Dialogue of Civilizations

Here's my brother Samer Abu-Ghazaleh, the mastermind, mover-shaker, and energetic leader of our first-ever Northeastern Alumni event in Saudi Arabia.

I've been suffering from a horrible back "issue" (sprain? strain? slipped disc???) since Dec. 31. I had to cancel a quick trip to Kuwait but kept my quicker trip to Saudi Arabia to meet our NU alumni and parents association AND, while I was there, to get 5-star medical assessment and treatment. My Lebanese Doctor in the Saudi Hospital, developed in partnership with Cleveland Clinic (yes, THAT Cleveland), with amazing Filipino and Indonesian staff, and whose Executive Director of Operations is Palestinian , all came together for this one American patient - and all this demonstrates the " global village " once again. The official purpose was our first-ever Alumni event in Saudi. Shout out to our Dean, Georges Van Den Abbeele, and our Alumni office, especially Kirsten Spilker, and mostly dear Samer Abu-Ghazaleh, a "double Husky" (BA & MBA). We had a great turnout of parents of current students plus alumni (and a few of their parent...

It's January 1, 2012, and all is well thus far in Egypt. That isn't to say "all is well" for all Egyptians. But only to say there is a calm here and as I may have said already, "still waters run deep." The calmness belies the lingering struggle Egyptians face against a tough military government; the struggle for justice; the struggle for fair elections (these are most definitely NOT); the struggle for economic growth and political stability. In brief, Egypt and Egyptians have a very long road ahead to get anywhere close to the ideals, hopes, and dreams of the January 25 (2011) Revolution. I have focused many of my visits to Muslim leaders (such as the Grand Mufti, Dr. Ali Gumaa, pictured here) and Islamist activists (such as an information official with the Ikhwan, Muslim Brotherhood).