RIYADH: Joshua Van Alstine, an American who has called Saudi Arabia home for more than a decade, has dedicated his career to exploring and sharing the Kingdom’s history, culture, and natural heritage.

Better known as “American Abu Mutib,” he has become a familiar voice in telling Saudi stories through an authentic and respectful lens.

Growing up as a Muslim, Van Alstine says he has always felt a special connection to the home of the two holy mosques. This connection eventually brought him to Saudi Arabia which became a place of refuge and belonging.

“You know, I grew up as a Muslim American, and when you grow up as a Muslim in the West, you kind of by default, you’re the odd man out, you know.

“And by default … you feel like there’s some sort of connection between you and Saudi Arabia being that it’s the home of the holy lands.”

In the US he did not know much about Saudi Arabia, its culture, society, cuisine, or language, but like many Muslims around the world, it was an important place for him.

“I’m imagining it’s how you know, Italian Americans talk about Rome. Maybe, you know, Catholic Americans talk about Rome that way. Perhaps, you know, Buddhist Americans think about India that way.

“Or Shinto Americans think about Japan in that way. So we (Muslim Americans) think about Saudi Arabia in that way. I was very drawn to just knowing more about the history of the religion I was raised in and makes us connected to one another, but also what makes us different from one another.

“I thought that was also very interesting too even as a very young adult.”

Van Alstine initially started learning more about the Kingdom through Saudi students he met while studying in Texas. Their generosity, confidence, hospitality, and pride in their country left a lasting impression on him.

“Those Saudis (students) were very, very enthusiastic to teach me about their country.

“And I was very lucky that I got to meet young people who are very enthusiastic about being diplomats because there are also young people who were more interested in entertainment, for instance.

“And these guys were very, very interested and getting me oriented with my soon-to-be home, which I didn’t know was going to be my homecoming year.”

Van Alstine said they were grooming him to become a part of Saudi society. “I think they did a really good job, to be quite frank, and I was mesmerized.”

Van Alstine said he was impressed by these students because they were from humble origins, small villages in Saudi, and they were intellectuals.

“They weren’t metropolitan or cosmopolitan in any way and yet they behaved like they were so comfortable in this new setting that they found themselves in America.

“And they were able to ask for help. They didn’t feel any shame in asking for help. They didn’t feel ashamed asking for directions. They didn’t mind, you know, spending their last $5 to invite you out for, like, a burger. They didn’t care.”

The story behind the rise of American Abu Mutib started with a YouTube video that Van Alstine made almost as a joke. Then, seemingly overnight, everything changed.

“Everyone was encouraging me to do it and I did the YouTube video. And then overnight, I became like a viral sensation. This was in 2011 and I was the most-seen video on YouTube for that week in October.

“I was either like No. 2 or No. 3 overall on YouTube, and so that was a complete shock, that the internet has that kind of power.”

When Van Alstine came to Saudi Arabia for work, his friends refused to let him live alone. They welcomed him into their home, and eventually into their family.

What started as a few days staying with his Saudi friends turned into eight years of living with them. “So I came to work for the Ministry of Higher Education, at that time, and the ministry afforded me accommodations.

“They afforded me a lot of creature comforts, and my friends who taught me Arabic in college, they were my roommates. They pulled me out of the accommodation and they said, you’re not gonna live there. You’re gonna live with us in our house.”

As co-founder of the Saudi Arabian Botanical Society, Van Alstine has helped spearhead initiatives including a national botanical garden, seed bank, and herbarium — while supporting the training and employment of Saudi talent.

The society has a mission that continues to inspire him.