What does K-12 education and our long-term national security have in common? According to Dr. Margee Ensign, dean of the School on International Studies at the University of Pacific in Stockton, it has much in common.
In what appears to be two insurmountable tasks, Ensign believes it's possible to improve the status of women in the Middle East, and enhance education of world affairs for young people in America -- to end what she calls "global ignorance."
Within a two-week span, Ensign brought two trailblazing women from the Middle East to enlighten students and provide the community with greater insight into a region of the world so critical to our well-being.
Last week, Dr. Shirin Ebadi, the first Iranian and Muslim woman to win a Nobel Peace Prize, spoke on human rights, and the milestones and trials in her life that tested her will as a successful woman in a world of oppression, as well as her courage and humanity.
This week, Afghani activist and UOP alum Sakeena Yacoobi discussed the situation in Afghanistan and raised awareness of human rights abuses against women there and in Pakistan. Yacoobi also shared how she established and ran underground schools for women and children in Afghanistan through her Afghan Learning Institute during the Taliban's rule. Yacoobi's visit culminates this weekend as she receives an honorary doctorate from UOP for her achievements.
In our public conversation, there is a tendency not to consider Muslim women living in the Middle East as progressive, courageous or subversive. Ebadi and Yacoobi obviously break such stereotypes. Moreover, their examples of courage force us to rethink one of our deeply held arrogant convictions -- that difference is synonymous with deficient.
Anything that educates the public about Iran and Afghanistan is critical. We are engaged in two wars, yet continue to know very little about the dominant religion or cultures, as well as the work that women do in that part of the world to enhance their survival and liberation.
The fundamental issue for Ensign is our collective ignorance about international relations. She notes that less than 8 percent of college students study a foreign language and less than 1 percent study abroad. These numbers not only demonstrate reasons for our global ignorance, but Ensign further argues such deficiencies pose a long-term national security threat.
Iraq certainly bears out Ensign's analysis. We didn't understand the culture, the religion, or the implications of Iraq's artificial boundaries, which were created by the British in the early 20th century.
When we think of the discourse going forward, who among the potential presidential candidates is addressing the implications of our global ignorance?
Who is addressing the impact of America's perceived torture, suspension of habeas corpus, or the sanity of preemption as a policy going forward? How can we win the so-called war on terror when we seem collectively content to bask in self-induced insularity?
Crisis moments invariably reveal much about people and what they stand for. Our post-9/11 response says we have lost the meaning of our democratic traditions. Many of our political leaders opted for the shortcut of appearing patriotic rather than pursuing the more difficult path that is required to be patriotic.
With few exceptions, the media failed to be the contrarian observer who asks tough questions, while the public replaced the wisdom of James Madison with revenge and fear.
Here is where Ensign believes that K-12 education can make a difference. UOP is one of the few schools in the state that requires international relations as part of teacher training. If our teachers don't have this training, it is unrealistic to have such expectations for our students.
Ensign's commitment to bring different cultures together, by challenging our global ignorance, may prove to be the long-term model for success that we've been searching for in the war on terror.
Byron Williams is an Oakland pastor and syndicated columnist. E-mail him at byron@byronspeaks.com or leave a message at (510) 208-6417.