Spring Break
International students are all about Obama
Kate King
Issue date: 11/3/08 Section: Election Special
"This election is just different," Alam said. "American influence in my region is big, so we need someone who will offer new perspectives."
Obama is seen as more open to democratic relations with the Middle East, according to Fatimazahra Blila, who is here from Rabat, Morocco.
"McCain really does not accept any communication," Blila said. "It was a policy suggested by Bush and it didn't prove effective."
Blila said she was saddened by the negative connotations that became attached to Islam during this campaign when a false rumor circulated that Obama was Muslim.
"What is it about being a Muslim?" Blila said. "After all, this is a free country. Religious worship is a free matter and it does not interfere with politics. I think it's pretty sad that people make a connection between Obama and Osama (Bin Laden) and that they take Osama to be representative of the Muslim-Arab community."
Many students also said that they would like to see an African American elected as president of the United States.
Safia Redjil, who also traveled to UConn from France, said she believed the U.S. would set a positive example by electing an African American president. She said many people in France equate Obama with Martin Luther King Jr.
"We hear a lot about Americans not being ready to vote for a black man," she said. "But racism is not an American problem, it's a world problem."
Arthur Virapin-Apou, an exchange student from Paris, France, said he sees Obama as a symbol for potential social progress. He said he would like to see a minority elected to the highest office. This is especially after the 2006 presidential election in France, during which Virapin-Apou felt the country did not elect the female candidate, Segolene Royal, in part because of her gender.
"If America is ready to elect Obama, I think it's a very good sign," Virapin-Apou said. "But I can't believe it until I see it."
Redjil and Virapoin-Apou said they also support Obama's position on health care because it more closely mirrors their programs in France, which they see as more effective than the American system. Emma Gilligan, a Russian history and human rights professor who moved to Connecticut from Australia several years ago, feels the same way.
Obama is seen as more open to democratic relations with the Middle East, according to Fatimazahra Blila, who is here from Rabat, Morocco.
"McCain really does not accept any communication," Blila said. "It was a policy suggested by Bush and it didn't prove effective."
Blila said she was saddened by the negative connotations that became attached to Islam during this campaign when a false rumor circulated that Obama was Muslim.
"What is it about being a Muslim?" Blila said. "After all, this is a free country. Religious worship is a free matter and it does not interfere with politics. I think it's pretty sad that people make a connection between Obama and Osama (Bin Laden) and that they take Osama to be representative of the Muslim-Arab community."
Many students also said that they would like to see an African American elected as president of the United States.
Safia Redjil, who also traveled to UConn from France, said she believed the U.S. would set a positive example by electing an African American president. She said many people in France equate Obama with Martin Luther King Jr.
"We hear a lot about Americans not being ready to vote for a black man," she said. "But racism is not an American problem, it's a world problem."
Arthur Virapin-Apou, an exchange student from Paris, France, said he sees Obama as a symbol for potential social progress. He said he would like to see a minority elected to the highest office. This is especially after the 2006 presidential election in France, during which Virapin-Apou felt the country did not elect the female candidate, Segolene Royal, in part because of her gender.
"If America is ready to elect Obama, I think it's a very good sign," Virapin-Apou said. "But I can't believe it until I see it."
Redjil and Virapoin-Apou said they also support Obama's position on health care because it more closely mirrors their programs in France, which they see as more effective than the American system. Emma Gilligan, a Russian history and human rights professor who moved to Connecticut from Australia several years ago, feels the same way.
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