I Left America to Teach in Saudi Arabia After 9/11

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My students were experts on the fringe aspects of American culture. They also had strong criticisms of how Muslims were portrayed.

'Are you crazy?'I heard this from my friends and family in 2005 when I told them I had signed a contract to teach English at a university in Saudi Arabia.Their alarm was understandable: Saudi Arabia was the birthplace of Osama bin Laden and 15 of the nineteen 9/11 al-Qaeda terrorists.The Kingdom was demonized after 9/11 and portrayed in Western newspapers and books as a diabolical cauldron of Muslim extremism and Islamic fanaticism.

Most of my students had never met an American and were only familiar with the colorful and exaggerated characters they watched on American TV or in movies.My students were dedicated experts on the fringe aspects of American culture, especially music. It was hilarious to hear their witty and perceptive deconstruction of my culture.They were also not timid to share their strong criticism of how Muslims were wrongly portrayed in American and Western media.

 

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