DUBAI: Ayesha Al Mansouri, a final-year student at the University of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates, knows where she wants to go for post-graduate studies — either Amherst College in Boston, or DePaul University, Illinois.
These may be good choices for a dedicated student, except that both these universities are in the United States — a country that has attracted criticism from and whose products have been boycotted by many Middle Eastern nationals in the wake of the Sep. 11 attacks and the fallout from it.
But then again, many in the Middle East continue to see the United States and west as good places for education, despite the politics of their governments.
A survey conducted by The British Council among over 5,000 students in nine Muslim countries has shown that the United States is still the first choice among youngsters in Egypt, Turkey and Saudi Arabia for pursuing education abroad. Canada was the first preference for Palestinians.
Nearly 37 percent of the respondents thought most highly of Western countries — the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the European Union countries, and Switzerland — and stated their preference for pursuing higher education there.
“I know that post-Sep. 11 it has become harder for Mideast students to get admissions in American universities,” Al Mansour concedes. “But as far as higher studies are concerned, the trend here has been to opt for the high-quality education available in Western countries. The only choice we have in the region is Egypt.”
In the survey, Britain was the second preferred destination. The consensus among the Saudi respondents was that it had two outstanding strengths: democracy and education. But the Palestinians were highly critical of its government’s stance toward the Middle East. “Britain,” said the Egyptians, “lies in the shadow of America following their lead in world events/issues.” Egypt was the most popular non-Western country.
Among the Saudi respondents, 37 percent favoured the United States, and 23 percent, Britain.
It is also true that most employers in the region accord high credibility to US and Western qualifications. “Wanted US/UK educated Arab national” scream most classified ads in the United Arab Emirates. As the number of locals in the job market increases, the race to get such better and higher degrees is certainly on the rise.
Of the Egyptian respondents in the survey, 63 per cent said employers gave the highest credibility to US qualifications. It was 76 percent in Turkey, 37 percent in Palestine and 59 percent in Saudi Arabia.
Last year, Middle Eastern students were unnerved by a discriminatory backlash in the United States after Sep. 11. But by then they were already sitting in American classrooms. Middle Eastern students still complain that the United States is not as friendly as it used to be. Visa regulations remain tedious for many from the region, and student visa applications now must pass through six different US agencies.
Ali Al Kaddoura, a second-year physics student at Amherst College, Boston, is taking some time off in Dubai. “We did feel threatened at first, but things are cooling off and many of my friends here have told me they would be heading to US universities when the summer session begins.”
But while the United States is the leading destination for international students, it also faces competition from countries like Canada, which is trumpeting lower costs, high-quality education and an official commitment to multiculturalism.
The fear of harassment has not deterred immigrants. The number of Middle Eastern immigrants in the United States has grown nearly seven-fold from fewer than 200,000 in 1970 to nearly 1.5 million in 2000, and is expected to increase by another 1.1 million by 2010, according to the US-based Centre for Immigration Studies in December 2002.
The study said, “Interest in America remains very strong in the Middle East even after Sept 11, and Middle East immigrants are one of the most educated immigrant groups in America — 49 percent had at least a bachelor’s degree, compared to 28 percent of US natives.”
New Middle Eastern immigration is not just more in number than the old, but also very different in religion. While the Middle East itself is overwhelmingly Muslim, historically this has not been true of the region’s immigrants in America.
Up until the 1960s, Middle Eastern immigrants were mostly Christian Arabs from Lebanon, or Armenians, Assyrians, Greeks and other Christian minorities. In 1970, roughly 15 percent of Middle Eastern immigrants were Muslim, but by 2000, almost 73 percent were. Muslim immigrants and their progeny now number some two million.
Ali’s family is having US visas processed for citizenship. Said Ali, “This is so that we can all be together. My two brothers are already working in the States and I too will pursue my career there. The number of options that are available in America far outnumber those in the region.”
Illegal immigration too is on the rise. New US Census Bureau statistics say there may be more than 100,000 illegal immigrants of Middle Eastern descent in the United States.—Dawn/InterPress News Service.