Associated Press - July 18, 2008 4:35 PM ET

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) - The University of Oklahoma's Arabic language program has received a $1.3 million national security education grant that will pay for scholarships and new faculty.

Mohammad T. Alhawary came to Norman in fall 2001 to start the program, which has attracted increasing interest in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. He has been the sole full-time professor.

OU President David Boren said the selection process for this type of grant is extremely competitive.

These grants provide money for institutions and students to study world regions and languages critical to U.S. interests.

Arabic is 1 of the six official languages of the United Nations. It is spoken by at least 300 million people in more than 20 Arab countries.

Information from: The Norman Transcript, http://www.normantranscript.com

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