01 December 2004
PLUS Program Helps Close U.S.-Middle East Communication Gap
Program brings students from Muslim countries to study in U.S.
Washington -- When Moroccan student Zineb Gormat came to the United States to study at Juniata College, she feared a chilly reception based on what she knew of America after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon in 2001.
"I thought I would not be able to live in the United States after September 11," Zineb said, because many Moroccans believed America harbored hostility toward them after the Bush administration made the War on Terror a top policy priority.
In fact, she received a warm welcome at the small Pennsylvania college and realized that there is a great lack of understanding and communication on both sides between the United States and the Arab world.
"The media plays a big role in causing these misunderstandings. There is a huge lack of communication," she explained.
Another Moroccan student, Aicha Haki, echoed that assessment by describing how Middle Eastern television never shows regular Americans. "All the people see on television are soldiers, and the soldiers are just killing. They don't see regular Americans," she said.
Zineb and Aicha joined other Middle Eastern students from the State Department's Partnership for Learning Undergraduate Studies (PLUS) program for a November 18 conference, "Meet the Future Leaders of the Middle East," sponsored by the Young Professional Society (YPro) during International Education Week.
The PLUS program is part of a $10 million U.S. government initiative to promote cross-cultural understanding and dialogue with the Muslim world. There are currently 71 undergraduates from 11 Middle Eastern and North African countries participating in the program.
The program selects outstanding students who have completed two years of undergraduate study in their home countries and provides them with full scholarships to enhance their English-language and study skills so they can complete a degree program at an American university. The PLUS students get to know college students at two American universities, first completing the intensive six-month English language course at one school before enrolling as full-time students at another university.
Zineb said she chose to learn English right after September 11 to help correct miscommunications between the Middle East and the West. "My father told me I would be jobless with a major in English," she said. "He said the Americans would not want to talk to us."
But during her time at Juniata College, Zineb has found that many students are interested in learning about Morocco and Islam, and she has made English her major at the college.
Jordanian student Areej Abuqudairi, who is studying international relations at Sweet Briar College, said that misunderstanding is a problem perpetuated by both sides. She said it is "shocking" how inaccurately Americans perceive Muslims and Arabs.
Aicha Haki said that she could not believe what Americans thought about Muslim women. "Americans think that we live in very oppressive cultures. They have trouble distinguishing between culture and religion," she said.
She also explained that she did not wear the hijab (veil) in Morocco but only decided to start wearing it once she came to the United States because "Americans need to understand that the veil is a choice."
Moroccan student Fouad Touzani studies communications and conflict resolution at Juniata College. He was dismayed to find that many Americans only saw Muslims and Arabs as terrorists. He blamed the media for these misperceptions because news networks rarely portray Muslims and Arabs outside of this context.
He also expressed the need for Americans to start learning other languages. "Language is the bridge. In high school they made us learn English," he said. "Americans don't want to study other languages."
Nevertheless, Fouad said, the PLUS initiative is on the right track to promoting awareness between the Middle East and the United States. "The program places us in small towns, because people living there are least familiar with the Middle East. Placing us in big cities would not be beneficial, because there are already Muslims there."
All of the students on the panel said they were looking forward to correcting misperceptions about Americans when they return home to Iraq, Morocco and Jordan.
Iraqi student Kurdo Jamal Othman said, "I am looking forward to going back to Iraq, because the Iraqi people need me there. When I return in 2006 I will have a big message" to tell about the distinction between the American people and their government.
(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
