Undergrad Uni Zeinab Mukhtar joins teammates to win the U.S. Universities Arabic Debating Championship

Zeinab Mukhtar (center) and team mates at U.S. Universities Arabic Debate Championship

Undergraduate University Scholar Zeinab Mukhtar (Class of 2025) joined fellow Blue Devils on the Arabic Debate Team in triumphing in the U.S. Universities Arabic Debating Championship held at Stanford University in October.  The team defeated the Islamic University of Minnesota, Yale University, and Harvard University on their way to their first place win.  From the Duke Office on Global Affairs story:

“This year’s Duke Arabic Team was comprised of Majed Al Munefi, Saad Lahrichi, Danah Younis and Zeinab Mukhtar. The team was coached by Maha Houssami, lecturer of Arabic languages and interim Arabic program coordinator in the Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies.

‘As a team, we came from different backgrounds and experiences, which is an excellent indicator of a successful team. Danah and I have debating experience, while Zeinab and Saad have strong foundations in political and economic topics. This combination made a fantastic mix that made our preparations strong,’ said Majed Al Munefi, captain of the team who also won the best first Arabic language speaker at the competition.”

In defeating Harvard, Duke’s team debated following topic:  “This Council believes that the fight against climate change should include international action against sovereign states that allow environmental violations to act directly or negligently.”