مشروع حوسبة الحرف القرآني ودوره في نشر اللغة العربية في قارة إفريقيا

Digitization of the Qur’anic Script Project and Its Role in Promoting the Arabic Language in Africa

Abstract

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization has launched an unprecedented cultural and civilizational initiative through the “Qur’anic Script” project, which aims to employ the Arabic script in writing African languages according to a well-defined timeline and structured plan. This initiative is part of broader efforts to strengthen the cultural presence of the Arabic language and reinforce its connection with African Muslim societies. This paper seeks to trace the stages of the project’s development through a descriptive, analytical, and evaluative approach, with the aim of assessing its progress, particularly in its most advanced phase—namely, the digitization of the Qur’anic script. This phase is reflected in several key technological achievements, most notably:

• The development of a computerized typesetting system for writing the languages of Muslim communities using the Arabic script, accompanied by a user guide to facilitate its application in educational and practical contexts.
• The creation of an automated system for converting texts from the Latin alphabet into the African Arabic script, along with a user manual to ensure efficient use in digital environments.

The study further aims to evaluate these efforts in light of their impact on supporting the teaching of the Arabic language and enhancing its presence in African societies, while also identifying the challenges facing the broader implementation of this project in contemporary linguistic and technological contexts.

Keywords: Qur’anic script; Arabic script digitization; African languages; Arabic language dissemination; ICESCO; language planning; digital tools; script conversion.