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Muslim World Isn't Big With USA Students

Muslim world isn't big with U.S. Students

By John Diamond, USA TODAY
Despite an expansion of federal efforts to promote learning Arabic and other languages of the Islamic world, there has been no dramatic increase in Americans studying in countries where such languages are spoken, according to the latest statistics on overseas study. That's the case even though the number of Americans studying abroad has more than doubled since the mid-1990s.
Ref. https://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/20...lim-world_x.htm

Students USA Big Isnt World Muslim

I just can't imagine why American students might not be big fans of studying in such marvelous cultural hotspots as Tehran, Beirut, or Riyadh. After all, they MIGHT just survive such an experience, if they are proper dhimmis.

What would we do without such studies?

Would you allow your son or daughter to go to such a place to study? I wouldn't.

Muslim World Isn't Big With USA Students UFO & Writing Art Education Sciences

I really think that is entirely Anti-Muslim propoganda. In my school, in New Jersey,USA we have a lot of Muslims and they are very quiet and very friendly.Of course you have the crazy people but they are minority. I am sure the ghettos of New York,Oakland, Los Angeles, Newark, Cleveland and Atlanta are worse.

Students USA Big Isnt World Muslim

What a stupid article. I wonder whether more US students are studying in China or Australia, or Greenland etc.

Why on earth would they look at students studying in Arabic apeaking countries without a comparison to other parts of the world? As for the intelligence community looking for Arabic speaking people, this is a joke right?

I suppose you have visitied these places Nighthawk and are telling us from experience?

I reckon there are parts of several US cities that I would be more scared of then Tehran, Riyadh or Beirut. And these cultural "hotspots" are probably far more interesting.

Students USA Big Isnt World Muslim

Actually, I DO have a slight bit of experience.

I spent three months in Jeddah. When Americans were wanted there. It was very uncomfortable for us to go downtown. And Jeddah is the cultural hotspot of Saudi Arabia.

I would dearly love to visit some places in the Arab world. But I wouldn't feel particularly safe visiting Tehran, where Americans, Britons, etc are still considered to be evil by the government.

I don't know about this particular study, but the point is that actually a lot of students DO want to go to China, Europe (including much of Eastern Europe), India, and Russia to study. There is a strong "Free Tibet" movement on many college campuses. However, as the study showed, not many are interested in going to Tehran, Beirut, Jeddah or Riyadh, or Damascus to study. Most people have a little bit of a survival instinct, and recognize when a government and society don't really like them.

The Muslim world has proven, and continues to prove, its hostility towards Christians, Jews, agnostics, Hindus, etc. People with those philosophies tend to recognize that.

Muslim World Isn't Big With USA Students

Nighthawk,

I really think you should be more considerate in your posts. When you say the Muslim world you are generalising for every Muslim in the world. Let me remind you, Islam is a religion. It is not a race of people. It doesn't define a race of people. People who act like idiots don't do so because their religion tells them too.

Whoever uses religion as an excuse for extreme behaviour do it because they are lunatics. You can't blame a faith for that.

Sure the Middle East it a hotspot at the moment, not least because of countries like the US who like to intefere in other people's business. And there are extremists who take advantage of that.

But as you suggest, I also believe the Middle East would be an interesting place to visit, but it is dangerous. If students are shying away, I don't blame them. But the report appeared to lack a comparison which might have added credibility.

Muslim World Isn't Big USA Students

When I look at the world, I see that EVERY country and culture that is dominated by Islam is harsh, dangerous, intolerant, abusive towards women, abusive towards other religions, and generally not nice places to live. Please offer me a few alternatives to this view. What Muslim country would a Christian, Jewish, Hindu, or Ba'hai student feel welcome to live in for 4 years of study, and be able to live their own religion and culture?

Compare that to attending school in England, the US, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, etc.

When I speak of the 'Muslim world', I speak of those countries and cultures where Islam is dominant. I don't speak of every Muslim. I personally know many Muslims who are personally tolerant, kind, gentle, etc. But when I look at the cultures, I see very little of that.

Am I wrong?

Muslim World Isn't Big USA Students Sciences Education Art Writing & UFO

I am not surprised by the article but I would personally not go to the Middle East to study for instance and I am not a US citizen. I just feel is a hot spot right now and someplaces are a bit too dangerous for me. In my perspective is not a matter of Islam, it's just a matter of all the political issues going on that make some of countries pretty unsafe. In the same way if I was a foreigner I will not go to Buenos Aires to study because its becoming pretty dangerous or even Brazil, so I don't think is a matter of Muslims but the countries as a whole.