Useful Idiots on Parade

American Students seek true view of Middle East

Professors at the American University in Cairo call them "September 11 kids." In the heart of Egypt's capital the university with its arabesque buildings and gardens of palm trees is a new hot spot for Americans studying abroad.

Drawn by curiosity about the September 11 attacks on New York's World Trade Center in 2001, hundreds of American students are venturing to the Middle East, eager to learn Arabic, study Islam and cut through media stereotypes as they prepare for careers in intelligence or diplomacy.

Natasha George, a 38-year old Texan, decided to study at AUC in Cairo after her brother Michael deployed to Iraq with the U.S. Air Force.
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"I wanted to understand how we got into a position where we were invading a country with no real reason," she said. "I wanted to get a first-hand look and I didn't trust the information that the U.S. media was reporting."

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"It's funny how it's different. It's just not a scary place at all," said University of Illinois student Anne Shivers, whose worried older brother offered her $400 not to come to Cairo.
"I've explained it to my parents but they still don't believe me," she added.