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Media Arabic Booster 04/24
This month (04/24) in Media Arabic Booster: The expression بَعيد الْمَنالِ and a translation of an article discussing why Sudan had suspended “al-Arabiya”
A close look at a headline
al-Sharq al-Awsat: The expression بَعيد الْمَنالِ
The terrible situation in Gaza is a daily topic on the front pages of most Arab newspapers. In the title of this headline, I noticed a phrase that is worth knowing:
200 يوم… غزة تنتظر «هدنة بعيدة المنال»
200 days… Gaza awaits an elusive truce
The phrase بعيد المنال – what does it mean? Let's analyze it.
The word مَنالٌ means achievement; obtaining. It is the مصدر ميميّ of I-verb نالَ – يَنالُ which means to get; to receive; to achieve; to obtain.
- The expression بَعيدُ المَنالِ can be translated as unattainable; intangible; far from reality. You could also say صَعْبُ الْمَنالِ or عَسِيرُ الْمَنالِ which basically also means unattainable; unavailable.
- If you want to express the opposite, you can say قَرِيبُ الْمَنالِ or سَهْلُ الْمَنالِ which translates as easy to reach, achievable.
Some nerd stuff:
- The root ت-ي-ل and thus the I-verb نالَ – يَنالُ means to obtain; to receive.
- The root ن-و-ل and thus the I-verb نالَ – يَنُولُ means to give. From this root, you may know the VI-verb تَناوَلَ – تَناوَلَ which means to eat (also: to deal with).
- Manaal (مَنال) is also a female given name which means attainment; achievement; gaining. It is a diptote (مَمْنُوع مِن الصَّرْف).
Vocabulary list
Translation of an article
al-Arab newspaper (London): “Sudan sends messages to Saudi Arabia and the UAE…”
Notice: Al Arabiya TV and Al Hadath TV said on April 23, 2024, that Sudanese authorities have allowed them to reopen their offices (see press release).
Let's examine a large section of the article more closely.
قررت وزارة الثقافة والإعلام السودانية إيقاف عمل قنوات العربية والحدث وسكاي نيوز عربية في البلاد، بـسبب “عدم التزامها بالمهنية المطلوبة والشفافية وعدم تجديد تراخيصها“، في خطوة تعكس موقف مجلس السيادة السوداني من السعودية والإمارات اللتين يريد رئيس مجلس السيادة السوداني عبدالفتاح البرهان إيصال رسائل لهما عبر إيقاف القنوات التي تمثل وجهة النظر الرسمية لهما.
The Sudanese Ministry of Culture and Information decided to suspend the work of the Al-Arabiya, Al-Hadath and Sky News Arabia channels in the country due to “their failure to abide by the required professionalism and transparency and failure to renew their permits.” This move reflects the position of the Sudanese Sovereignty Council towards Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The Chairman of the Sudanese Sovereignty Council, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, is seeking to deliver messages to the two countries by banning channels that reflect their official point of view. (…)
ويعتبر القرار السوداني مفاجئا بالنسبة إلى قناتي العربية والحدث لأنهما لا تساندان في خطابهما قوات الدعم السريع، وتشير تغطيتهما إلى موقف أقرب للجيش منه للدعم السريع، فيما ذكرت مصادر مطلعة أن الجيش يريد تغطية أكثر انحيازا له، كما أنه يريد مكاسب أخرى من السعودية وربما دعما ماليا وعسكريا نظير عدم تلبية الطلب الإيراني بإقامة قاعدة عسكرية.
The Sudanese decision comes as a surprise to both Al-Arabiya and Al-Hadath channels because (their discourse does not support the Rapid Support Forces and their coverage rather indicates a position closer to the army than to the Rapid Support Forces. Meanwhile, well-informed sources said that the army wants (aspires for) coverage that is more supportive/favorable of the army in addition to seeking other gains from Saudi Arabia, possibly even financial and military support as a result of not meeting the Iranian request of establishing a military base [in Sudan]. (…)
ويأتي إيقاف قناتي العربية والحدث السعوديتين كورقة ضغط سياسي على الرياض وبعث رسالة مفادها أن الدعم الخطابي لا يفي بالغرض، وأن صد المساعي الإيرانية يستوجب تعويضا عسكريا أو ماليا وذلك رغم أن مدينة جدة سبق أن استضافت المفاوضات السودانية بين طرفي الحرب ولم تنجح النتائج في التوصل الى اتفاق لإنهاء القتال.
