The Arab World Is Changing Much Differently Than You Think!

After World War II, under what is known as the GI Bill of Rights, American war veterans (and then the entire Armed Services) had access to a range of benefits, among them college scholarships and job training programs. By 1956, an estimated 2.2 million Americans had used the Bill for a college education, and more than 5.6 million for some kind of practical training and skill building. The Bill was, in effect, instrumental in building the American middle class.

After spending two days at the Arab Harvard Weekend in Boston, I am convinced that the Arab world very soon will have its own Bill of Rights leap.

Doubting?

I don’t blame you. One heck of a leap of faith, forecasting progress in the throes of turmoil. But as much as I appreciate the west’s need to harp about ISIS (unbeatable story, that) and as sensitive as I am to this very unpredictable moment, my sure bet is that our youths will, in the end, carry the day. Why? Call it a certain kind of education.

Over the past few years, an increasing number of Arab governments have been offering scholarships to their best and brightest students, all going west. We’re not talking nickels and dimes, here. Saudi Arabia alone is financing today no less than 150,000 male and female scholars attending the most competitive American and European universities. There are more than 5000 Saudi students in the Boston area alone.

Before you jump to all the wrong conclusions. I am not suggesting that a western education is all it takes to turn around this region. I am saying that the sheer number of outstanding Arab students acquiring know-how at the best institutions is a very big deal. And the even bigger deal is that they are doing so with the help and support of their governments.

Every time I interact with these youths—and I do so frequently--I am simply blown away (no pun intended) by their intellect, their pride in their heritage, their profound knowledge of this vast Arab expanse and its problems, and their insistence on making a difference. In Boston, this last trip, I met with Saudis, Emiratis, Jordanians, Lebanese, Syrians, Egyptians, Palestinians, and Iraqis studying at Harvard, UPenn, MIT, Amherst, Babson…you name it. Engineers, architects, doctors, lawyers, liberal arts majors, they are all eager to head back home and put themselves to work.

We, Arabs, have an obligation to embrace them and their story, because they, in every fundamental way, are more real and compelling and consequential than the Jihadists laying siege to every other front page here and elsewhere. They are hopeful, extraordinarily ambitious and inventive. They have great ideas and serious plans, and they have the smarts and expertise to execute them. If we have to obsess about something, let it be about them and their promise.

And kudos to the Saudi government for investing in its rising generations. What they are learning and the exposure they are getting will be ingrained in them for life. Make no mistake about it: the minute they land in Saudi Arabia, they will hit the ground running. They will demand good jobs, become entrepreneurs, work for their family businesses, rise to leadership positions in the public sector, manage hospitals and engineering houses…There will be no reason for companies, local and global, to complain that there are no native skills and competencies. Saudi Arabia will be swarming with them.

If the older Arab generations do not know this already, then jolting them soon is a rude wakeup call. There are massive new waves of Arab graduates eager to step into the action. They will not take no for answer; their input will be deeply felt and their influence will be transformative.

You’re no doubt thinking the Arab world is ailing, undemocratic, bureaucratic, and simply incapable of handling these high impact youths; that these fresh grads are sure to face daunting challenges and even worse disappointments. And I am telling you that you need to meet and listen to them.

In Boston, I had a discussion session with Saudi undergraduates and then a dinner with MENA post-graduate candidates. They wanted me to inspire them and talk about my story and my work. I ended up mesmerized by theirs and humbled by their spirit, their love of learning, their maturity, focus and drive.

A Palestinian Syrian asked me, “How do I find a way to go back and put my knowledge to use.” Twice displaced along with his family—from Palestine in 1967, from Syria last year—he still wants to return. A Saudi MIT engineer and launching a startup on the side wanted advice on how to manage both. Another MIT student, the scion of a big family business, shared with me matter of fact--no shame or awkwardness—how he tried to build a new business and failed at it.

There were the Jordanian lady at Harvard and the other at Amherst asking how might an entrepreneur balance work with life. And, yes, there were plenty of Saudi women, empowered and confident, talking startups, thinking of the future, believing that the sky is the limit.

These young men and women represent a paradigm shift, not only because of the momentum their huge number creates, but also because of the ease with which they navigate the delicate question of belonging and identity, their can-do attitude, their specializations, their hunger for knowledge… I can go on forever, but I think I’ve made my point.

These youths are going to change our world. Take my word for it! In ten years, there will not be a single snigger in the house.

Photo credit: Harvard Arab Weekend