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Foreign students come to the United States for higher education seeking personal growth and greater opportunities to succeed. As they juggle going to school and adapting to American culture, some find themselves facing another challenge: watching their homeland go through dramatic social changes while they're abroad.
In the wake of the Egyptian revolution, other countries in Africa and the Middle East have sought changes within their governments. While the escalating conflict in Libya continues to dominate the news, the prospect of a civil war in Ivory Coast, and growing unrest in Saudi Arabia are getting less coverage. But young citizens of those countries attending U.S. colleges are paying close attention to events back home.
Students from the Middle East make up a growing number (pdf) of international students coming to Oregon for higher education. One of the big reasons students say they study abroad is to experience another culture.
Kanaan Kanaan helps some students bridge these two different cultures. He is himself an immigrant from Jordan, and he advises Portland State University's Middle East student population. Kanaan strives to show how cultural differences can positively influence his students and the community they live in — a subject he also explores in his artwork.
If you are an international student studying in Oregon, what cultural influences will you take back to your country? Do you have family living in a country going through social upheaval? What would like to know from international students from emerging democracies?
GUESTS:
- Uthman Binhussin: Saudi Arabian student at the University of Oregon, and President of the Saudi Student Association
- Basem Elazzabi: Libyan student studying at the Portland State University
- Michele Oka: Student from the Ivory Coast studying at Oregon Institute of Technology
- Kanaan Kanaan: Artist and Middle East Student Adviser at Portland State University
Tagged as: democracy · international students
Photo credit: Melvin_Es / Creative Commons
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While in my heart I agree with your sentiment to support those fighting for their freedom, practical considerations (given we're already engaged in two wars) make me ask who would pay for it? Regardless whether I'd like to or not, we can't afford to be the world's super hero anymore.
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Perhaps some have noticed that every time we bomb, invade and otherwise facilitate regime change (China and Iran come to mind) the outcome is always quite different than what we desired or hoped to effect by our meddling. While we have no national security issues with either Afghanistan or Iraq yet we invaded anyway and created a human disaster in both places. That is not to mention the hundred thousands of young men coming back wounded in mind and body (and not a few dead). Whose medical care will be on the public account for decades.
Now we are again confronted in Libya with an opportunity for American war lovers, and profiteers to start another Mideast war. The current wars we are fighting (and losing) cost American taxpayers about $2 billion a week. Think what we could do with that annual additional $104 billion spent here on our own needs?
We spend twice as much on our war machine as all other nations combined, but since WWII have NOT WON a single war. Since we seem unable to win a war with all that money and weaponry. I suggest we reduce our military budget to one tenth of of its current total. Surely we can lose just as convincingly on a much smaller scale!
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i must say in this i nearly agree with you - perhaps you share some common ground with me
i wonder though, that you do not question which parties' administrations have led us initially into these wars
nor mention to which parties those who support such wars have gravitated toward?
and yet, the topic today is "students from areas of social change (civil unrest)" in america/oregon
just wondering about your consistency, and how stringently you apply to yourself what you are willing to attack others over?
I may choose to address my own experiences abroad at a later time, keeping in mind that i don't want to sound as if mine was the only acceptable experience one might have had - and of course i want to add right now that i lived there, among the people, learned the language(s), customs, had actual friends among the real people, and had to sign no NDA to do it
call me a communist!
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I suppose we were wrong to stop the genocide in Bosnia? Clinton stepped up to the plate to protect human life (he failed in Rwanda). If Gadafy wins blood will flow>>>I guess our "ideals" are just hollow words. Obama has no spine, one would think that libs would be in favor of removing dictators who are supported by big oil companies>> seems to be some confusion amoung the libs on what should be done This is not surprising because libs lack real conviction or idealogical certitude, freedom is only sometimes a worthy goal for them. A STRONGLY WORDED RESPONSE IS JUST WORDS.
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The certainty of an ideology is not the issue, it is the quality of the ideology that is the issue. If liberals, or anyone else for that matter, are not certain if they want to enter into wars it is because war is an evil. And, many want to be certain that when they do enter into war, it can rightly be called the lesser of two evils, rather then being the greater of two evils.
It would be fair to say that freedom is often a relative concern for many of us. For example, religions have freedom, but their freedoms are tied to and sometimes restricted by other laws. And, really, laws and governments are themselves necessary to keep our freedoms in check, to keep our freedoms from conflicting with the freedoms of others.
