Feedback and Evaluations

 
Evaluations from past and present BAX Committee members

Sir Cyril Townsend, former MP and committee member

Professor Roger Spooner, current Chair of BAX

Feedback from past BAX delegates

Why did you go?

What new perceptions did you gain?

What were the other personal benefits of your visit?

What are the wider benefits of the BAX exchanges?

 Evaluations from past and present BAX Committee members

Sir Cyril Townsend receiving a Jordanian delegation led by Prof. Ali Zaghal,
at the House of Commons, March 1993

Sir Cyril Townsend, former MP and BAX committee member:

It has been a pleasure to have been involved with this organisation since 1992. I would describe it as small but special and splendid, for there is a considerable measure of idealism behind it. It seeks ‘to establish firm links of trust and respect between the future leadership of the Arab countries and the West, and in particular, Britain ’. I know of no other organisation that claims to do that.

Of course, the key to success, when the numbers involved are so small, is to get the top calibre of student. They are selected not only for their academic abilities and personality but also, it is hoped, for their compatibility with the organisation’s ambitious aims. Of course, we do not always succeed. But it is good to find in the list of former delegates many moving upwards in industry and agriculture, in medicine, in education and research, in journalism and in the World Bank.

It is easy to wonder how much our worthy efforts really achieve. At the most we may have some influence over a few hundred students on each side out of populations of many millions, and this at a time in history when the forces of conflict, hatred and evil appear so well organised. Perhaps we are only bailing out a leaky boat with a teaspoon. But in the middle of the ocean I would prefer to do that rather than do nothing. I fall back on the famous quote from Edmund Burke: All that is necessary for the forces of evil to win in this world is for enough good men to do nothing.

Professor Roger Spooner, current Chair of BAX:

In our world today, we easily develop dislikes and misunderstandings of groups we have had no direct contact with.

We have received many Arab student groups in our home in Edinburgh. They learned something about us and we certainly learned much from them.  In emphasising the beliefs and ideals that we share rather than our differences, these exchanges are a vehicle for building bridges between the Arab world and the UK.

The conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, the recent war in Iraq , and the 'War on Terror' are all issues which underline that this need is as important today as when BAX first started.

One of our Arab visitors saw these exchanges as 'destroying stereotypes'. Without direct contact we cannot know what feelings others have towards us, and fear and mistrust easily flourish. With direct contact, we discover our commonalities, the aspirations we all share. Before the moral demands of our respective faiths, we can all admit shortcomings, and our experience is that acknowledging the wrong on one’s own side can be a starting point for building trust.

There is no doubt that the current generation in the Middle East is still struggling with the implications of decisions made in Whitehall in the first half of the 20th century. In the light of this, whatever policies governments may pursue, we believe that it is vital, as much for Britain as for the Middle East, that the British people does not turn its back on these responsibilities. We believe that the proper response is to find ways of offering genuine service to all the peoples of the Middle East. Over the last 36 years, this programme has offered many people just such an opportunity.

Feedback from past BAX delegates

Why did you go?

I had a longstanding interest in the Middle East and wanted to get beyond the rhetoric and second-hand accounts to experience for myself the situation there.
Ella Saltmarshe, UK delegation to Lebanon 2000, now a public affairs consultant

I always wanted to have a closer look at British society, which I have read a lot about.
Roweida Salim Saleh, Lebanese delegation to the UK 1999, now a teacher

The exchange presented the opportunity to get to grips with an Islamic-Christian mixed culture.
Robert Stanier, UK delegation to Lebanon 1997, now a church minister

I was keen to contribute to building greater trust between the UK and Lebanon. Two months prior to my BAX visit, as an English teacher in Beirut, I had encountered views held by Palestinians and Lebanese on the effects of our colonial legacy in the Middle East. I felt they deserved careful attention and a constructive response.
Ronnie Graham, UK delegation to Lebanon 1997, now a civil liberties lawyer

What new perceptions did you gain?

