Ang Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) ay ang pinakabagong anyo ng lengwaheng Arabic, na syang ginagamit sa pagsusulat at pormal na okasyon. Ito ay hanggo sa sinaaunang Arabic, ngunit maraming pagkakaiba sa dalawang anyo. Maraming bagay ang napagbuti sa pamamaraan ng Arabic, lalo na sa larangan ng talasalitaan. Ngunit ang katotohanan din ay nariyan na kung saan ang  dalawang anyo ay may parehong lengwahe, halimbawa ay Arabic, sa gayun marami silang pagkakatulad kaysa pagbabago. Lahat ng pagbabago sa Arabic ay isinangguni ng mga Arab bilang al-lugha al-arabiyya al-fuS-Ha o katulad ng al-fuS-Ha or fus-Ha.

Ang MSA ay ginagamit ngayon sa lahat ng pampamahalaan at opisyal na pagpupulong at liham o pag-uusap, na kung saan ang lengwaheng Arabic ang pangkaraniwang ginagamit sa araw-araw na pamumuhay ng mga Arab. Ang pangkaraniwang lengwaheng ginagamit nila ay kalimitang iba sa MSA at hindi rin katulad sa ibang bansa. Ang pambansang lengwahe ng halos lahat ng bansang Arab ay binubuo ng maraming lokal na wika na maaring higit o may kaunting pagkakaiba sa MSA.

Subalit, sa panahon ngayon ang puwang sa pagitan ng pamantayan sa pagsulat at pagsasalita ng wikain ay tila unti-unting nababawasan sa paglipas ng panahon. Sa ngayon walang mahigpit na paghihiwalay sa pagitan ng pagsulat at pagsasalita ng Arabic, sa totoo lang sa ngayon ang sinaunang anyo ng parehong pamantayan ay ginagamit. Pinagsama ng mga Arab ang pangkaraniwang wika at anyo ng pagsulat na nakasalalay sa katayuan at ang nilalaman ng usapan o liham.

Kalimitan ang ang ordinaryong paraan ng pagsasalita ng Arabic ay hindi ginagamit sa pagsusulat sa halip ginagamit nila ang MSA. Ang pangkaraniwang wikang Arabic ay ginagamit lamang sa pahayagan, sa pakikipanayam, aklat o nobela at sa kanilang programa sa telebesyon. Ngunit ang pangunahing tanong dito ay tungkol sa kung ano ba dapat ang kailangan mong matutunan? Pangkaraniwang Wika o MSA?

Madali lamang ang sagot sa tanong na ito. Tulad ng pagkatuto mo sa ibang mga lengwahe kahit hindi mo matutunan ang ugat ng lengwaheng iyon mararamdaman mong hindi mo kayang unawain ang makabagong lengwahe, maraming pagbabago na ang ginawa sa Ingles, mayroon nang iba’t-ibang uri ng diin o punto at talasalitaang salita ganun din ang pagbigkas ng mga ito ay nagkakaiba-iba sa lahat ng bansa, kaya naman kahit matuto ka ng wikang Ingles ay walang halaga kung hindi mo natutunan ang orihinal na anyo nito. Gayundin, matututo ka lamang ng MSA kung mayroon kang kunting nalalaman sa wikang Arabic. Mahirap matutunan ang wikang Arabic at ito ay magbibigay sayo ng sakit ng ulo sa pakikipag-usap sa bawat Arab na iyong makakasalamuha.

Dahil sa ang MSA ay mahalaga bilang malaking lengwahe at dahil na rin sa kanyang gamit sa medya at edukasyon, halos lahat ng Arab ay alam na at ginagamit na ito. Kapag natutuhan mo na ang MSA ay hindi na mahirap sayo na maunawaan ang mga tao na nasa mundo ng mga Arab o sa rehiyon na gumagamit ng wikang Arabic. Ngunit mayroon pa ring mga iilang Arab ang hindi alam ang MSA dahil nahihirapan silang kausapin ka gamit ang MSA, at sa halip ang kanilang pangkaraniwang wika ang kanilang ginagmit. Iyan ang usapin sa ngayon na kung saan isa sa isangdaan Arab ang walang alam sa MSA.

Sa aking palagay, kailangan mong matutunan ang MSA at ang pangkaraniwang wika o kahit isang wika lang nang sa gayun di ka maharap sa suliranin na may kinalaman sa wikang Arabic.

(Can be read in English at http://muslim-academy.com/modern-standard-arabic/)

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The Evening Standard has latched on to the allegations against Masjid-al-Tawhid in Leyton, carrying a report in today's issue titled "Mosque near Olympics site in 'terror link' investigation". The aim of this scaremongering headline, which is based on a quote provided by the mosque's former imam Usama Hasan, is obviously to suggest that the forthcoming Olympic Games face a threat from Masjid-al-Tawhid.

Interestingly, the nature of this supposed "terror link" has changed. According to the Standard, the Charity Commission's investigation, launched in response to a complaint by Usama Hasan, is now "understood to centre on sermons delivered at the mosque between 2004 and 2010 by Haitham al-Haddad, a preacher by whom notorious 'underpants bomber' Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab claims he was influenced". Indeed, to underline this point the report is illustrated with a photo of Abdulmutallab.

Which is rather odd. Because in his interview with the BBC yesterday Usama Hasan made no mention of Haitham al-Haddad. His accusation that Masjid-al-Tawhid was linked to terrorism was based on Anwar al-Awlaki having spoken at the mosque around 2003 and on an attempt by Abu Qatada's supporters to start a study circle there back in 1998. Dr Hasan's summary of his dispute with some of his fellow trustees at Masjid-al-Tawhid, contained in a now deleted blog post, similarly cited the 1998 and 2003 events and raised no objections to Haitham al-Haddad's sermons at the mosque. It is therefore difficult to believe that Usama Hasan's complaint to the Charity Commission would "centre on" this issue.

So what is going on here? Perhaps a clue is to be found in Sunny Hundal's report at Liberal Conspiracy, which includes an update stating that Usama Hasan has withdrawn his complaint to the Charity Commission but his employers at Quilliam "have also asked the CC to investigate". So presumably the objection to Haitham al-Haddad and his sermons originated with Quilliam. They perhaps reasoned that Dr Hasan's charges about the mosque's links to Abu Qatada and Anwar al-Awlaki were so weak that if a complaint to the Charity Commission was to get anywhere it needed beefing up.

However, if we turn to another now deleted blog post by Usama Hasan, we find a statement dated 6 April by himself and his supporters reporting that one of the two "mutually-agreed mediators" in their dispute with the opposing faction among the Masjid-al-Tawhid trustees was none other than "Sheikh Haitham al-Haddad of the Muslim Research & Development Foundation". The statement added that this had been agreed back in September/October 2011 and noted that the Charities Commission had been made aware of the situation.

So, if I'm interpreting this correctly, it appears that Quilliam is now complaining to the Charity Commision on the grounds that the trustees at Masjid-al-Tawhid allowed sermons to be given there by an individual who Quilliam's own Senior Researcher thought was an appropriate person to mediate in a dispute between himself and the trustees opposing him. Would Usama Hasan have have agreed to Haitham al-Haddad performing this role if he seriously believed that Haddad was a man who inspired terrorism?

Hopefully the Charity Commission will treat this malicious nonsense from Usama Hasan and his associates at Quilliam with the contempt it deserves.

Postscript:  Just to add that the allegation about a connection between Haitham al-Haddad and Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab is based on autobiographical notes by Abdulmutallab which were apparently written in 2008. They can be consulted here. As you can see, these notes provide no justification for the accusation that Haddad influenced Abdulmutallab's turn to terrorism.

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