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and yet no comment on the topic?Oh all right then-DF - why would you write your statement, above? Don't you hate Pres. Clinton? nice of you to finally give credit where due - As I recall, it was more the repub. party which hamstrung his efforts - anyone?...
why would anyone suppose our attempts (i speak as if for the nation) in that war were futile? such confusion!
And the repub's did even more to counter efforts in Rwanda, No? was newt out leading the charge to intervene? he was not!
where were you then?
It seems some would condemn Clinton/Obama for doing nothing, and at the same time condemn them for doing anything- what a strategy!
since we're on the topic of 'Spine" - where was W's spine, in standing up to usurpation within his own admin.- barely his own president, as he talked like a cowpoke and toddled us along a path of increasing ruin, internal and abroad
what i find disturbing, terrifying really, is that some of the rhetoric and misinformation and lies bandied about by a few here are the same sort of thing which led to the dissolution of an already unstable situation in Yugoslavia - some of what is quoted here and put forward is just the sort of anti-social thought which led to the blood-bath there - and yet you don't see that potential here? you are certainly participating in the same sort of escalation and unreasonable shouting about things - i not here out-shout you, but to shout you down, if necessary, in order to demonstrate the foolishness of your proposals - if you take that as an attack on your personal right to foolishness, that is your mistake, not my intent - you can be as much a fool as you can get away with -
look around at some of the institutionalized hatred between races, ethnicities, religions, political parties, et al in our own backyard
folks who'd rather club you, call you insane, kill you, rather than reason with you - from bankers to gangsters, and not much space between them
this is why i find you, Deafened, you G, you J, and occasionally others, notably Despoiled recently, so troubling
think about that before you try more of your Stalinist gulag mental hospital techniques and hate speech on anyone, eh?
for your final words D,- i point you toward your own 'apology' offered earlier - whose words actually carry more weight, i wonder? A strong condemnation broadcast to the world - or apologies no one outside of 15 persons at most might know of?
I'd like to give you the benefit of doubt, but in context with so many of your other statements, i can't see it
but...
¿MAYBE ALL OF US NEED TO TAKE MORE CARE WITH OUR WORDS?
i certainly try, and have been rewarded with being called pedantic - lucky me! so many already used to twitter-as if 140 char's were an aphorism!
still, no one has presented reason when called upon, to support with their original and outrageous claims - this is most telling-
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Working in Iran (1966-69) my organization was involved in both the Shah's White Revolution and the activities of American Peace Corps volunteers. Young people from both orgs often worked together in the same villages on the same projects. In that way I came to know quite a lot about the social changes taking place in Iran and some thing of the politics as well. A majority of Iranian students studying in the US at that time were here courtesy of the regime's foreign studies program. It was open to all students and grants were awarded on the basis of scholastic merit.
While oin home leave in the DC area in the mid 1970s, I recall vividly getting caught in a demonstration of Iranian students in the main streets of Georgetown. They were carrying placards in English condemning the Shah's govt (on whose grants they were studying) and of course, the CIA. There must have been several hundred of these young people-boys and girls- in that parade and all shouting abuse at the Shah and at OUR Govt, as well. They got their wish.
The Shah was replaced as we withdrew support, and I suspect that if any of those US educated youngsters did go back to their New Iran they didn't stay around longer than they had to. They were most decidedly NOT religiously inclined.
I take issue with the idea that most foreign students from counrties with repressive regimes, and that is most, come here to learn anything but what is in the text books. It is one more conceit of Americans to believe that we are still the most adored and respected nation on planet Earth. That students from, say, the Mideast can't wait to get home and try to make over their own nations as replicas of America. They DO read and understand English and know better, or as well as most informed Americans just how miserably we are failing at almost eveything we undertake. They see the corruption in our Govt; they know that they are here witnessing the greatest shift in wealth the world has ever witnessed. In fact, what they see IS the near total failure of American styled democracy. They may take home ideas BUT I doubt they are the ones you would like to see them learning.
Being usually polite they will say to Americans interested enough to question them, exactly what the questioner wants to hear. But I KNOW that most foreign students secretly think we are colossal fools. They see the squandering of our wealth on wars that have no purpose. Our openess which we pride ouselves on is to most foreign students the symptom of a people who have no culture, nor fixed beliefs to guide them.
