By Mitchell Polman

During his tenure as director of the now defunct United States Information Agency, renowned journalist Edward R. Murrow said, “The really crucial link in the international communication chain is the last three feet, which is bridged by personal contact, one person talking to another.” Public diplomacy practitioners often refer to Murrow’s statement in describing the nature of their work. It was with this vital aspect of human communication in mind that the Fulbright Scholars program and the Department of State’s Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs (ECA) in 2004 created the “Direct Access to the Muslim World” program.

The program makes it possible for U.S. universities to bring specialists from the Islamic world to the U.S. for six weeks of teaching, scholarship, and engagement with local communities. Fulbright scholars in this program, visiting academics from countries as diverse as Indonesia and Bosnia, have academic duties at their host institutions, and team-teach with host college professors. They are also expected to meet and talk with high school students, community service groups, religious groups, and other local organizations.

Many of the sponsoring institutions are small colleges, state universities, and community colleges. In short, the emphasis is on giving Americans, especially in rural and small-towns, the opportunity to learn directly about the Muslim faith and life in predominantly Muslim societies directly from scholars who live in a predominantly Muslim society. The scholars also assist their host universities in developing curricula and materials related to Islam, including at colleges with no or very few programs related to Islam. The program is in real demand. “It’s been a popular program”, says Andy Riess, from the Outreach and Public Relations office of the Council for the International Exchange of Scholars (a division of the International Institute of Education), which administers the program under contract from the State Department.

One of this year’s scholars was Professor Fikret Karcic, an Islamic theologian and professor at the Sarajevo Faculty of Islamic Theology in Sarajevo, Bosnia. Dr. Karcic, sponsored by Boise State University, was in great demand during his six weeks in Boise, Idaho. In fact, Dr. Helen Lojek, professor emeritus and associate dean at the university, is still getting requests for Karcic to speak – many weeks after his departure for Bosnia. While in Idaho, Dr. Karcic also traveled to McCall (107 miles north of Boise), where he spoke to high school students and to a gathering at the town library.

After Dr. Karcic’s talk entitled “Social Justice — an Islamic Perspective,” Professor Lojek recalled, one McCall high school student reportedly said “we never get opportunities for teaching like that.” While in McCall, Dr. Karcic even spent half an hour talking in a supermarket parking lot, answering questions on Islam from someone who had attended his library lecture. He also went to the local Osher learning center, where he addressed a group of seniors.

In Boise, Karcic spoke to the local office of the International Rescue Committee, which assists immigrants from Bosnia and a number of other Muslim countries. He offered thoughts on how to help Muslim immigrants integrate into the Boise community. Dr. Karcic did all this while team-teaching a class on the origins of Bosnia and lecturing on “Islam and Modernity”. Last but not least, Karcic assisted the school with its library holdings on Bosnia and Islam and advised them on what to purchase. Dr. Lojek said, “We’d love to have him back!” and noted a letter from one of the U.S. participants that read, “Being remote and rural, Boise needs all the outside information that we can get our hands on”.

Gogi

Not all of the scholars are professors (or even Muslim). Ms. Nigar Nazar of Pakistan, for example, is a cartoonist famous in Pakistan for her female protagonist Gogi and a whole family of cartoon figures. She was hosted this year by Colorado College in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Ms. Nazar’s father was a diplomat and she spent part of her childhood in America which is where she developed an interest in cartoons. She has used her cartoons to raise often taboo subjects such as AIDS and domestic violence. While in Colorado Springs she visited a pediatric hospital and in keeping with the Islamic tradition of performing charitable acts in conjunction with the festival of Eid, she promised to create canvases featuring Gogi for the walls of the hospital. She also team- taught a course entitled “Freedom and Authority in Everyday Life: Women, Men and Children in the Middle East.” Ms. Nazar gave a talk on the same topic at the U.S Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs to a group of cadets who are taking Arabic language classes.

Over the course of its five years the program has brought 127 scholars from up to twenty countries at a time to the United States. However, the program’s funding has dropped precipitously since its establishment four years ago. In 2005, the program hosted 48 scholars and this year there were only 11.  The State Department is reportedly reevaluating the program as part of its larger budgetary and programmatic review, and despite what appears to be a positive impact on American campuses, it may be discontinued.

The Direct Access to the Muslim World program was started during the Bush administration, which was roundly criticized for having failed to engage the Muslim world in dialogue.  Unless it is replaced with something more ambitious, it would be ironic if it were to be terminated during the Obama administration, which advocates increasing dialogue with the Muslim world. The program gives Americans at the grassroots level the opportunity to learn more about Islam and Muslim culture. It’s also a great chance for scholars from Muslim countries to learn more about the United States. Response and interest in the program have been strong. “Direct Access to the Muslim World” is the sort of public diplomacy program that can help bridge not just the last three feet of communication, but also the larger gap between America and the Islamic world.

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