Fulbright Students Meet Muslim Counterparts in Singapore

January 17, 2004

Fulbright Students Meet Muslim Counterparts in Singapore

U.S. Fulbrighters and student leaders of the National University of Singapore’s Muslim Society were guests of honor January 17 at a dinner hosted by Islamic community activist, Ameerali Abdelali. Mr. Ameerali and the U.S. embassy's Public Affairs Officer, David Andresen, had discussed the idea for such an event several times over the past few months, most recently during an Eid-Iftar dinner hosted by the U.S. Ambassador. They saw it as an opportunity for American and Muslim students to meet and ask/answer questions of each other, exchange academic and social experiences, and begin a dialogue. An informal meeting around a dinner table seemed to be a good way to start the process. Thus, three Fulbright and five NUS students were brought together, along with a handful of Muslim community members, for an evening of relaxed talk, laughter, and -- perhaps by the end of the night-- some changed perceptions about the U.S. and/or Islam.

The gathering also provided an unexpected but remarkable statement about the nature of Singaporean and American societies. As PAO Andresen noted in his welcome: “As I look about the room tonight, I am struck by just how much we are alike from a point of view of cultural diversity. Look at our three Fulbrighters -- an Indo-American, an Asian American and an Anglo-American -- while among the Singaporeans here I see students who are ethnic Chinese, Indian, and Malay. It’s obvious our two nations are melting pots, mixtures of diverse cultures, customs, and creeds, and both of our societies are the better and stronger for it.”