2008 Woodie Awards
The dream of democracy
William Glucroft
Issue date: 4/20/06 Section: Opinion
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What's all this nonsense about Arabs and Muslims being incapable of democracy, modernization and dialogue with those dubbed "infidels?"
At a recent business conference, I witnessed all that Arab-Muslims are "incapable" of.
Just a few weekends ago, I participated in the annual conference for the International Academy of Business Disciplines (IABD) in San Diego.
Since 1989, the IABD has brought together businesspeople from around the world to discuss issues concerning economies, emerging technologies and political and social communication.
Unlike similar but more competitive forums, IABD prides itself in its collaborative rather than combative nature.
The president of this year's conference was Emerson's own Dr. J. Gregory Payne. He invited 15 Emerson students to the conference to both take part in and report on the event. The group worked closely with the founder of IABD, Abbass Alkhafaji, a professor at Slippery Rock University.
Alkhafaji is a man of great warmth and impressive character who carries a remarkable life story. After serving as a conscript in Saddam Hussein's army, Alkhafaji fled Iraq in the 1970s and arrived in America without the luxury of knowing English.
Since then he has not only mastered the language but also his field. Today, Alkhafaji is a prominent figure in the world of business management, serving as a popular keynote speaker and a bestselling author. And Alkhafaji is not unique.
In fact, of the approximately 300 people in attendance at the conference, as many as half did not fit the typical profile of a businessman: white and male.
Among the Americans were a plurality of blacks and women, and comprising the international crowd were Indians, Arabs, Hindus and Muslims.
These were rooms full of people who should have been fighting one another. Instead, this intelligent group was conversing, thanks to previous access to education and subsequent economic success. And that-education and economy (or rather, lack there of)-is the rub.
At a recent business conference, I witnessed all that Arab-Muslims are "incapable" of.
Just a few weekends ago, I participated in the annual conference for the International Academy of Business Disciplines (IABD) in San Diego.
Since 1989, the IABD has brought together businesspeople from around the world to discuss issues concerning economies, emerging technologies and political and social communication.
Unlike similar but more competitive forums, IABD prides itself in its collaborative rather than combative nature.
The president of this year's conference was Emerson's own Dr. J. Gregory Payne. He invited 15 Emerson students to the conference to both take part in and report on the event. The group worked closely with the founder of IABD, Abbass Alkhafaji, a professor at Slippery Rock University.
Alkhafaji is a man of great warmth and impressive character who carries a remarkable life story. After serving as a conscript in Saddam Hussein's army, Alkhafaji fled Iraq in the 1970s and arrived in America without the luxury of knowing English.
Since then he has not only mastered the language but also his field. Today, Alkhafaji is a prominent figure in the world of business management, serving as a popular keynote speaker and a bestselling author. And Alkhafaji is not unique.
In fact, of the approximately 300 people in attendance at the conference, as many as half did not fit the typical profile of a businessman: white and male.
Among the Americans were a plurality of blacks and women, and comprising the international crowd were Indians, Arabs, Hindus and Muslims.
These were rooms full of people who should have been fighting one another. Instead, this intelligent group was conversing, thanks to previous access to education and subsequent economic success. And that-education and economy (or rather, lack there of)-is the rub.
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