Younes Cheddadi: I Am Trying to Correct the Image of Arab Countries among Americans

In the new episode of Nayda in Hollywood, Simo Benbachir welcomed Younes Cheddadi, a native of Asilah who teaches Arabic at American universities.

In his meeting with Simo, Younes Cheddadi spoke of his childhood in Asilah, a city that has given birth to many writers, poets and artists, just as he spoke of his family’s interest in science and education, thus contributing to the development of his personality.

Younes Cheddadi moved to the United States in 2005, where he first lived in Orlando, Florida, and then in San Diego, where he now teaches at its universities, adding that he became involved in the profession after writing a series of books in Arabic that San Diego State University enrolled in its teaching programs, before hiring him as a teacher and the University of California did the same.

During this program, Younes Cheddadi explained that he tries, through his Arabic language courses, to integrate aspects of Arab culture and civilization in order to correct the perception and stereotypes conveyed by the American vision of Arabic-speaking countries.

He also mentioned the cultural exchange program he was leading for the U.S. Department of State. This program allowed American participants to benefit from eight weeks of intensive study of the Arabic language in Morocco and to stay with Moroccan families in order to better familiarize themselves with the Moroccan culture and customs, as well as to travel to certain cities and attend numerous conferences on topics of common interest, such as the history of American-Moroccan relations, thus allowing them to return home with cultural and linguistic knowledge, and better equipped to serve as Moroccan ambassadors to the United States.

In his interview with Simo, Younes Cheddadi mentioned the Asilah Association for Cultural Exchanges in Morocco, which he had founded based on his experience in America, in order to attract students interested in studying Arabic while contributing to the economic and tourism development of the small town of Asilah.

And in response to a question from Simo about American students’ interest in the Arabic courses he offers, he said, “There is a significant demand from American students of Arab origin in addition to Americans interested in Middle East issues and engineering students wishing to work in the Gulf countries, in addition to specialties related to diplomacy. »

As for his advice to those who want to succeed in the United States, Younes Cheddadi urged them to focus on work, because nothing comes by chance. You need to be clear about your goals and surround yourself with positive people.