arabia, Russia, Armenia and Georgia who study Farsi (Persian language) in their own country, attended a one-month Persian language and literature course in Tehran. The end of their course was celebrated in a special ceremony held at the Tarbiat Modarres University.
The foreign university students who selected Persian language and literature as their field of study in their own countries, pass this course which provides them with an opportunity to practice the Persian language in an appropriate atmosphere.
We interviewed three Saudi university students participating in the Persian language course. Muhammad Saqar al-Solami, a 25-year-old Saudi student who studies the Persian language at the Malek Saud University, elaborated on his visit to Iran saying: "I need several days to talk about Iran."
He added: "But I can say that there is no difference between the people of Iran and Saudi Arabia and there are only geographical borders which separate us from each other. What I knew about Iran before coming to this country, was limited to the information that was available in the books and broadcasted by TV channels. But there was a big difference between what I heard about Iran and what I had myself saw in this country."
Referring to the historical monuments, museums and palaces of Iran, al-Solami said: "The most interesting thing I saw in Iran was the culture of compliment, Iranians use too many compliments and this indicates that the Iranian people are very kind and sensitive. He further referred to the accent of the people of Isfahan, saying: "Before I learned Farsi well, I didn't realize the difference between the Isfahani accent and the genuine Iranian accent, but now I understand it very well."
In conclusion, al-Solami said, "We had no problem during this course and they provided us with whatever we wanted. Now I am unhappy about leaving Iran. In fact, part of my heart will remain here in Iran."
Meanwhile, Majed Motlaq al-Otaibi, another Saudi participant in the Persian language course, said that Farsi is the language of literature and poetry, adding that the Persian and the Arabic languages are very close to each other and the former is the second language of the Muslim world.
He stressed, "What I saw in Iran, widely differs from what I had heard about this country." He underlined that Iranians are clever and kind people who enjoy a rich culture and said, "During our stay in Iran, we felt that we are in our own country."
He added that the Persian language and the Arabic culture mixed when Islam came to Iran some 1,400 years ago, and emphasized that there is no gap between the people of Iran and Saudi Arabia. Expressing satisfaction over being with students from other countries during his studies, al-Otaibi said, "We, along with students from other nations studied for one main objective which was to learn the Persian language and this was very interesting for me."
In conclusion, al-Otaibi said, "The Iranian people welcomed us kindly during this trip and we will inform our friends about their hospitality."
Another university student named Ali Saleh al-Farzan, said that the Persian language is very sweet, adding that it is the second language of the Islamic World. He said: "My friends had visited Iran in the past. I heard many things about Iran and I was really interested to personally see this country."
Referring to the modern architecture and beautiful buildings and streets of Tehran, al-Farzan said, "I was not expecting to see such beautiful scenery in Iran. The memory of this trip to Iran, will remain in our minds forever."
