Some of you mentioned Iranians. I can't comment on Iranians. I would say that their nation's policies are more closed than most, if not all, of the other nations in the region.

Some of you also referred to the lack of woman's suffrage and other restrictions. These are government policies, not necessarily the attitudes of the people. When some of you discuss the US, you distinguish government policy from the people. You should do the same for the Saudis.

How many Saudi women and men in my school? Two women and nine men. A better ratio than the number of women to men in the US Senate.

Keep in mind that the situation was very different in 1995. There were no Saudi women studying here at all then. The behavior of men towards the female US teachers was very disciminatory. In ten years, things have changed a lot. People's attitudes about Saudis and other Middle Easterners are often based on simplistic, outdated stereotypes, based mostly on hearsay and firmly-fixed opinions.

It's the practice of governments to present an image of an enemy that is alien and unfamiliar to their citizens. They emphasize the differences, and ignore the similarities. They do not want to us identify or sympathize with them.

The US government began a war with Iraq, and supposedly with terrorists, and reinforces this alien image of Iraqis and other peoples associated with them, such as Saudis. There is sometimes truth to the pictures they draw, but they are exaggerations that support their agenda.

The Saudis could have remained in isolation. The government could keep its students within its borders, insulated from foreign contact. Yet, it is actively sponsoring programs to do the very opposite, exposing young men and women to Western values, pop culture, and vices.

These young men and women are not as alien as certain people would like you to believe.