Seghayer I am genuinely thankful on behalf of thousands of Saudi graduates (including myself) to the United States of America for giving us the opportunity to study and learn on its soil. We are deeply indebted to this country for instilling in us great values and perspectives and for teaching us human, academic, and professional principles, including love for democracy, high appreciation of social diversity and justice, and the value of individuals, regardless of origin.? I thank America whenever I see so many well-trained and qualified Saudi citizens who are direct products of the American educational system employed in education, government, or the private sector. The US educational system has instilled in them a strong work ethic. I thank America whenever I see so many well-respected Saudi citizens who call for “American values” such as freedom, equality, fairness, politeness, and professionalism in all endeavors. They recognize the efforts and contributions of others; demonstrate honesty, tolerance, and forgiveness; and have concern for quality over quantity. The observant person will notice that they practice these values on the ground and strive to teach them to their own people directly or indirectly. While in the US, I had countless talks with friends and colleagues during which all of us openly admired the various social, academic, and business styles that we often encounter on a daily basis. We all said to ourselves, let us—when we return to our homeland—take with us these very productive ways of living. In so doing, we will indeed contribute to the sustained, rapid advancement and modernization that the Kingdom has gone through in the past and currently continues to experience. I thought that our job of calling to adopt what I would like to call “good American values or lifestyles” would be comparatively easy. The basis of such an assumption is the fact that people here highly appreciate such human values and are indeed eager to make them part of their lifestyle. Additionally, a large number of Saudi people admire and highly appreciate a number of American lifestyles and values. However, my expectation was not accurate. To be frank, I had miscalculated the people's current attitude toward the US. I found that on many occasions, once people knew that what we were telling them was traceable to American values, they tended to either reject it or at least show signs of disapproval, regardless of the value. You may feel this is an exaggeration. Yet I, like you, am surprised by such a tendency, which tells me how negatively the US's recent foreign policy has impacted how Saudis view America. This seemingly deep and abiding anger toward US policies and actions is also the attitude of most people throughout the Arab world and most Muslim countries as well. I think the US needs to reconsider its policies and work hard to promote its great values instead of using excessive power or force and threats to impose its initiatives and policies. The US needs to communicate its plans to the rest of the world. Americans also need to take the interests of other countries into account when making international policy decisions. People here in Saudi Arabia and elsewhere wish the US would strive to spread its good values and cultural practices. We need the US to export to us some of its values far more than its advanced technological weaponry. If I am reading the minds of the world correctly, I would say that people are saying to the US: “In the past, you have captured our admiration and hearts by the values you believe in, not by the weapons you use to destroy countries. Thus, kindly share with us your values and refrain from hitting us with your deadly weapons.” (The writer is a Saudi academic who can be reached at [email protected]) __
