Achte Minute features today an article by Tuqa Khalid on Debating in the United Arab Emirates. After Ary Ferreira da Cunha’s article about the „(Hi)story of Debate in Portugal„, this is the second time that an international debater reports on debating in a different country.

First and foremost: What is the UAE, you might ask? Well, you probably have heard of Dubai – it has the world’s largest shopping mall, the world’s tallest tower, and recently won the 2020 Expo bid. It is one of the seven cities of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

A debate at the American University of Sharjah Debate Club. (c) Tuqa Khalid

The UAE is not really a formidable skyscraper in the international debating scene, but interest in voicing opinions and defending beliefs outside the realm of online social media is quickly gaining momentum. Just consider the uprising of half of the Arab world, the Arab Spring, as the media likes to call it, and the fact that Arab nations are diversely spread all over the map. Watching our people rebelling against the oppression of decades-old tyrannies broke the silence that shackled our society for as long as we can remember. Everyone took to the internet, posting patriotic statuses on Facebook, opinionated comments on Twitter, outraged responses on YouTube or power-to-the-people-themed pictures on Instagram.  In fact, that is how Dubai Debates started. They are an online video debating forum that began in February 2011, during the Egyptian revolution (the first one, at least).

Now, outside of the virtual world, competitive debating in the academic realm is also at an all-time high. In schools, we have the annual Modern World Debates International Championship hosted by the GEMS Educational Group, and locally there are several inter-school competitions in each city. It might not seem like much, but the UAE is the underdog that is taking the international debating world by surprise. A team of five students from Dubai-based schools made it to the top five in the World Schools Debating Championships 2011. Dubai also hosted the 2013 Global Round of the World Scholar’s cup.

As for the collegiate debating scene, it is more developed locally and not so much internationally. Each of the major universities across the country (in the three main cities: Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah) hosts an annual local debating championship. These competitions are usually judged by English and Journalism Professors, and Toastmasters. The major contenders would be the Birla Institute of Technology and Science in Dubai, the New York University in Abu Dhabi, the MASDAR Institute of Science and Technology in Abu Dhabi, and Middlesex University in Dubai.

Tuqa Khalid
(c) Private

Of course, I had to save the best for last, my very own, American University of Sharjah. We are what you might call the biggest fish in our little pond. But don’t take my word for it, because according to Khaleej Times (a local newspaper), “the American University of Sharjah Debate Club secured intellectual bragging rights after winning [most] competitions against other university debate heavyweights in the UAE.” We also are the first university to take part in international competitions. AUS competed in the Asian British Parliament Debating Championship 2012, and Lund IV British Parliament Debating Championship 2013. We have not won any titles yet, but we will get there.

The most common debating format followed is the Asian format, in which two teams of 3 go up against each other. There are prepared topics for the elimination rounds and impromptu topics for the semis and the finals. The speakers speak for eight minutes and are penalized if they talk for less than 6 minutes. The first two speakers present their respective side’s arguments and the third refutes those of the other side. At the end, either of the first two speakers summarizes the debate highlighting their perspective. However, more universities are now adopting the proper British Parliamentary style. Other universities, such as the MASDAR Institute of Technology, use the Karl Popper format, which is similar to the Asian format.

Many of the local news organizations spotlight debating events in their coverage. Several of the local newspapers such as Khaleej Times, Gulf News, Gulf Today, and quite a few online newspapers post articles about our major competitions. And this is not to mention all the debate clubs’ interconnected social media presence, of course. If a championship is won, it will be all over the internet.

That about sums up what anyone with an interest in debating really needs to know about the UAE. It is not much, but if we are known for anything, it is our exponential growth. So expect to see a lot more of us in the coming championships.

Tuqa Khalid/hug/nbo

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Tuqa Khalid is an Electrical Engineering Junior at the American University of Sharjah. She participates in internationales debating tournaments such as the Lund IV.