Gulf students in the U.S. must not give up

Very few students from GCC states will be studying in the United States this academic year. This is regrettable because their absence will leave the impressionable public arena throughout America - still an important playing field for Arabs and Muslims - free to those who hate Arabs and Muslims.

Free to propagate falsehoods. Free to insist that those who flee cannot be but guilty. Free to advance outrageous notions that Arabs and Muslims hate Americans.

To prevent su-ch distortions from being spread - and they are being lavishly disseminated - Arab Gulf students should be encouraged to go to the United States in droves. Their presence in thousands of colleges is one of the best antidotes to the hysteria gripping America.

For better or worse, the American education system, especially in its higher echelons, has a good deal to offer. Hundreds of thousands of Arabs and Muslims have graduated from American universities. Their contributions are legendary.

From ministers to business leaders, from engineers to urban designers, from physicians to technicians, many added value in their respective endeavours. Incredibly, most returned home fully equip-ped with the tools of modernisation without, however, loosing an iota of intrinsic values.

They learned sc-ience and technology, absorbed freedom and liberty, but did not replace religious or cultural norms.

To be sure, one can receive similar - perhaps even better - value in most Western European countries or in Australia and New Zealand. In fact, thousands of Gulf students who were enrolled in American universities, left the United States after the September 11, 2001 attacks.

Many went to the American University of Beirut or its sister institution in Cairo. Others opted for colleges in the United Kingdom or Australia. Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and several other Asian states are now actively recruiting students.

Yet none of these nations are major players in Middle Eastern and particularly Gulf politics, as is the United States. The latter remains vital to Gulf states in the security, political, and economic sectors.

Moreover, and because of its occupation of Iraq, the U.S. is now a full-fledged "Gulf State."

Under the circumstances, this is not the time to turn one's back on a key power, even if one disagrees with its policies. On the contrary, it behooves young men and women from the Gulf to better acclimatise themselves to the main regional power and to clarify, as well as defend, their own positions on various issues.

Granted that an innumerable number of young Gulf citizens were singled out as potential "terrorists" after 9/11, as a myriad were arrested, detained illegally, questioned and, in some instances, deported for minor visa violations. Others left of their own volition when they heard or saw how their countrymen were mistreated.

Most were angry because they were innocent and felt betrayed that American law enforcement authorities used brawl instead of brain. In the confusion that resulted, American law enforcement personnel opted to lump everyone from Arab descent into the terrorist camp, a grave error that will surely be rectified when a more stable leadership succeeds those who prefer to doubt rather than reason.

Simultaneously, however, it is imperative that students from the Gulf region do not throw in the gauntlet and write America off. Their responsibility is multi-fold, especially at a time when each Gulf country maintains very close ties with Washington.

Therefore, if one is harassed by an immigration officer - as is likely given shockingly ignorant displays - or if one draws strange glances because one is wearing a hijab or looks "suspicious," one must take the time to explain that one is not a terrorist just because one hails from an Arab, Gulf or Muslim state, or just because one wears modest clothes.

Sadly, it is up to young Gulf citizens to correct many of these mistaken perceptions because so much is at stake.

Americans in general and young Americans in particular know little about the Gulf, its inhabitants and traditions.

Over the years, Gulf students who attended university throughout the United States accomplished two things: first, they earned useful degrees and, second, they discussed their region and religion with their friends and acquaintances. Even if they did not always succeed, they nevertheless awakened interlocutors. It is important not to stop now when their vigilance on every American campus is needed more than any other time.

The writer, author of several books, is an expert on Gulf and Middle East affairs.