Muslims Students, Jewish Faculty … A Good Story

During and after 9/11, several students (Muslim) and I (Jewish) talked informally about being there to support each other when, inevitably, voices of bigotry would threaten our communities. Over the past 15 years, we have kept in touch, from time to time. My students have become prominent professionals and loving parents. Last week, one of my former students (now friend) asked me if I could host her niece during a campus visit…. So, we have a lunch date for next week. This story is far from unusual on American campuses—indeed, it appears to be the norm. But it is never reported, so I pass this along with thanks to my students, in whom I take pride.

(Professor Mark R. Cohen delivering a lecture to a seminar room full of professors and graduate students at King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (December 2014)