Let's see a show of hands... Who wants more "cross-cultural understanding" with "Muslim-majority" countries?

...with Assad in Syria, April 2010.

 

Tue, 08/03/2010 - 11:09 — Mark Overmann

As he promised to do back in June, Sen. John Kerry (D-MA), chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC), introduced legislation yesterday to create a professional exchange program between the U.S. and Muslim-majority countries.

 According to an SFRC press release, the International Professional Exchange Act of 2010 (S. 3688) will “establish a two-way professional exchange program between the United States and select Muslim-majority countries to promote career development and cross-cultural understanding for young to mid-career professionals.”

Sen. Kerry’s bill calls for a three-year pilot program, with fellowships of three to six months for participants between 21 and 40 years of age. Both American and foreign participants will be selected from a wide-range of professions and will take part in programs designed to build “relevant professional skill sets.”

While the program is targeted at Muslim-majority countries (four to seven countries will be chosen as partners by the Secretary of State), “the program does not exclude non-Muslims from participating in the exchange.”

 

The term Muslim "majority" is often a slight misunderestimation.

Saudi Arabia, Maldives, Mauritania, Somalia, Turkey, Algeria, Afghanistan, Morocco and Yemen ~ 99-100% Muslim

Iran, Tunisia, Comoros, Pakistan, Iraq, Tajikistan and Libya - 95-98%

Senegal, Djibouti, Azerbaijan and Oman ~ 93-94%

Egypt, Syria, Niger, Mali, Kosovo, Gambia, Kuwait, Guinea, Indonesia, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Bangladesh ~ 85-90%

 

Comments

[Mannie Sherberg]

Whenever you see such consummate gobbledygook as "relevant professional skill sets" emanating from Washington, you can be sure you're being softened up for another left-wing rip-off. And that's precisely what this -- or will be: A progressivist boondoggle designed to let some dim-witted Dems feel good about themselves. I have a better idea: If these so-called professionals -- whoever they may be -- want or need "cross-cultural understanding" (can anyone explain what that means?) let them get it on their own dime. Or better yet, let's divert the money the Arabs have budgeted for the Cordoba mosque to this project. I'm sure there isn't a Muslim anywhere in the world who wouldn't agree that "cross-cultural understanding" is far, far more important than another pile of bricks and mortar.

[Supra Skytop II]

Despite prejudice and tragedy in Poland's past, a remarkable revival of Jewish life and culture is now under way, including an annual music festival in Cracow, near Auschwitz