CAIRO: In a world increasingly wrought by cultural misunderstanding, violent demonstrations and war, misconceptions of peoples across the pond are hard to shake.
But eventually, as even the most prohibiting of walls (Berlin Wall) fall in ruin so too do the prejudices and fears that lead to the great divide of ‘us’ and ‘them’.
For one American teenager, the divisions were breached quickly when her preconceptions of the Middle East were directly challenged by the realities she experienced firsthand – and after only spending a week in Egypt.
Sitting on the carpet of Al Azhar mosque, she said she had never been more at peace.
But the seeds of cultural exchange were planted long before she was even born.
In the early 1950s, a group of journalists, academics and theologians decided to create an American private, non-profit organization which would promote mutual understanding and greater balance in US policy.
Many years later, Amideast celebrates its 50th year in Egypt, through which it has sent thousands of students to travel in the US, assisted with scholarships, trained in English language and professional skills, and aided institutional development.
Egypt country director Stephen Hanchey used the example of the above girl s experience to illustrate why he loves his job. He adds other examples of high school students involved in Amideast s Linc program that report falling in love with the region and decide on Middle East-related careers after positive experiences in the area.
Hanchey, a former Peace Corps volunteer, and Vice President Leslie Nucho both relayed stories of how their own positive experiences in Tunisia and Egypt respectively, shaped their own interests in working in such a program.
Nucho says she first came to Egypt as an undergraduate tourist with a great interest in history. While here, astounded by the degree of hospitality and generosity she experienced, her interest was transformed into a keen interest in the contemporary.
Upon returning home she changed the course of her life and decided to study Middle East International Relations and learn Arabi.
She has worked at Amideast since her graduate student days.
Amideast s mission has always been the same, says Nucho: to strengthen understanding and cooperation between people in the region here and the US
Still, Amideast s focus has been on sending and assisting Middle Easterners in American studies or trainings, rather than the other way around. Nucho admits that it is an issue of funding, most of which comes from various governmental bodies as well as USAID, which prefers the development aspect in assisting those from the region.
Nucho blames sensationalistic media focused only on crises for propagating misconceptions and negative impressions of the region.
Hanchey hopes that the publicity surrounding their 50th anniversary in Egypt will help raise awareness of what Amideast has been doing and to help raise funds to make the exchange and educational experiences more mutual.
Nucho adds that hopefully, the benefits achieved through Amideasts programs will percolate up.
Amideast s largest office is in Cairo, but they also operate in Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, West Bank/Gaza, and Yemen.