Given our failures here and abroad, I would like to think we are becoming wise enough to leave the ideas these people bring with them in-tact when they leave us.
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...and yet, the Shah was corrupt, we supported the shah, against the wishes of the greater portion of the population
what happened afterward does not excuse this -
so... would you urge them not to bite the hand ... which offers them poison...?
is that admirable?
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Once more yopu don't know what you are talking about. Our Zionist controlled media never told the real story behind the Shah's ouster.
Three mistakes: Number One. The Shah was determined to break the lock of the clergy on the people. He felt they were holding back the development of a more Western styled society. He announced plans to begin taxing all the property owned by the mullahs attached to the various religious schools and mosques. Everything they owned but the schools and mosques and income there from would be taxed just as all other income and property were taxed. So, this angered the clergy.
Second; he decided to break up the huge land holding of the aristocrats, and pass ownership to the villagers who worked the land. It was a fuedal system in Iran not unlike that of old Russia before the surfs were freed. The Shah actually started the break up of large estates before I left there in mid 1969.
The final nail in his coffin was allowing the US military to expand it's presence in the country; mainly building, expanding airfields and constructing a huge military depot for regional use. The number of US military running round the country increased several fold and, naturally, this did not set well with most Iranians.Who had a natural distrust of the US since the coup of 1952.
These moves of the Shah had the effect of building a coalition of all those advertsely affected by these initiatives.
Iran of the 1960s was becoming prosperous and most people I had contact with in my work were happy enough with the progress the nation was making. Did he kill a few people? Torture a few? No doubt. So do we, and many more than the Shah and with far less reason.
Keep in mind, Iran consists of both Shia and Sunni, Bahai believers, Zoroastrians, Assyrian Christians, Armenian Christians, plus Arabs, Kurds, Turkish tribes, Turkmen, Baluchis, Sis, and several other smaller tribal groups. Lots of multi-culturalism. But, very tough to hold together.
No one at the time thought the Shah was any tougher than he had to be to hold that mish-mash of a state together. As things are going along here, it won't be long before OUR own Govt will have trouble holding our nation together.
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which completely discredits you except in the eyes of the ummmm...NUT-CASES and those who would defend ummm... HITLER, MUSSOLINI, LEX LUTHER, the ROMULANS and the GRINCH WHO STOLE XMAS -- Iolo — Fri March 11th 2:23p.m.
You forgot Voldemort....
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really - how could i have forgotten the 'dark lord' - ??
; )
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Who is the most famous Oregon Immigrant College Student known nationally?
Ans: Mohamed Osman Mohamud, a Somali-born, 19 year-old student from Oregon State University. He was enrolled in the competitive engineering program, alllegedly was involved in drugged date rapes, and attempted to detonate a 400 lb bomb in Pioneer Square on the start of this past Christmas Season. A dozen FBI agents are currently researching his life full time.
Some foreign students enroll with an intent to destroy American society from the inside. Witness Khalid Sheik Muhummed, earnest student at North Carolina A & T, and subsequent mastermind of 9/11.
Oregonians tend to see the best in people. And tolerance is extended to all. That is why Oregon was the only state to host an Al Queda Cell. It invovlved gun training, explosive training, and martial arts, but they were characterize as good, decent neighbors who kept to themselves.
Thank god, Muhamud was not enrolled in nuclear engineering and progressed in his studies as an underground mole.
The world is complex. There are some good people, some indifferent people and some real bad actors. Connect the dots; Some people want to kill you.
It ain't no Kumbaya, feel-good, tie-dye, world party and everyone is invited. I want to invite you to the next Christmas Tree lighting ceremony on Pioneer Square on Black Friday--It may be a blast!
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As I said earlier. Most people coming here to study actually believe we are the greatest fools on the planet. Many come here to parley their student visa into a resident's visa or to simply slip away from the university and into the general population.
It is known all over creation that the US virtually ignores foreigners once they are in the country. They simply don't bother tracing aliens once they step ashore. If they are from the Mideast the MOSSAD do a better job of that than our own law enforcement people. I knew several Liberians that somehow obtained student visas to enter the US. NOT a single one ever went back to Liberia. Nor did they obtain Green cards. They are still here someplace.
