A few days before leaving for Doha, Qatar, I asked the US Embassy if I could give a speech or workshop to the Ministry of Education, a university, or association of foreign language teachers about my book, Language is Music, and easy foreign language learning methodology using music. One or two days before leaving, I got an email from the Cultural Affairs Officer at the Embassy that I could participate in a panel discussion about “US and Arab cultural relations” if I tied in the topic of my book and languages. I was excited at the offer and thought about my presentation on the way to Doha.

My flight from San Francisco to New York was delayed due to weather problems in New York. By the time I reached New York, I had missed my New York-Doha flight. I had to spend 24 hours in frigid New York with just the clothes I had on me and in my carry-on suitcase. I was planning on going to the desert in the Persian Gulf, not to freezing winter New York weather. Wrapped with my shawl on my head and neck, I weathered the cold and enjoyed an afternoon and early evening in Manhattan with another stranded passenger. Qatar Airlines couldn’t find my reservation when my flight was about to close boarding. They are so slow and bureaucratic, but finally retrieved my reservation. But I arrived in Doha without my luggage. So, I had to hand wash my clothes and dry them on the lamp in the hotel room to wear at the panel discussion the next day, Christmas Day. I had prepared a handmade silk Vietnamese outfit for the event, but alas, I had no choice to wear the same clothes I’d been wearing for the past three days.

To my surprise, I found out that the reason the Embassy asked me to participate in the panel discussion was because originally one of the Embassy staff was going to speak on the panel, but after the Iraqi journalist threw his shoe at President Bush in Iraq, no Embassy representatives wanted to speak in front of the press. So even though the Embassy had never met me before and had not read my books, they took the chance and added me to the panel. (Of the US publishers at the fair, I was one of two US citizens, and the only one who spoke with an American accent.)

I was the shoe-in.

I had no idea the Minister of Culture of Qatar would be the opening speaker at the event. I also did not know that Al Jazeera would be filming the event. My name was not in the program because I was a last minute addition. The audience was expecting a US diplomat with whom they could discuss US foreign policy to Arab and Muslim countries and instead they got a mystery woman from California who only knew a few words of Arabic.

The Minister of Culture opened the panel saying that Qatar was pleased to invite to US as the guest of honor as he wanted to improve the civilizational dialogue between our cultures. He stated that relations between the US and Arab world were colored by the United States’ support of Israel and Zionism.

Oh no! My heart started beating fast. What if they figure out that I am Jewish? Though I oppose the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip and US military aid to Israel, this was not the time and place for me to openly discuss US foreign policy to Israel and be an apologist for the mess the US has created in the Middle East. I was invited there by the embassy of my country and was not going to make a public relations disaster for the embassy or myself. If I were there as a private citizen on my own accord, then that would be a different story.

The other two panelists, Prof. Yassine from Cairo and Prof. Al Tama from Indianapolis (originally from Iraq) mentioned US support for Israel and Zionism making it difficult for Arabic literature to be translated into English and distributed in the US. My heart was still palpitating quickly. I couldn’t find the notes for my speech. I scribbled down some notes as the other two professors read their pre-written speeches. They were professors of literature and I only had a Bachelors Degree and couldn’t speak Arabic. (I was listening to the interpretation of the speeches.) The Cultural Affairs officer stood up from the first row in the audience to hand me some more talking points. I am nervous. I didn’t know they other speakers would prepare long speeches.

When it’s my turn to speak, I look at the audience and see mostly men in thobes (the long white robes that men in the Gulf wear) and the white scarves and black fabric rings on their heads. I give my speech on how language, music and the Internet serve as bridges between the US and the Arab world, giving examples of Algerian Rai music, a Saudi Arabian female rock band, Internet telephony, my own book and other items. With the exception of the US Cultural Affairs Officer and Minister of Culture who nodded when I described how music can be used to learn foreign languages, I saw blank faces in the audience. I wondered if they understood or appreciated what I was saying. My delivery wasn’t as natural or engaging as I would have liked. I was truly nervous.

A few people from the audience came up to the microphones to give their comments and ask questions. The first speaker, an outspoken Qatari man, actually praised the US wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. That was shocking. Several of them made strong statements against US foreign policy and wondered how an Obama administration would change US relations with the Muslim world. The woman from the embassy mouthed to me silently, “Don’t answer that question.” There was an emotional interchange between a man sitting next to the Minister of Culture and the moderator, sitting next to me about Palestine and the US. The interpreter couldn’t interpret the entire conversation as the man in the audience wasn’t speaking into a microphone. When it came my turn to respond to the audience member’s questions, I announced that I was only going to speak on cultural matters.

To my surprise, several people came up to me after the panel discussion telling me how much they enjoyed the speech and my ideas about language and music. Even the Minister of Culture came up to me to say that we had a lot in common as he had served as the Qatari Ambassador to France and the US and knew what I meant about each language being its own music. He said that he wanted the Ministry of Culture to translate my book into Arabic. WOW!

If the Iraqi shoe thrower hadn’t scared the US diplomatic corps about appearing in front of the press, the Embassy would not have added me to the panel at the last minute and I would not have had a chance to make such a public presentation about my book and language learning methodology!

When I saw the shoe throwing incident, I thought it was hilarious and didn’t think the journalist should be jailed. Now, I have him to thank for my book deal. Being a shoe-in has its benefits.

Shukran! (Thanks)

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