The United Arab Emirates, through the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation, launched an initiative called "#بالعربي" on the occasion of the International Day of the Arabic Language, celebrated on 18 December 2017.

 “Bil Arabi” began as an idea proposed by a group of university students to the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation, which later adopted the initiative to be carried out on a yearly basis, and to coincide with the UN Arabic Language Day on December 18. The initiative encourages social media users in the Arab world to exclusively use the Arabic language on their Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts for the entire day.

The week-long initiative aims to reclaim the Arabic language’s status as an international language, supporting its use in both traditional and new media. This resonates with the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to preserve our mother tongue.

“Bil Arabi” reflects the Foundation’s vested interest in adopting innovative ideas that contribute to the dissemination of knowledge and that cement the role and status of the Arabic language in our societies and encourage the younger generations to preserve it.

The initiative seeks to break the stereotypes that paint the Arabic language as old-fashioned or traditional, and in stead focus on its beauty and relevance. It also seeks to identify and correct common errors in the Arabic languages and to populate the Internet with Arabic content.