China, India, and Brazil to name three nations with rising university systems and able to attract foreign students. The US no longer has a monopoly on higher education. They still come here too, but maybe not for the reasons you think.
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Does anyone here actually believe freedom and some Western styled govt is going to emerge from the disturbances and political chaos erupting throughout the Mideast? Are you daft?
That's not about to happen. Our own president and his Sec/State have stated as much. We are not about to allow some new regime possibly antithetical to our political and resource interests in the region to emerge from the chaos to pose a potntial threat to Israel, SA and the USA.
Sure, we have been prancing around the world preaching the delights of democracy for decades, but all the time reasonably sure it wasn't going to actually occur. But horrors!! Suddenly this 'chicken' has come home to roost and our govt is appalled and not really certain how to react or rather to be seen to react.
But we can relax. Plane loads of $100 dollar bills have winged their way across the Atlantic and even as we write are being doled out to everyone who looks as if he might have some moderating influence on these events. One thing is certain, we are not going to stand by and see our pet tyrants tossed out of power by pro democracy mobs. If we do see this happen you can bet that the new leadership has already been placed on the payroll. The fix will be in.
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it seems you would both complain about and believe in "the fix"
i find that interesting - can you explain your position more clearly for us?
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WASHINGTON (AP) — A young college student from Saudi Arabia studying chemical engineering in Texas purchased explosive chemicals over the Internet as part of a plan to hide bomb materials inside dolls and baby carriages to blow up dams, nuclear plants or the Dallas home of former President George W. Bush
This is a recent example of an "international student" in the USA. Why do we as a culture have such a short memory - Some Somali Born guy did something here in portland - darned if I can remeber what that was...
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And just last week the FBI busted the Conservative Republican who planted a bomb at the gay pride parade in Spokane.
Extremists are the problem, not the normal people.
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TOm,
Check your facts. Several errors of fact indicate you are grossly misimformed.
1. It was a Martin Luther King Parade for Black Celebration.
2. Suspect is a Nazi sympathizer or Fascist. Not a Republican party consort.
3. This was more remote than last week. March 9, 2011. More like 20 days ago.
4. He was a former Army enlistee with nutty ideas. Sound familiar?
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cerruleanskyatsunset
I stand corrected, except for your point #
"2. Suspect is a Nazi sympathizer or Fascist. Not a Republican party consort."
Your point contradicts itself. Conservative Republicans are what Mussolini defined as Fascists, AKA supporters of the "Corporate State". And that is what Nazi sympathizers are.
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Odd contrast of conversational styles with the guest from The Ivory Coast. The guest is tentative, very scared for her family, and by the tone of her voice, unsure and under extreme stress. Host Dave is jovial and conversational, pressing for information. Sounds a bit like an interrogation.
THe guest is obviously very reluctant to revisit the harsh realities of her home country and danger to her family.
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I noticed that too and I suspect that Emily would have been the better host for this show because of her greater experience in journalism and her empathy with interviewees.
But other than that I think dave did a good job.
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Interesting how almost all of the comments herein (if not ALL) have nothing to do with the stated topic -- International Students in Oregon -- but much to do about the unrest in the Middle East, and the (then-)proposed LIbyan No-Fly Zone.
Yes, I admit that my one earlier comment was off-topic as well, but it was meant as a Parseltongue-in-cheek response to another's comment (which appears to have since been deleted).
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I'm a student from Brazil who graduated from the UO in Eugene. The most Important learning experience for me was interacting with people from around the world and learning about internal issues. I was a member of the ICSP (international Cultural Service Program) and co-director of the intl. Students organization. In Brazil we don't have a similar diversity and we mostly learn about the world in books, but in here students have a chance to learn from interact from the world. PS: I love Oregon, this will be always my second hometown!
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Thank you to the Middle East students and others who were willing to open up to us with their stories. The more understanding that we have as each other the better.
Peace to you.
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Comments are now closed.
I would ask those in LIbya fighting for freedom from the dictator Gadafy how they feel about Sec. of State Clinton's statement that a "no fly zone" would be left up to the United Nations (where is has no chance). This is a death sentence to those fighting for freedom, they can not win if Gadafy has freedom to use his aircraft against them. My apologies to you and your families for leading you on then leaving you hanging,
MY FINAL QUESTION FOR A LIBYAN FIGHTING FOR FREEDOM IS >. "WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT OBAMA NOW?"