Rabat- The US Army is keen on having its soldiers study Moroccan culture and the Arabic dialect Darija, reports the daily newspaper Al Akhbar.
The army made a request to Moroccan authorities to help teach its personnel Moroccan culture and language.
The US military institutions requested information regarding the cost and the teaching program. If the plan is carried out, American soldiers will start learning Darija in Rabat.
The Arabic speaking daily reported that US Marine Corps has shown interest in incorporating teaching Darija into the curricula of its personnel.
Moroccan Darija is not currently part of the curricula of the California based the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center (DLIFLC), the US military’s main language learning facility. The Arabic dialects taught in the center are Egyptian, Iraqi, Levantine, and Sudanese.
The US Army may have an increased interest in its soldiers learning Darija as the two countries stage annual military maneuvers in the “African Lion” joint military exercises, most recently carried out in April in southern Morocco.
