RIYADH, 19 June 2003 — I have recently returned from a short trip to the United States. My flight was only a few days after the Riyadh bombings in May. Of course, the timing was very bad. Many people advised me to cancel the trip or at least postpone it. Everyone believed that the US would be on high alert, especially with the closing of the embassy. They also believed that a new wave of hatred against Arabs and Muslims had probably begun.
Those warnings certainly had some impact on me but I could not delay my trip, no matter what the reason. I was going to attend my sister’s graduation from Yale University. Deep inside, I thought that this would be my last visit to the US.
As I arrived at JFK, I mentally prepared myself for the extra security procedures and questioning I would probably experience. But I was very lucky and everything went smoothly and easily.
On my second day, I was having breakfast with my sister in the hotel. We were chattering away in Arabic with some words of English thrown in now and then. A gentleman sitting at a table next to us overheard our conversation and asked us politely what language we were speaking. I told him that it was Arabic, and he asked us where we were from.
Hesitantly I told him that we were from Saudi Arabia and waited a little anxiously to see his reaction. As I expected, the man was surprised. He explained that my sister and I were the only Saudis he had ever met. He was not sure what two Saudi women were doing in a small town like New Haven, Connecticut.
The conversation led to more and more questions and we were happy to answer his queries. It was a great opportunity to correct many of his misconceptions and also give a proper view of Saudi Arabia and Saudi women.
Our conversation covered many topics such as education, the economy and women’s rights. Finally we got to the recent bombings in Riyadh. It was very interesting to know what Americans thought of the incident.
“The Saudis probably realize how evil these acts are now that it has happened on their own soil. We extend our deepest sympathy to them. We both went through the same crisis,” the man said.
Still it was absolutely necessary to make one point as strongly as possible then and there: Such barbarous acts are nothing to do with any religion and certainly not with Islam.
Throughout my trip, which included some big cities as well as small towns, I noticed how inquisitive Americans have become. A Middle Eastern look and language seemed to invite conversation.
I took every opportunity given to me to present my country and my religion in the best way I could. The question of what the situation really was in Saudi Arabia was frequently asked. It worked well as an opening for a dialogue. It happened that a librarian who was helping me look for some books concluded his conversation by saying how nice it was for him to meet Muslims who are so different from what the media shows. Or as a receptionist at one of the hotels put it, “You are so cool, just like us.”
It always felt good to hear compliments at the end, knowing that you had made a positive change in the way Westerners think about us.
All that I went through on this journey caused me to think how recent events around the world have done so much damage to Muslim nations and Islam. And the Western media had unfortunately started it. It is therefore essential for all of us to take some responsibility in improving our image.
For instance, as the summer vacation approaches, many Saudis travel to the West. It is important then to examine our behavior and attitudes abroad so that we can eradicate the misconceptions and stereotypes related to us as Muslims. Every individual must work as an ambassador for his country. Our actions will speak loudly, so let them be for the benefit of our nation.
