Exchange student finds fierce defense in host mother

Abdullah Al-Azmi graduates Thursday night from North High School in North St. Paul, and I predict the applause will be deafening. That's because until 10 p.m. Tuesday, the popular foreign exchange student from Saudi Arabia thought he was being booted home before the pomp and circumstance began.

The "melodrama," as one observer calls it, began last Friday when the esteemed 60-year-old American Field Service (AFS) informed Abdullah's host family that a series of inappropriate actions warranted an abrupt end to the 17-year-old's cross-cultural adventure. Parents, teachers and friends fired back in a flurry of e-mails that reached the international AFS office, defending Abdullah as a great guy who made some typical teenage mistakes which he quickly remedied. A few charged AFS with anti-Muslim bias.

"I feel they were wanting to get rid of him, trying to accumulate enough reasons to send him home," said Maureen Mullaley, of Lake Elmo, Abdullah's host mother since January. "There was direct prejudice toward him. I love the idea of the [AFS] program, but there is something wrong here."

Marlene Baker, spokeswoman for New York-based AFS-USA, said she could not discuss details of the case, "out of respect for [Abdullah's] privacy."

Abdullah arrived in Minnesota last summer with an AFS-affiliated program called YES (Youth Exchange and Study). The State Department created the program in 2002 to bring over high school students from countries with significant Muslim populations, including Turkey, Saudi Arabia, India and Egypt.

Abdullah's stay got off to a bumpy start. He smoked cigarettes (but has since quit), and bought knives for target practice, neither of which sat well with his first host mother. On North's school colors day, Abdullah wore a red-and-white head covering. Some faculty and students told him to take it off, something Abdullah's U.S. history and political science teacher, Jim Honsa, found offensive.

"People said, 'Obviously, he's a terrorist.' I thought, 'Really? Everybody in a turban is a terrorist?' He did take it off," said Honsa, "but he was surprised that people were put off by that."

Evans and Abdullah got along so well that, when Evans returned to Saudi Arabia in March, she contacted Abdullah's mother, Seham Farah, and they became friends. Evans invited Seham to visit Minnesota as soon as she could secure a visa, which Seham did in May. The plan was that Seham would stay with Evans, and observe her son from afar at a track meet, the Grand March at prom and, of course, graduation.

Evans was unaware that the AFS handbook requires that parental visits be approved ahead of time. Last Friday, an AFS spokeswoman called Mullaley to tell her that Abdullah would be shipped home a month early -- missing graduation. Mullaley said the action was "to punish Abdullah for his mother, Seham's visit." AFS countered that the decision was, in fact, due to a host of longer-term issues. The decision was rare; only about 3 percent of students are sent home prematurely.

A horrified Evans called AFS to say that Seham's visit was her idea. Besides, as she and others noted, Abdullah had made impressive strides throughout the year. He was picked as Unsung Hero for helping a teacher, volunteered with elderly neighbors, and spoke to younger students about Saudi life. He also brought up his algebra grade from an F to a B.

He wasn't perfect, Mullaley said. After missing curfew at her house three times, he received a stern lecture and never did it again. "He hasn't done anything that a lot of other high school kids haven't tried," Mullaley said.

Honsa said his students were enriched by Abdullah's presence. "The fact that he is from the Middle East has only added to the discussion," Honsa said. "He has a very interesting perspective that the other students would not get any other way."

Evans is now working on behalf of Abdullah's 16-year-old sister, who has been barred from the program because of her brother's case.

"There were a few bad apples at the top, and some things did seem quite calculated," Evans said. "But, obviously, they reconsidered, and it's a good lesson for them. Maybe they just don't understand these kids yet. But the only way to find out is to have them here," Evans said.