Here's why:
* Number of speakers: Arabic has over 420 million native speakers, making it the fifth most spoken language globally.
* Geographical spread: It is spoken across the Middle East, North Africa, and parts of the Horn of Africa.
* Official language status: Arabic is the official language of over 20 countries.
While other Afro-Asiatic languages like Hausa, Amharic, and Somali have significant numbers of speakers, they don't reach the global reach and influence of Arabic.