Saudi Arabia Opens its Doors to College Visitors
Worcester students says Sept. 11 caused misconceptions

by John Silk ’99

On March 10, when CBS-TV broadcast a six-month anniversary tribute to the heroic rescuers and victims of the attacks on the World Trade Center towers, 18 people from Emerson College in Boston were on their way to Saudi Arabia.

This is the country from which 15 of the 19 hijackers were recruited for the terrorist attacks and the birthplace of Osama bin Laden, the man accused of masterminding the terrorism plan.

As a graduate student at Emerson College, I was among those chosen by Gregory Payne, the college's director of the center for media and ethics, to participate in a research trip as guests of Prince Faisal F. Al-Saud of the Saudi Arabian royal family.

The purpose of the trip was to study the history and the culture of Saudi Arabia and to formulate opinions of the Saudi-U.S. relations. It was the hope of our hosts that we would gain a new perspective of the Saudis and upon our return to the United States share our experiences.

Upon arriving in Saudi Arabia, my heart was racing and my palms were sweating. My mind was suddenly filled with the perception, formed from all the articles I had read, that I was in a supposed violent and repressed nation. Were we going to be welcomed or greeted with hostility? Would we be perceived as invaders or accepted as guests? I would soon find out.

Prince Faisal and his entourage greeted us with warm smiles and friendly handshakes and welcomed us with customary coffee and tea. We were given tour guides, escorted to a bus and transported to our hotel.

During the 40-minute commute from the airport to the Marriott Hotel in the capital of Riyadh, I was suddenly overwhelmed by the same sort of excitement a young child feels on Christmas Eve; only, at the age of 25, this excitement was caused by the anticipation of learning about a culture that was unknown and unopened to me.

As we drove through Riyadh I was immediately reminded of the western culture I had left behind. Signs of McDonald's, Dunkin' Donuts, Burger King and U.S. hotel chains lighted up the streets.

While in Riyadh, we went on a sightseeing tour of the city's rich history. Riyadh is the most conservative and religiously devout city in Saudi Arabia. It is here that the Arab tribes first formed during the unification of Saudi Arabia as a nation. We were shown old forts, cultural museums, abandoned mosques and ruins of Old Dar-eyya City.

By day, we were schooled on how this nation came to be, where it stands now and where it wants to go in the future. Our hosts held nothing back and exposed us to everything their culture had to offer. Everywhere we went, we were never made to feel like intruders, but always as respected guests.

We toured Riyadh Daily, one of two English newspapers in Saudi Arabia. We met with the editor in chief of the paper. As an aspiring broadcast journalist, I was interested to hear his viewpoint about the American media's generalizing about the makeup of Saudi Arabia.

He made the point that Saudis are different from Americans, but that doesn't make them any better or worse; and, as a people, they are not violent and evil. He said that Saudi Arabia was shocked to find out that 15 of its own had participated in the Sept. 11 attacks, in the same way that Americans were shocked at the evil deeds of Timothy J. McVeigh in Oklahoma City.

In Riyadh, we saw and experienced how conservative Saudis lived. We dined with scholarly people and shopped and interacted with the local population. I felt people were just as curious about us as we were about them.

Next, we traveled by bus to the eastern province of Dammam. We were taken to the desert to ride camels and four-wheelers. We spent an entire day at the royal family's private beach resort. Here, we went boating on the prince's 100-foot yacht in the Persian Gulf, where we swam with dolphins, rode on jet skis and were treated to frozen fruit drinks.

We toured Aramco, the largest oil company in the world. A family by the name of Al Ashgar opened its home to us. They made a traditional breakfast for us and gave us a tour of their personal historical museum. We met their three daughters and son, all of whom attended college in the United States and now reside in Saudi Arabia and work for Aramco.

This region was more laid-back and liberal than Riyadh. I learned a great deal of the roles that women play in Saudi Arabia. I spent time with educated women who voiced their own opinions quite regularly. My impression was that these women are not looked down upon or perceived as unimportant, but were very warm and loving mothers and represented the best of Saudi Arabia. The women seemed strong-willed and determined to have an effect, not only in the lives of their children but also in society.

We then flew to the western province of Jeddah, where we did some more sightseeing and walked along a beach on the Red Sea. Our tour guides took us to local marketplaces to get a feel for how the common folk lived day-to-day. Of course, the local merchants were happy to see us, hoping we would spend money.

I really enjoyed the marketplaces. Here, I was able to start conversations and study how I was perceived as an American to these everyday Saudi people. There were times when I was not looked favorably upon, but the majority of my experiences were positive. In the marketplaces, where all prices are negotiable, I found myself spending anywhere from 5 to 40 minutes with these local merchants, bargaining until both sides agreed to a fair price.

I wanted to come to Saudi Arabia not only to learn, but to get a feel for what this culture is about. In the seven days I was there, it was impossible to become an expert on the country and its people. I realize that I went on a ''privileged'' tour and may not have been exposed to every nook and cranny of Saudi society. I've lived in the United States for 25 years and haven't seen every walk of life here, either. But I can confidently say that our hosts showed us the diversity we needed to experience to be able to draw our own conclusions.

I am not naive enough to think that this is an utopian society where everybody is treated fairly and there are no problems; where there were no problems was in communication between us- between Americans and Saudis. If two groups of strangers can learn to throw all inhib

itions away and realize that each can bring different and unique offerings to the table, then I argue there is hope for others to follow that lead.
I came away with the feeling that Saudi Arabia represents a culture of organization, not control. The Saudis were very courteous and respectful to us.

It is a country rich in tradition, and this is important to all, especially to the poor, because this is all they have to hold on to. For the middle class and rich, there are ambitions. They seem to know they are lucky to live comfortable lives, but respecting their tradition is very important to them, as well.

The culture is centered on family and friendship and faith. I was shown more kind gestures of friendship in seven days than I would have ever thought possible. People opened their hearts and homes, but, most important, their minds; and we were able to learn and appreciate each other.

Sept. 11 disheartened Americans as well as the majority of Saudis. It's easy to be on the outside looking in, constantly judging what is truth and what is not. I went into this experience filled with preconceptions and stereotypes about a people I thought I knew. But I had no idea.

My time in Saudi Arabia was a privilege and a blessing. The Saudis are a good people, and I will forever be thankful that I was given the opportunity to step outside the box to begin to understand and appreciate a culture that is too many times mislabeled and unfairly judged.

John Silk, a native of Worcester, graduated from St. John's High School in Shrewsbury and Assumption College in Worcester, earning a degree in communications and English in 1999. He is working on a master's degree at Emerson College in Boston.

(This article was published on Easter Sunday, 3/31/02. It is reprinted with permission from the Telegram & Gazette.)