Swedish Radio Launches Program in Arabic

Nazra Aqrab is the name of a new podcast produced by the national public radio, which the Swedish people are required to fund. The name means to take a closer look at something, and the podcast is justified by noting that Arabic is now the second largest language in Sweden.

According to Sveriges Radio, the podcast is aimed at Arabic speakers in Sweden who want to better understand Swedish society.

“We want to give a closer look to our Arabic-speaking listeners here in Sweden about what’s happening, why it’s happening, and the consequences of what’s taking place,” said the podcast’s host Firas Jonblat.

Jonblat has previous experience from several sections at Sveriges Radio, including Ekot’s Arabic desk. He has also been a summer correspondent in the Middle East from 2020 to 2022.

“Nazra Aqrab is rooted in current social issues and topics dominating the news flow, but goes beyond quick news flashes. I hope the podcast will become a wise companion in everyday life for our Arabic-speaking audience,” he says.

Although the primary audience is immigrants in Sweden, Jonblat says that Sweden has also been a hot topic in the Middle East, so they expect listeners from there as well.

The episodes are eight minutes long and released every weekday at 4 p.m.

Disinformation

“Politics, society, economy—we are in an election year, so much about the election will also impact our audience, and there will be different topics covered in the podcast.”

One topic Jonblat says he is especially interested in is disinformation that Sweden has been subjected to from Muslim and Arab countries.

Jamal El-Haj

Strengthening the status of the Arabic language is something state radio shares with Jamal El-Haj. He was for a long time a highly positioned Social Democrat, but his participation in a conference in Malmö in spring 2023 with connections to the terrorist group Hamas marked the beginning of his downfall.

In a motion that El-Haj submitted to the Constitutional Committee in September last year, he called for Parliament to recognize Arabic as one of the most important minority languages in Sweden, with a clear place in education, research, and society at large.

The motion also advocates promoting and developing instruction in Arabic at all levels, from primary school to university. This is claimed to strengthen integration, cultural exchange, and international competence.