Kids from Muslim Lands Experience Aloha

For the past year, 16 year old Rahim Dad, who hails from a village in northern Pakistan, has been a foreign exchange student at Waianae High School and an unofficial ambassador of his country.  He has also become a second son to Crystal and Joseph Nielsen, a Mormon family living in Waianae with their two toddlers.

Rahim is one of the many scholars of the the ‘Youth Exchange and Study program’ which works to build bridges of understanding between the United States and countries with predominantly Muslim populations. Sponsored by the U.S. State Department, it has brought more than 2,000 students to the United States since 2003 to live as a “son” or “daughter” in an American family and attend high school.  Read more from the story filed by S. Essoyan entitled ‘Kids from Muslim lands try isle life’ on the Star Advertiser dated 12 June 2010.

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MSAP cited for innovative intercultural education and engagement

In his recent address at the Council on Foreign Relations meeting on May 26, 2010, Arne Duncan, Secretary of the Department of Education cited Muslim Societies in Asia and the Pacific. He noted: “For example, we are encouraging our National Resource Centers to strengthen ties with partner institutions in areas of the world with substantial Muslim populations. We will support and help build on innovative education efforts like the University of Hawaii’s Muslim Societies in Asia and the Pacific program.”

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