STANDARD ARABIC
Your generosity is helping to broadcast Guidelines devotionals in Classical Arabic, sharing the hope of Jesus in the Middle East.
Language Stats
Number of Speakers
220 million people
Where It's Spoken
As a secondary language in Syria, Iraq, Egypt, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen
Standard Arabic – An Overview
Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) is standardized, literary Arabic developed in the 19th and 20th centuries that is used in schools, written law, mass media, and publications throughout the Arab world. It is at least partially mutually intelligible across spoken Arabic languages.
When all speakers of the various forms of Arabic are considered, Arabic is the 5th most spoken language in the world. That makes Standard Arabic a very important linguistic tool, especially among Muslims, even if it is not as tailored as each distinct language spoken in the Arab world.
See also the Masri Arabic language entry for details on the most widely spoken modern form of Arabic.
Story of Impact
Khaled* from Libya listened to the programs and reached out to the Christian station as he wanted to learn more about Jesus and the Christian faith. He learned that God loves him and made a great sacrifice for him, and he accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior.
He began talking with his university friends about God’s love and about Jesus. Soon afterward, he began receiving daily threats by phone. He had to destroy his sim card and change his Facebook account multiple times to avoid these threats. He prays for God’s protection every day.