The ban on the Al-Arabiya and Al-Hadath Saudi channels comes as (constitutes) a political pressure card being used against Al-Riyadh and a message indicating that verbal/rhetorical support is not enough and that the deterrence of the Iranian efforts calls for military or financial compensation. The city of Jeddah had previously hosted the Sudanese talks (negotiations) between the two conflicting parties, but this did not result in an agreement to end the fighting. (…)
ويحيل إيقاف قناة سكاي عربية إلى موقف الخرطوم من أبوظبي واتهاماتها التي تفتقد للأدلة بدعم قوات الدعم السريع، إذ تحشد قيادات الحركة الإسلامية داخل الجيش ضد دولة الإمارات مؤخرا، بعد مزاعم ساقها عضو مجلس السيادة ومساعد البرهان الفريق ياسر عطا في أواخر نوفمبر الماضي وقال فيها إن “الإمارات تدعم قوات الدعم السريع”.
The ban on Sky News Arabia refers to (~is aligned with) Khartoum's position on Abu Dhabi and the accusations – which are not based on any proof – that Abu Dhabi is supporting the Rapid Support Forces. Thus, the leaders of the Islamic Movement have been inciting against the UAE recently in light of claims voiced by the member of the Sovereignty Council and Al-Burhan's assistant, Gen. Yasser Atta, last November when he said that the UAE is supporting the Rapid Support Forces.
ولم يقدم البرهان ولا مساعدوه دليلا على مزاعمهم، والتي رأتها دوائر سوادنية وسيلة لتبرير إخفاقات الجيش، وأداة لصرف الأنظار عن حقيقة ما يعتمل داخل المؤسسة العسكرية من سيطرة كبيرة فرضتها فلول النظام السابق على تحركات البرهان السياسية.
Al-Burhan and his aides failed to provide any proof to support their claims. Sudanese circles viewed these claims as a means to justify the army's failure and a tool to divert people's attention away from what was really going on inside the military institution in terms of the major control imposed by the remnants of the former regime on Al-Burhan's political actions. (…)
ويخشى مراقبون من أن يتحول السودان إلى بؤرة معتمة إخباريا ومسرحا لانتشار الأخبار الكاذبة والمضللة، وذلك بعد خروج الصحافيين الأجانب وتوقف بث التلفزيون والإذاعة الحكومييْن مع بدء اندلاع المعارك وعدم انتظام بثهما بعد ذلك.
Observers are worried that Sudan could turn into an obscure region media-wise and an arena for the proliferation of fake news as the foreign journalists have left the country and as the state TV and radio stopped broadcasting upon the launching of the battles and suffered from irregular broadcasting after that. (…)
Vocabulary list
DEEP DIVE Fuloul (فُلُولٌ): origin, meaning and the proverb لا يَفُلُّ الْحَدِيدَ إِلَّا الْحَدِيدُ
The origin of the word فَلٌّ (plural: فُلُولٌ) means the notch/dullness in a sword, and perhaps more correctly, the notch or dullness in anything.
So the expression فُلُولُ السَّيْفِ denote the remnants of the sword, which are the fractures in the edge of the sword.
The word appears in ancient Arabic poetry and proverbs, including the well-known saying: لا يَفُلُّ الْحَدِيدَ إِلَّا الْحَدِيدُ. It literally means: Iron can only be dulled by iron. This Arabic proverb can be applied in many situations, mainly to indicate that when faced with a particular situation, what is needed are qualities appropriate to that situation – often where in English one would say to set a thief to catch a thief, but it can also work in the sense of fighting fire with fire. For example: A clever but mean man uses his influence to harm the people of a village; then the harmed turn to another man who is equal to the other. In Arabic, however, it can also be used to give people a warning, in the sense of “If you do that, you will be fighting fire with fire….”.
So why is this word now being used politically? The word “Fuloul” (~ remnants) is used today to refer to remnants of a previous regime (politicians, civil servants, military officers).
The term Fuloul (فُلُولٌ) became popular in Egypt soon after the fall of Mohamed Hosni Mubarak's regime in 2011, with media outlets referring to his regime, especially members of the National Democratic Party (NDP), which was ordered to disband and hand over its headquarters.
Media Arabic Booster 03/24
This month (03/24) in Media Arabic Booster: The verb تَلَأْلَأَ and a translation of an article on five political trends in Jordan (al-Ghad)
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- Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/23/world/middleeast/truce-cease-fire-and-armistice-the-legal-nuances.html ↩︎
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