Doha, Qatar: Qatar Foundation has concluded the second edition of the BilAraby Annual Gathering, bringing together 1,600 participants for discussions on building digital platforms that serve people, overcoming challenges in entrepreneurship, and drawing on community knowledge to build peace.
Organized by Qatar Foundation’s (QF) BilAraby initiative, the gathering took place on 19–20 September 2026 at Multaqa (Education City Student Center) in Doha under the theme ‘With Our Ideas, We Build’. Her Excellency Lolwah bint Rashid bin Mohammed Al Khater, Minister of Education and Higher Education, attended the second day of the gathering and toured the partner pavilions.
The program featured main-stage talks, exploratory sessions, workshops, and interactive spaces, enabling participants to share experiences, discuss ideas, and explore their practical applications.
Hisham Nourin, Executive Director of Strategic Initiatives and Programs, QF, said: “The value of a gathering lies in leaving it with greater understanding and something useful to put into practice. This is what we hope for everyone who took part in the BilAraby Annual Gathering: that they find in another person’s experience something that helps them develop their idea or address an issue that concerns them.
“At Qatar Foundation, our responsibility is to create the conditions for this exchange to continue and ensure participants can stay connected beyond the gathering. Arabic grows richer through the contributions its speakers make to the knowledge of their time. Supporting these contributions means connecting people with ideas and expertise and giving them opportunities to collaborate. This is what we continue to pursue through the BilAraby initiative.”
In his talk ‘Don’t Undervalue Yourself’, Issam Hijazi, Founder and CEO of social media platform UpScrolled, shared his experience of building a platform that gives users greater control over the content they follow. He explained how displaying posts in chronological order reflects his vision of a digital space where people can share their stories, saying: “At first, I was trying to find myself somewhere else. Today, I believe courage means building a place that reflects who we are.”
Mediation expert Zahra’ Langhi emphasized the importance of grounding peace efforts in an understanding of conflict-affected communities and listening to their experiences. In her talk, titled ‘Who Tells the Story of Peace?’, she drew on her work in Yemen to describe the experiences of mothers of abductees and their role in prisoner exchanges. She highlighted the value of trust and an understanding of the local context in rebuilding relationships and healing the emotional wounds left by conflict.
In a talk on ‘What They Don’t Tell You About Billion-Dollar Companies’, Hamad Mubarak Al-Hajri, Founder and CEO of Snoonu, described how a letter terminating his employment became the starting point for his business. He recounted how he navigated a funding crisis with the support of team members who agreed to accept pay cuts in exchange for equity in the company. He linked the business’s success to trust, shared responsibility, and loyalty to those who stood by him during its most difficult stages.
At the BilAraby Open Translation Project workshop, Dr. Anwar Dafa-Alla, Adviser to the BilAraby initiative, highlighted the role of volunteers in bringing Arabic content to new audiences in different languages. Meanwhile, Musab Masri, a multimedia supervisor and translator, shared his experience of translating texts that include poetry, explaining how meaning and fluency are prioritized while balancing the eloquence of the original text with clarity in the target language.
Workshop participants exchanged experiences in translation and review, and discussed developing the project’s style guide and continuing work on its glossary. A ‘Translation Buddy’ program was also proposed, through which experienced translators would mentor newcomers to support the quality of the work and sustained participation in the project.
The final-day program included ‘Lead in His Footsteps (Peace Be Upon Him): An Interactive Simulation of Prophetic Leadership’, presented by QF’s QIYADA conference, and ‘Read to Me’, a session on advancing Arabic-language education presented by the Queen Rania Foundation for Education and Development.
The gathering also hosted the ‘Initiative Accelerator Lab’, presented by Al Sharq Forum, which focused on moving from ideas to action.
Nour Awamleh, Senior Projects Officer, Queen Rania Foundation for Education and Development, said: “We are proud that the Queen Rania Foundation is taking part in the BilAraby Annual Gathering in Qatar. It provides an important space to highlight Arabic as a cornerstone of our identity and culture and a means of learning, sharing knowledge, and connecting generations.
“We participated through our ‘Read to Me’ program, which encourages parents to read with their children from birth. We share a priority with Qatar Foundation: to strengthen the presence of Arabic and equip every Arab child with the language skills they need to learn and succeed.”
On the role of the media in serving the Arabic language, Ali Issa, Official Spokesperson for Qatar Media Corporation, said: “Our media partnership with the BilAraby Annual Gathering reflects Qatar Media Corporation’s commitment to initiatives that strengthen the presence of Arabic in the media, broaden its use, and develop tools that support it across fields of knowledge and professional practice.
“The Media Encyclopedia forms part of these efforts. It is a knowledge project that documents media concepts and terminology in Arabic and presents them within an academic framework, providing a specialized reference for media professionals, researchers, and others interested in the field.
“Qatar Media Corporation is committed to supporting initiatives that enrich Arabic media content and serve the Arabic language. Taking part in the gathering as a media partner allows us to engage with the public and introduce our media and knowledge initiatives.
“These efforts also include on-the-ground participation in and media coverage of relevant initiatives, helping establish the use of Arabic media terminology and develop Arabic content that keeps pace with advances in knowledge and professional practice.”
A video presentation highlighted the ‘BilArabyFee…’ events in Damascus, Amman, and Djerba, alongside an invitation to those interested in hosting the event in their own cities.
These events enable local and regional partners to showcase ideas and experiences from their communities as part of the initiative’s year-round efforts to foster dialogue and knowledge exchange in Arabic. The gathering concluded with a ceremony recognizing its partners such as: " Ministry of Sports and Youth, Qatar Media Corporation, HBKU, QatarDebate, Qur'anic Botanic Garden, QIYADA, Siraj, AlSharq Forum, Fadaat Media, Queen Rania Foundation for Education and Development, Cambridge University Press and Assessment, Qatar Reads, and Sout Media sponsored by Qatar Airways and Visit Qatar".
