Hussam Alwafi made the equivalent of $150 a month as a pediatrician in Libya âÄî an amount he said didnâÄôt even cover gas for his trips to and from the capital city, Tripoli.
âÄúMost students donâÄôt have a clear idea or picture of the situation in Libya,âÄù he said. âÄúIt is our duty to clarify it.âÄù
Monday, Alwafi made a four-hour trip from South Dakota, where he goes to school, to the University of Minnesota with a group of Libyan-Americans for an event he said he hoped would do just that.
The Humphrey School of Public Affairs and Medical Teams International, an international humanitarian organization, co-sponsored a forum Monday on the role of humanitarian aid in rebuilding Libya.
In February, unrest swept much of the Middle East. Revolts ousted government leaders in neighboring Egypt and Tunisia before demonstrations in Libya were met with bloodshed at the hands of Col. Moammar GadhafiâÄôs regime âÄî which controlled the country for 40 years âÄî according to the Associated Press.
The forum discussed the humanitarian crisis these revolts have presented and what Americans can and have done to help.
âÄúAs a public university, we have to give the audience the chance to reflect on whatâÄôs going on in and outside of the U.S.,âÄù said Cyrus Bina, a professor from the UniversityâÄôs Morris campus who moderated the event.
Speakers included U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison, Medical Teams International CEO Bas Vanderzalm and Jamal Tarhuni, a board member of the Libyan Council of North America.
Each encouraged the audience to support political decision-making that reflects the uprisings in the Arab world.
âÄúTomorrowâÄôs going to get here sooner than we think,âÄù Ellison said. âÄúAs Americans, we need to know that as the Middle East changes, we cannot stay the same.âÄù
In an interview after the event, Ellison called specifically on students to bridge the gap between America and the new Arab world.
He encouraged students to use the resources available to them to travel during their time in college.
âÄúStudents should travel the world,âÄù he said. âÄúYouâÄôll see that in the world, every place is different, but all people are basically the same.âÄù
Speakers and audience members said they hoped the event would inspire new types of relationships in Libya that go beyond âÄúoil, counter-terrorism and religious affiliations.âÄù
But while panelists called for continued dialogue and the support of work by non-governmental organizations like MTI, which exports medical aid and supplies to countries in need, a few attendees voiced support for GadhafiâÄôs regime, which sparked a continued debate during and after the event.
Alwafi, who moved to the U.S. in 2008 to pursue his doctorate at South Dakota State University, said his personal story reflects the poor quality of life that sparked the uprising.
He said he wished more students came to the event to gain the Libyan-American perspective beyond the headlines.
Margaret Li, a senior officer for MTI and event organizer, said audience members will look back on the events in Libya as part of a âÄúturning point in our history.âÄù
Li said she had just spoken with a Libyan doctor who said there are 7,000 more amputees in Libya as a result of the war within the country.
âÄúWe cannot let those who are suffering be forgotten,âÄù she said. âÄúThis event is part of nurturing public ideas about the changing world around us.âÄù
