With the January success of Hamas in the Palestinian Authority polls and the international spate of violent protests over Danish cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed, Boston University students said they would still visit unstable regions, if only to see history as it unfolds.
But for the daring among the student body, BU officials still stress the importance of maintaining students’ well-being in these dangerous climes.
“As for all students on BU programs, their health, safety and security are our primary concerns,” Assistant Provost Ben Dewinter said. “For programs in Israel and Egypt, as for all of our sites, we have put together health, safety and security plans and a wealth of information available to students and their families, some of which is available on our web site.”
Dewinter explained that the Division of International Programs is constantly refining and improving their safety and emergency planning for BU students traveling abroad.
Egypt and Israel, the locations of two coveted study abroad programs offered by the university, are at the epicenters of much of the violence, and in some areas are increasingly more dangerous to traverse. However, Dewinter said the Division of International Programs is ensuring the safety of students who still wish to travel there.
“In both Israel and Egypt, we partner with universities which have offices and staff dedicated to dealing with international students, including students on the BU programs,” Dewinter said.
Current events taking place in other parts of the world are something that many students, as well as their parents, keep in mind when deciding on a country to study abroad in. However, many students say they would still very much like to travel to Egypt and Israel despite these troubled times.
“[I would still travel to Egypt or Israel] because I am still fascinated by the historical and religious sites there,” CAS junior Karin Oung said.
Other students said they would travel to the Middle East particularly during these times to better understand conflicts occurring far from American soil.
“I would definitely go,” CAS freshman Matt Toulme said. “I would rather be able to see the conflict there firsthand and actually be able to talk to a Palestinian and a Jew living there.”
Although the majority of students claim they would still travel abroad to Israel or Egypt, many said their personal safety would be a large factor.
“I think safety is still really important,” Oung said.
Dewinter said BU works with host universities in the Middle East that help ensure the safety of international students.
“Our host universities in the Middle East-the University of Haifa and the University of Alexandria deal with security on a daily basis,” he said. “Security is part of their daily reality.”
Given the current geopolitical climate and the East vs. West ideology, many BU students said they feel it is very important for American students to travel to such countries as Israel and Egypt to witness the conflicts occurring there and to experience a culture that is so vastly different from their own.
“I don’t think you can really know what a culture is like without actually traveling there,” CAS junior Christine Chung said.
Toulme said students should not let ignorance or fear stand in their way of traveling to the Middle East.
“What better way to learn about one of the biggest conflicts of our lifetime than to see it firsthand rather than reading about it in newsprint or hearing about it on biased TV networks,” he said.
