ABSTRACT
Arabic is the official language in several countries in the Middle East and North Africa. Arab societies generally face widespread poverty and unemployment, high rates of illiteracy, tyrant regimes, and freedom oppression. Parts of the Arab World are mired in bloody conflicts and wars which prevent economic growth and social justice. Arab countries are either occupied by foreign forces, or subject to significant Western influence, and in other cases interference with their affairs in various fields. The chapter provides a brief description of the field of language education policy, followed by a detailed description of internal and external challenges facing the Arabic language, and the policy towards Arabic in the Arab World, and examines the strategies of facing the challenges. The two major internal challenges facing the Arabic language are diglossia and modernization. The challenges facing the Arabic language include contact with other languages, especially the languages of colonization which have affected Arabic; the effects of globalization; and new technologies.
