My name is Melissa. I am a sophomore at Loyola, majoring in International Studies and minoring in Arabic Language and Literature. Since an early age, I have been fascinated with the alphabet and root-system of Arabic. However, it was not until 2012 that I met any Arabic-speakers: a family of Christian refugees in Spain.
For me, the fear of the Arabic language is one of the most surprising aspects of the fear of Islam in the United States. When I tell people that I am studying Arabic, they often ask me about the meaning of the word “Allah.” Many people think that it must have a mysterious and sinister meaning. However, I am able to tell them that “Allah” simply means God in Arabic. Arabic-speaking Christians used it to speak of God before the advent of Islam, and continue to use it to this day.
This summer, I typed up manuscripts of a translation of the New Testament into a Sudanese dialect of Arabic. My knowledge of formal Arabic enabled me to complete this task more quickly and accurately than I have been able to do when typing up manuscripts in languages completely unknown to me. I could interpret the sometimes unclear handwriting. Between my knowledge of Arabic and my familiarity with the meaning of the New Testament, I could remember phrases of the text, which made typing it much faster.
I have also been reading regularly from a formal Arabic translation of the New Testament. This has enhanced my personal devotions because I cannot just skim over a text that I have read and reread so many times. Instead, I must linger over each word.
One of the greatest spiritual benefits to me in studying Arabic is the constant reminder it is to me that God is universal. He knows all languages past, present, and future and wants people of every tongue to know him. According to the New Testament (Acts 2:11), Arabs were among the first to hear the message of Jesus in their own language.
In a time when Muslim minorities in Western countries and Christian minorities in Arab countries suffer discrimination, and sometimes even persecution, I hope to use Arabic to build respect and friendship between Muslims and Christians.