A Story of a Friendship

If you had to ask me just WHEN I met my friend and fellow contributor to this blog, Akram Adam, I'm not exactly sure I could say anymore. It's been awhile, and I'm not sure if I was still in Tulsa, OK (which was 6 years ago), if it was before then, or after that. I just know we've known each other for awhile now, and that Akram knows me and my personality better than most out there (in other words, I've got to keep him close, he knows too much!). I do consider Akram to be a "brother of another mother"-- he does know more about me than my own brother. ;)

Through Akram, I have come to learn about the Libyan people, the Libyan nation, and seen that a lot of the stuff that has been said about both in Western media outlets for as long as I've been alive is pure and complete, um, bovine manure (that's about the most polite way you can put it). We may see things vastly differently part of the time, but I think that's part of being male and female, Muslim and Catholic, Libyan and American. We may not see eye to eye on things all the time, but that's part of the beauty of the friendship, too. We don't have to agree to be friends, and I do know I've learned so much from Akram that it's not even funny, including such life lessons as first impressions aren't always correct, and what you've heard all your life can be blatantly false. Friendships with people in groups outside of your comfort zone can be some of the best in your life, and I hope more Americans and Libyans will join hands and become friends as Akram and I have. There's this song by Debbie Gibson, entitled "Tear Down These Walls"-- it's certainly appropriate for our two nations, especially now. Only if we allow ourselves to step outside the comfort zone, and shatter some of our preconceived notions, will we ever hope to erase some of the ugliness that's developed between our nations over the years. Diplomacy begins at the grassroots level-- the citizens instead of the leadership. If the will of the people is influential and loud enough, the leaders tend to listen.