The demand for Arabic speakers in the United States is much higher than the number of speakers. There are also fewer native speakers of Arabic in the United States than other in-demand languages, like Chinese. In 2007, only 40 out of 12,000 FBI agents had Arabic proficiency. This means that an Arabic speaker will find the language a good asset for his career, especially in government agencies.
The U.S. State Department has designated Arabic a language of critical national importance, which means that there are now many incentives open to Arabic speakers and learners of Arabic such as the Critical Language Scholarships to Arabic learners. In 2008, the U.S. Army considered paying Arabic speaking soldiers $150,000 as a bonus as an incentive to stay enlisted.
Arabic culture is very diverse, with a wide variety of poetry, art, music and literature, much of which has yet to be translated into English. Arabs are also friendly, gregarious people and many travelers find that Arabs are very welcoming and genuinely touched that someone would take the trouble to learn their language.
Arabic is the language of Islam, and in order to fully appreciate Islam, learning Arabic is very important. Whether a person is a Muslim hoping to learn more about her own faith or an interested non-Muslim hoping to learn about one of the largest religions in the world, learning Arabic is an essential step.