Saudi Arabian Pitt Students Face Difficulties
Recently I, Ryan, had the opportunity to attend the wedding celebration of a local Saudi Arabian student. However, the purpose of this event was more to raise awareness than it was to celebrate. Many Saudi Arabian students face extreme difficulty returning to America for studies after spending time (normally more than 3 weeks) in Saudi Arabia. Consequently there are many Saudi students who attend the University of Pittsburgh that are afraid to go home for fear of not being able to return to America. The groom, Omar Bafakeeh has seen 13 fellow students place education on hold as they are stuck without visas.
The Saudi students are part of an agreement with President Bush that allows Saudi students to attend universities in America (the Arizona Daily Star has an article on similar students at the University of Arizona). These students have become an important part of the Pittsburgh community and have brought their culture here to our region. The wedding celebration was evidence of this, filled with Saudi Arabian dancing, music, treats and coffee. Omar also showed video of the celebration of the wedding that occurred in Saudi Arabia.
It was a great cultural experience and I hope that things can be resolved between the two countries that would allow for students to easily obtain return Visas while studying in America.
January 4th, 2008 at 1:47pm
That is quite sad, but unfortunately it’s not only happening to Saudi Arabians, but many people from other Middle Eastern countries. I know of one guy who was in a very similar situation, he wasn’t able to go to his sister’s wedding because he was afraid that he wouldn’t be able to come back to school.
Well if you hear anymore about this please let me know.