By contributing to this long-term project concerning the Khalili Arabic, one of the most commonly spoken Palestinian dialects of Colloquial Arabic, you are not only advancing scholarship but also helping to create rare opportunities for paid intellectual work for women with higher education degrees who are their native speakers.

Click ‘read story’ / scroll down to learn more.

Context

If hosted by Muslim friends in towns and villages of the rural areas of the West Bank, you will come across hosts that are deeply fond of and familiar with stories of the Bible, devotedly cherish biblical figures, and have Arabic translations of the Hebrew Bible (التوراة) and New Testament (الانجيل), whose volumes are shown the same reverence as the Qurʾān (القرآن).

Aim

My project explores this phenomenon in partnership with such Muslim readers of al-Khalil (Hebron) in the southern Palestine. Through their Traditional Knowledge we are gaining insights never achievable at scholarly desks.

Method

To this end, a trusted and closely befriended group of five siblings from one of the Khalīlī clans transcribe selected manuscripts of the pre-modern Arabic Bible, the fruit of Jewish and Christian Arab scholarship, uninfluenced by modern Western missionaries, and then render the transcribed text into their own rural Khalīlī dialect, exemplifying a popular reading of the biblical text. The rendition is subsequently translated by me into English with relevant annotations.

Alongside the research focused work, we are also developing didactic materials in Khalili Arabic for non-Arabic native speakers with the goal of launching an online course of Arabic. This will not only allow non-native speakers to learn an authentic Arabic dialect, but will also create online teaching jobs for Khalili women with higher education. Such jobs will be culturally, religiously, and socially appropriate.

Progress as of summer 2026

[1] The Book of Genesis:

100% transcription (c. 20,400 words) = Ch. 1-50

100% dialect rendition (c. 26,000 words) = Ch. 1-50

completed thanks to, among others, a British Academy Talent Development Award (£9,889) and the Department of Near Eastern Studies at Cornell University ($5,000)

[2] The Gospel according to Matthew:

100% transcription (c. 12,000 words) = Ch. 1-28

100% dialect rendition (c. 15,000 words) = Ch. 1-28

completed thanks to, among others, a University of Aberdeen Pump Prime Research Funding (£10,062), University of Aberdeen Impact & Engagement Accelerator Funds (c. £6,000).

[3] Khalili Arabic course

Grammar paradigms of verb inflection: in progress

Introductory lessons: in progess

This work has been initiated thanks to funding from the Al Tajir Trust (£3,000) and the University of Aberdeen Knowledge Exchange and Innovation Fund (£5,000).

Goals: summer 2026

[1] to review the transcriptions and dialect renditions towards preparing two volume proposals for the series Cambridge Semitic Languages and Cultures

[2] to annotate the transcribed texts with parallel Qurʾānic passages

[3] to continue developing further learning materials for an online course in Khalili Arabic

Institutional Funding & Public Fundraising

Combining institutional research funding with public fundraising is still not very common, but this pairing has grown in popularity as the 'crowdfunding' model of fundraising has become mainstream. It actually has a famous British precedent. It is thanks to the Public that the British Museum was able to acquire the Codex Sinaiticus (one of the oldest manuscripts of the nearly complete Bible) from the Soviet Union in the thirties. Thus, one of the greatest cultural treasures of human civilization had been preserved from destruction or disappearance in the hands of private collectors. Free of charge, you can see it today in person in the Treasures Gallery in the British Library or online here. For details about this fascinating story see here.

Contact

For any questions, feel free to get in touch with me at my institutional email address (jakub.zbrzezny@abdn.ac.uk) or give me a call at my work number (+44 1224 272385). You will find my academic profile here.

You are also very welcome to join the mailing list of this project if you are interested in following how it develops. To opt in (or later opt out), simply drop me a message at the email address given above.

If you are interested in offering a major contribution towards our project, please let me know, and I will connect you with an appropriate Development Officer of the University of Aberdeen, who will guide you on official fundraising channels of our University.

Notes

[1] This research project does not serve any political or religious agenda. None of its participants is involved in any form of "activism". The only aim of this project is to advance scholarship. Its indirect impact beyond academe pertains to contributing towards the preservation and appreciation of rural dialects of Arabic and other languages (like Scots or Gaelic). It also creates meaningful and safe job opportunities in the area of an extremely high unemployment, particularly among young educated women (as four out of our five project partners).

[2] In order to avoid a situation in which a conflict of interest or power imbalance arises in relation to this campaign, I kindly request that University of Aberdeen students or staff members who wish to contribute to this project do so without providing their name in the relevant box after clicking ‘Give now’.

[3] As a full-time employee (lecturer) at the University of Aberdeen I receive a regular salary from my institution. Grants or philanthropic donations related to this and other research projects that I lead do not add to my personal income, but allow the University of Aberdeen to contract approved suppliers who provide professional services (such as translation or language and culture consultancy) for my projects or to employ research assistants.

[4] I continue searching and applying for further institutional funding and updates will be posted on this page. Note, however, that academic funding bodies usually need at least six months to consider all applications submitted to particular calls; timescales for larger grants are even longer.

[5] In the unlikely event of the outbreak of a new war in the Middle East that would prevent our Project Partners from being able to work safely, the funds will be put on hold until the situation enables the resumption of work. Further, if for any reason I become incapable of leading the project, arrangements will be made for fulfilling the original purpose of the funds.

[6] On a more positive note: if you were wondering about the image with the Arabic text used above, it is a snippet from the manuscript with the siglum "Arabe 1", which is held today in the Bibliothèque nationale de France in Paris. The snippet shows the initial verses of the Book of Genesis (can you find the word Light?). This manuscript is used in our project. It has a fascinating history – you can read about it in Ronny Vollandt’s ‘Arabic versions of the Pentateuch: a comparative study of Jewish, Christian, and Muslim sources’ (2015), which you will find in good academic libraries. You can access the manuscript here (public domain).

[7] Finally, if you were also wondering about the photographs, these are all by me - the selfie taken in the Old City in Jerusalem / al-Quds, and the sunsets photographed from the hills around Ramallah, originally an Arab Christian town and today a mixed Muslim-Christian city. Many thanks to my brother Rafal Zbrzeżny for making the top collage - something beyond my skills! Now, can you guess where the last photo given below was taken? Here are two hints for you. Firstly, it is also not far from Ramallah and the shadows of me and one of my Project Partners are cast towards Jordan - almost in a straight line to Amman. Secondly, you can see the ruins of a Byzantine church, where Christians, often assisted by a Muslim butcher, offer to God thanksgiving animal sacrifices until today. It is a wonderful example of local grassroots interfaith dialogue - and action.