In many ways, Hibba Abugideiri, a naturalized American citizen, epitomizes both the modern and the traditional. Her high level of education (she holds a Ph.D. in history from Georgetown University) and professional career (she is a professor of Middle Eastern history at George Washington University) show her to be a thoroughly modern woman, while her devout Islamic piety and reverence for family keep her firmly grounded in traditional values.

Born in Sudan, Hibba came to the United States with her parents while still a young child, so her father could pursue a doctoral degree in agriculture at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. Her family had firmly intended to return to Sudan after her father completed his studies, since both of her parents believed strongly in using their U.S.-acquired educations to help develop their native land. They were prevented from doing so, however, when her father was blacklisted for political reasons and was not permitted to return. By the 1980s, her family had abandoned all hope of going back to Sudan; the entire family, including Hibba, became American citizens in 1984.

Hibba took full advantage of the opportunities afforded her in her adopted country, and she obtained bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees from American universities. She has become a renowned expert in the fields of Middle Eastern and Islamic history, writing extensively on these subjects and teaching them at the university level. She has also shared her knowledge with overseas audiences, traveling abroad to numerous countries, including Malawi, Trinidad, Uzbekistan, and Azerbaijan, under the auspices of the Department of State's American Speaker and Specialist Program.

Hibba believes that her participation in the American Speaker and Specialist Program has not only enabled her to make a valuable contribution to her overseas audiences, but has also been personally and professionally rewarding. The warm hospitality and kindness of her overseas hosts, in small towns and villages as well as in large cities, is something that she will never forget.

She was also very impressed by the university students she met during her programs abroad, who were not only very knowledgeable about the United States and other countries, but who also had their own unique perspectives on the world. By attempting to see the world through the eyes of these students, Hibba says, she was able to gain a fresh perspective on her own experiences and a renewed appreciation of cultural diversity. As Hibba puts it: "We often take for granted the many advantages that we have in this country, so much so that we sometimes forget that people in other countries also have their own unique patriotism and love of country, which is rooted in their own cultures and histories."

Her "American success" notwithstanding, Hibba has never lost sight of traditional Islamic values, and she feels that these values are compatible with such secular American traditions as political freedom and equal opportunity. She is encouraged by the increasing political activism of American Muslims, who, she believes, have much to contribute to the American political process and can play a positive role in America's interaction with Muslim nations.

Nor does her Islamic faith make Hibba feel out of place in the United States. Indeed, she believes that many Americans are not satisfied with a completely secular, materialistic society, and are looking for a spirituality of some kind, whether derived from a traditional religion such as Islam or from some less traditional source.

When asked what advice she would give to a young person, either in America or abroad, Hibba said that she would urge that person to pursue knowledge in all of its forms, as this is the key to success in all walks of life, as well as to personal fulfillment. Hibba's own life has proven this to be true. - Steven M. Lauterbach

From the e-journal "The United States in 2005: Who We Are Today"