ADC CFS IIUM: State of the Club (2 October 2013)

INTERNATIONAL ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY MALAYSIA

CENTRE FOR FOUNDATION STUDIES

ARABIC DEBATE CLUB

STATE OF THE CLUB

BY

THE PRESIDENT

2 OCTOBER 2013

For the first semester of 2013/2014 academic year, we made our own history at our own stage.

We opened the Arabic Debate Chamber House, Centre for Foundation Studies (CFS), International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), with the most prestigious debate. The debate – I mean: Arabic Debate Opening Session, the first ever Arabic debate chamber session for 2013/2014 academic year – between Malaysia and Palestine was organized meaningfully and successfully. That debate symbolized the true brotherhood and friendship between Malaysia and Palestine.

We were there not to be a winner. It’s hard for us to win that debate. The Palestinians is a group of Arabic native speakers. However, we are lucky because we got something from them – in term of knowledge – and we gave something to them – in term of appreciation, friendship and financial assistance.

Including the first debate on 3 July, and up to today, Arabic Debate Club (ADC) organized 15 chamber sessions of 11 motions. As of today also, ADC held 13 training sessions, attended by tens of multilevel trainees; and conducted by our respectful trainers.

7 chamber sessions were held in conjunction with Centre for Foundation Studies (CFS) Debating Championship (CFS DC) 2013 that was held successfully on 20-22 September. CFS DC records participation of 46 debaters from 12 groups. All of them were assessed by tens of adjudicators from IIUM Gombak.

ADC would like to express its heartiest congratulations to those who had participated in the mentioned competition, and to those who was made the winner, for Arabic category. ADC also would like to extend its sincerest gratitude to all committee members for their hard work in making CFS DC 2013 successful. ADC also would like to express the same greeting to the adjudicators for their willingness to assess its debaters, and the contributors for assisting the programme in many terms of assistance.

Prior to CFS DC 2013, ADC organized ADC Iftar, to celebrate Ramadhan and to appreciate friendship between us here and our seniors of IIUM Gombak.

Briefly, ADC organized only 3 programmes successfully; Alhamdulillah. Actually, we can conduct more productive programmes. However, in order to give opportunities to the other students’ associations in our campus, we are able to come out only with 3 programmes; 1 of it made the major.

In term of management, we also write our own history.

Since handover of Mahallah Maryam by Student Affairs and Development Division (STADD) to CFS in January 2012, ADC registered a resident there – a student of Economics and Management Sciences – as our member here. Administratively, he is our member and one of our managers. However, in term of training and assembly, he is a member of Arabic Debating and Public Speaking Club of our main campus. Since his admission to our Club, ADC established a branch in Mahallah Maryam.

Prior to his membership, all bureaus were rebranded and upgraded. Now, all bureaus are all committees. We named that event as ‘transformation of management’.

Due to transformation of management, 2 committees were established. The Community Affairs Committee focuses on discipline, welfare and special tasks, while the Research and Development Committee – the newest committee in the Club – is established to assist the Centre, in general; and the Club, in particular; in developing Arabic debaters and their managers.

In our point of view, this process is important to ensure that ADC always possesses calibre managers and executives, instead of producing prospective debaters. I don’t worry if IIUM has hundreds of debaters, but I’m afraid if we are lack of their skilful managers and executives.

Seeing our Statement of Direction, we can express some of our happiness. Alhamdulillah; we aimed what we want partially. However, for the next months, we have to prepare ourselves to develop Arabic debating and public speaking activities in the future. I believe, these activities will be upheld continuously if the group of debaters and managers can collaborate each other to bring the good name of our Nation, in general; and our University, in particular, to the highest stage of success, InsyaAllah.

ADC will not develop without assistance and good deeds from all parties. On this opportunity, ADC would like to express our highest gratitude to the administrators and officers of the University for their contribution in making ADC and its activities successful. We also would like to thank all supporters for supporting ADC and its activities physically, mentally and spiritually.

Finally, let us express our highest gratitude to Allah SWT for allowing us to do anything to develop Arabic language in term of debating and public speaking activities. Without Him, we are unable to do anything. For the future, we pray that Allah SWT will continue to grace and bless us and our efforts, and to continue His assistance towards us. Verily, Allah SWT is the Best Assistant of His Servants.