As part of the celebration of World Arabic Language Day, Lamis El-Sayed Fadl delivered a virtual lecture entitled

“The Arabic Language: Heritage, Identity, and Contemporary Creativity,”

organized by the Egyptian Cultural and Educational Office at the Embassy of the Arab Republic of Egypt in Washington, D.C.

The lecture addressed the status of the Arabic language as a language of heritage, identity, and creativity. It also highlighted the vital role Arabic plays in fostering cultural dialogue both locally and globally.

Through her lecture, Lamis Fadl emphasized that the phenomenon of diglossia in the Arabic language enriches it and grants it depth and diversity. At the same time, she noted that this phenomenon poses challenges in teaching Arabic to non-native speakers. She further explained that Modern Standard Arabic remains the common link among all Arabic speakers.

She also stressed the importance of flexibility in teaching grammatical rules in order to engage young minds and achieve more positive and effective communication with learners of Arabic, whether non-native speakers or native speakers learning it as their mother tongue.

Academic and Professional Journey

Lamis El-Sayed Fadl moved to the United States in 2006. At that time, she was enrolled in the Master’s program at the Faculty of Arts, Cairo University. Her thesis focused on the first wave of feminism in modern Arabic literature, examining the works of writer May Ziadeh as a model of the female voice in Arabic literature at the beginning of the twentieth century.

After earning her Master’s degree, she joined LaGuardia Community College, City University of New York (CUNY), where she began her academic career as a teaching assistant and was later appointed as a lecturer after successfully passing the academic evaluation process. She began teaching Arabic as a foreign language alongside modern Arabic literature.

She was later nominated to teach at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, where she taught various levels of Arabic to non-native speakers in the Department of Modern Languages.

In 2019, she began collaborating with the Department of History at the same college to establish a Middle Eastern Studies program. She proposed a course entitled

“Elements of Social Justice in Arabic Literature and Cinema,”

which was approved and adopted as a core course within the Middle Eastern Studies major. She was subsequently included among the core faculty members of the program.

Leadership Roles and Cultural Exchange

In addition to her academic work, Lamis El-Sayed Fadl serves as a Board Member of the New York Arabic Teachers’ Council (NYATC) and holds the position of Director of Communications for the council, which operates under Qatar Foundation International. She is also a member of the Academic Workforce Committee in Languages and Literatures of the Modern Language Association (MLA), which is concerned with setting academic documentation standards and supporting scholarly research in the humanities.

Lamis El-Sayed Fadl also teaches English literature at LaGuardia Community College. Leveraging her fluency in both Arabic and English, she has implemented several virtual cultural exchange projects between her college and a number of Egyptian universities, including the American University in Cairo (AUC) and October University for Modern Sciences and Arts (MSA).

One of her virtual exchange projects with the University of Oklahoma in the United States was published in the book

“Advances in Virtual Learning Environments and the Global Workplace,”

released by IGI Global.

She has also taught at several other American universities, including Columbia University in New York, Temple University in Philadelphia, and William Paterson University in New Jersey.

An Inspiring Egyptian Role Model

Lamis Fadl has continued her professional journey in the United States, relying on the scientific and academic expertise she acquired through her education and work in Egypt. This stands as proof of the ability of Egyptian women to adapt and excel anywhere, while remaining firmly rooted in their Egyptian identity and culture.

Leadership and Cultural Commitment

The Egyptian participation in this event took place under the leadership of Dr. Nermine A. Sabry,

Cultural Attaché and Director of the Egyptian Cultural and Educational Office in Washington.

Dr. Sabry continues to promote the mission of the office in disseminating Egyptian culture and supporting educational and cultural exchange programs within the United States. Her vision and efforts have contributed to presenting an honorable and authentic image of Egypt in international academic and cultural forums.

Academic Contributions

Dr. Essam El-Badry also participated with an academic intervention addressing the differences between linguistic competence and dialect, emphasizing the importance of not confusing pronunciation with the actual level of language comprehension.

At the conclusion of the event, participants affirmed that addressing linguistic barriers represents a fundamental element in enhancing global dialogue, cultural understanding, and responsible communication.