I learnt that in spite of my own seemingly ‘unprejudiced’ nature, I have harboured a quiet reserve towards Islam. Meeting with the Mufti of the Bekaa, and through friendships with many sincere Muslims, I was alerted to, and apologised for, this prejudice. I joined the Middle East Society at University, apparently the first Hindu to do so.
Kumar Raval, UK delegation to Lebanon 1995, now Chief Executive of the Learn to Lead programme for young people

Before I went to Jordan I had some quite wrong ideas about the country and its people. The visit made it clear how wrong and dangerous it is to base your ideas on nothing but prejudices, without knowing the reality. I learned that Jordan is a fast-growing country with lots of potential, far less poverty than I imagined, rather clean cities, and good universities. I learned to respect the Jordanians, their way of living, and their religion.
Dr Jeroen Gunning, UK delegation to Jordan 1987, now a university lecturer in International Politics

Islam was not as it is portrayed in the press - a fundamentalist and confrontational religion. We were impressed by its practicality and strength. 
Peter Jones, UK delegation to Jordan 1996, now a graphic designer

The students I met showed me that we all have the same hopes, dreams and fears.  
Kamran Naqui, UK delegation to Jordan 1996, now working in Human Resources management

People upheld some kind of belief that western society is free of poverty and suffering. The trip helped me learn about other people’s misfortunes, made me value what I have and accept who I am and where I come from. It also helped me to realise that no matter how varied our backgrounds are, our humanity is essentially the same wherever we may go.
Margo Sabella, Bethlehem delegation to the UK 1997, media studies postgraduate student

I always thought of Britain as a country that colonised my country, Sudan, for more than 60 years. After my visit I realised that people in both countries could make that shared history a solid base for stronger relations in the future.
Dr Mahdi MK Buttran, Sudanese delegation to the UK 1981, now a medical doctor in the UK

Before this, I had some misconceptions about western people, their traditions and the way they look at the Muslim and Arab world. But later and through our various visits and meetings with ordinary people as well as officials, the picture got clearer, and a big part of the confusion was clarified.  
Eman Ahmed Akour, Jordanian delegation to the UK 1986, now Head of the English Department of Jordanian Television

 What were the other personal benefits of your visit?

I became more courageous and less shy. I learnt some techniques about applying my beliefs in daily life.  
Hoda Nagib Amin, Egyptian delegation to the UK 1973, now a businesswoman

Two weeks in Jordan have given me a far greater understanding and appreciation of Islam. As a health-care worker in an area with a largely Muslim population, this is invaluable.                                  
Anne Harding, UK delegation to Jordan 1987, now a nurse

Personal stories of perseverance, faith and love in the face of adversity, which I heard during the visit, have become beacons for me. I met people whose lives were inspired by their faith, and who for me are proof that faith, through its believers, enriches the society in which they live.
Ronnie Graham, UK delegation to Lebanon 1997, now a civil liverties lawyer

It was a good time for me to try and come to terms with my own beliefs. I met many people with a deep faith, both Muslims and Christians, and saw the purpose in their lives.                                          
Malcolm Paine, UK delegation to Jordan 1992, now a medial doctor

After the visit I felt that I could be a more valuable person. I came back more open-minded, understanding and just. Sharing with others - British and Lebanese - gave me the chance to see beyond my own society.                                                       
Roweida Salim Saleh, Lebanese delegation to the UK 1999

I have benefited a lot from the programme. It was my first time away from home alone. It was my first chance as a Jordanian citizen and woman, to shoulder responsibility and express myself outside my country. It was the cornerstone for many of my later perspectives and ways of understanding others.                                                  
Eman Ahmed Akour, Jordanian delegation to the UK, 1986, now Head of the English Department of Jordanian Television

What are the wider benefits of the BAX exchanges? 

We benefited from meeting and learning from different people. It was also good for us Palestinians to get to know each other, as some were from different backgrounds and experiences. We also had the opportunity to share some aspects of our lives with people who genuinely seemed to want to listen.    
Margo Sabella,  Bethlehem delegation to the UK 1997

Now, more than ever, these exchange visits are needed. We Lebanese are in need of more bonding, clearer perceptions, less prejudice, less self-indulgence - and if there is one thing which can achieve this, it is these exchange visits.
Roweida Salim Saleh, Lebanese delegation to the UK, 1999

The importance of mutual respect of faiths, which the exchanges emphasise, could offer a way of navigating through the current pervading negative ideologies. They offer the chance to understand another person's belief from his or her own perspective.                  
Ronnie Graham, UK delegation to Lebanon 1997

The exchanges are needed more than ever as the realisation dawns of what alienation and segregation could do to the world. 
Dr Mahdi MK Buttran, Sudanese delegation to the UK 1981

These exchanges reflect the need to establish direct links between the generations of today for the sake of tomorrow.
Mary Hatton, UK delegation to Lebanon 1997