Doha: The activities of the 7th International University Debating Championship in the Arabic Language for the year 2024 concluded on Wednsday at the Qatar National Convention Center, with the crowning of the Palestinian An-Najah National University team, which won the title for the first time in its history. Her Excellency Sheikha Hind bint Hamad Al-Thani, Vice Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF) and CEO of the Foundation, crowned the defending champion team and the winning teams in the first three places in the tournament (the Lebanese University of Sciences and Arts, second place, and Georgetown University Qatar, third place). Her Excellency also honored the three best speakers in the tournament, who are, respectively: Moza Khalid Al-Hajri from Georgetown University Qatar, Abdullah Jassim Al-Kubaisi from Qatar University, and Rawan Mohamed Harshi from the Lebanese University of Sciences and Arts, in the presence of HE Ministe r of Education and Higher Education Buthaina bint Ali Al Jabr Al-Nuaimi, while President of Pre-University Education at Qatar Foundation Abeer Al Khalifa, crowned the seven other speakers, and the Turkish Bogazici University team, who won the championship title in the Arabic language for the non-native speakers category. Dr. Hayat Abdullah Marafi, Executive Director of the QatarDebate Center, expressed her happiness at the success of this edition, and her pride in the skills presented by the participating students and their display of their breadth of culture, fluency of the tongue, eloquence of language, self-confidence, clarity of thought, sense of criticism, and tireless striving for the best. She appreciated the participation of the Arabic debaters from the non-native speakers category, and their proficiency and mastery of the Arabic language, thanking the Qatar Foundation for its great support in organizing this tournament and the continuity of the QatarDebate Center's mission to spread the culture of dialogue and debate, and the efforts of all partners in making this edition a success. Dr. Hayat Marafi congratulated the winning teams in the two categories, wishing them good luck and success, pointing out that creating human thought and providing it with knowledge is at the heart of the work of the QatarDebate Center and the core of its mission. For his part, HE Ambassador of the State of Palestine to Qatar Mounir Ghannam commented on the Palestinian team's victory in the tournament for the first time, saying: "This was a notable day for debates of great importance, which highlight the ability of the nation's people to be in the advanced ranks of science and culture, under Qatari sponsorship", tthat adds more momentum and strength to this tournament. All thanks and appreciation go to the organizers of these debates and to the officials who sponsor this tournament, as it constitutes an excellent scientific lever that expresses the ability of Arab societies to excel, and to be among the advanced countries in this field of science. All praise and appreciation and congratulations to the winners, led by the An-Najah Palestinian National University team." The final debate in the tournament discussed the issue of "the migration of Muslim youth to the West," where the two teams worked to refute opinions and arguments amid unparalleled encouragement and enthusiasm from the audience, and an atmosphere of solidarity with the two teams. The Palestinian An-Najah National University team (defending champion) consisted of: Zeina Jamal Hourani, Hammam Salah Jallad, and Farah Iyad Atatari, who expressed feelings of great joy, explaining that reaching the final was enough for them, but they were able to win the first title after a difficult and thorny debate with their colleagues of the other team. They added that the tournament was a wonderful and beneficial experience, in which they got to know brilliant debaters and participants from all over the world. This participation gave them a push forward, especially in light of what their country is facing today. They appreciated the broad atmosphere of solidarity with the Palestinian cause that they felt from all the participating teams, which was very influential, as this spirit gave them greater motivation and encouragement and confidence that the youth group had become highly aware and could now transmit the Palestinian voice to the whole world. The results of the tournament in the open category for the Arabic language resulted in: The Palestinian An-Najah National University team won first place, the Lebanese University of Sciences and Arts team won second place, and the Georgetown University Qatar team won third place, while first place in the Arabic language category for non-native speakers was won by the Turkish Bogazici University team and in second place was the team of the Turkish Sultan Mehmet Fatih University. The ten best speakers in the open category were also honored, and they are, respectively: Moza Khalid Al-Hajri (Georgetown University Qatar), Abdullah Jassim A l-Kubaisi (Qatar University), Rawan Muhammad Harshi (Lebanese University of Sciences and Arts), and Wissam Al-Sadiq Muhammad Qadam (Texas University Qatar). And witnessed by Luay Al-Qatbi (Middle East University), Carmel Saed Al-Madhi (Middle East University), Anas Maher Ahmed Akkawi (Ahliyya Amman University), Muhammad Awad Al-Yafei (Qatar University), Aya Ahmed Abu Saida (University of Tripoli), and Heba Abdul Hussein Dhaini ( Lebanese University of Sciences and Arts). Regarding the top 5 speakers in the Arabic language to non-native speakers category, this title was won in succession by: Imran bin Salman (National University of Malaysia), Daniel Khan Shahiran Ziri (National University of Malaysia), Adhkia Al-Ghafari bin Mansur (Al-Raya University Indonesia), and Muhammad Azhar bin Abd al-Rab (Arraya University, Indonesia), and Ruba Yahya Amin Nazzal (Australian National University). The ceremony also witnessed the honoring of the partners who contributed to the success of the tournament's activities in i ts 7th session, namely the Doha Forum as a strategic partner, the Al Jazeera Media Institute as a media partner, the Translation Studies Institute at Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) as a translation partner, and the Doha International Family Institute as a knowledge partner. Source: Qatar News Agency