Viking_Yearbook_78

The other three Mid-East countries are Iran, Israel, and Pakistan . While they have shared the same historical tab– loid with the Arab League of Nations-domination in turn by Greeks, Romans, Mongols, lurks-and have been under Islamic (Arab religion and culture) rule for a period of time, these countries are distinctive and weave even more diver sity into the Mid-East pattern . And influences of modernization and materialism, resulting from capitalism and Communism, have divided the people into ideological factions-those who want revolutionary political change and metamorphoses of the most deep-rooted traditions of daily life, and those who insist on a return to the most stringest application of ancient Islamic law. Out ot this Middle East smorgasborg of human society come the 273. And to the eye of the average American student, " they' re all alike." "They all sit together in cliques." " They always speak in Arabic and you can 't understand a thing they're saying." Saudi Arabian reply : " So what? The Japanese students all sit together. Why shouldn't Arab students? " Iranian reply : "It's only natural to sit with people you have the most in common with . .. cultural shock, adjust– ment to a foreign country is hard . . . it is natural to seek the comfort of the familiar person who comes from a culture or country like your own." Libyan reply : " If you were a student in a foreign university, wouldn 't your main group of friends be fellow American students, and wouldn 't you usually sit together in the cafeteria, speaking English?" Jordanian reply: " Some American students are very nice, friendly . Others are too busy to make friends. The same with Arabs. Some are more interested in cultural exchange. It depends on the individual." American students are not alone in being guilty of stereotyping. The diversity of cultural imprinting and thought among the Mid-East students is clearly com– municated: Non-Saudi-Arabian Arab : " I don't sit with Saudi Arabians. They are immature, and rowdy in taverns." Non-Lebanese Arab : " The Lebanese Arabs are stupid for what they are letting happen in their country." Non-Palestinian Arab: " The Palestinians are stupid." Non -Arab Persian: " I am not an Arab! " Non-Persian Arab : "Pakistanis are not Arabs." An Arab: "Pakistanis can be considered Arab, at least some– what, culturally." WASP: " That Pakistani looks like an Arab to me .. ." While the main reason students come to the university is to gain educational experiences-91 of the Mid-East students are graduate students, indicating a high level of competence and serious intent-social experiences are automatically part of the package. Occasionally the rumor, true or not, floats around to "beware of the Arabs, they treat American women like sex objects." The " Arabs" reply : Arab Male No. 1: " It's complimentary to have American men concerned about the prowess of Arab men ." Arab Male No. 2: " Don't American students in foreign countries try to have a good time?" Arab Male No. 3: "In our culture [Saudi Arabian] there is no dating. It is very strict. The girls go to girls' schools, veiled all the way to school on their own bus. So when Arab boys come to the university here, it is like Disneyland to them. After a while, they begin to understand American ways." And from a true minority faction , the Mid-East female student (of the 273, only 57 are female): Arab Female No. 1: " I do not date American men because what if he were to take me to dinner and then he might want me to pay him back in ways which I will not do." Because the term "Middle East" often stimulates in the American mind the associated word "oil" and consequent– ly " rich," one might assume that all the students are wealthy and on "Easy Street." While some do come from wealthy families, the majority do not. Eighty percent of the students are from oil-producing countries, and 90 percent of those depend on government scholarships. The scholarship amounts are generous-$750 per month-allowing for very comfortable living. Such students consider their scholar– ships a hard-earned honor, for they underwent strict academic competition to win them. Far from a "free ride" through college, the students from Saudi Arabia, for example, are obligated after graduation to serve their government for two years. As in most societies, some Mid-East students are content with their respective governments while many others are infuriated to the point of becoming revolutionaries. They are not free to express dissatisfaction within their homelands, but are able to do so in America. They form organizations, pass literature,. and hold demonstrations. They fear reprisals upon returning to their countries, claiming that some of their fellows-in-thought have been swooped right off the plane upon arrival in home territory. Secret agents, jail, torture and death haunt their minds. Their paranoia makes them unwilling photographic sub– jects. To be identified in the proof of a picture connecting them to a subversive organization could, they claim, be fatal. Some American students are indignant when they hear anti-American chants including the stinger, "U.S. Imper– ialists, Get Out." The feeling is that "if you don't like the U.S., then why don't you go back where you came from?" Heated political arguments often ensue. American students might be surprised to know that, regardless of the negative bantering, most students from the Mid-East support democracy. They come to America, they see, they exercise themselves within the system. It will be interesting to observe what effect the thought patterns of these students have on the future of their countries. The following six pages focus on three Mid-East students of varying backgrounds whose comments reflect their individuality, their goals, their values, and their beliefs.