Baha’is celebrate their founder’s birthday | 6
Oregon Patty Emerald
An independent newspaper
www. dailyemerald. com
Since 1900 | Volume 106, Issue 571 Monday, November 15, 2004
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crucial final exam can mean the difference between
passing and failing for many students, but for interna
JL Xtional students, one unsatisfactory answer in a stan
dard-procedure interview could mean the loss of an opportu
nity to study abroad in the United States.
International students must go through a rigorous interview
process with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service in or
der to obtain a visa to study in this country. The process has got
ten substantially more difficult since the United States stepped
up security measures after Sept. 11, International Programs
Director Magid Shirzadegan said.
Colleges around the nation are currently concerned that the
new measures have resulted in fewer international students
coming to the country.
Junior Deny Unardi, an international student from Indonesia,
said he’s heard of students traveling from his country being
turned away after an interview with the USCIS.
“They think, ‘Oh, I hope I pass, I hope I can go to America,’”
he said. “They get scared every time they go there.”
At the University, the number of international students has
been on a steady decline since Sept. 11. This year, the interna
tional student population stands at 1,175 students, down from
1,440 in fall 2001.
International Student Adviser Abe Schafermeyer said there
have been more instances in which students are denied visas.
“Technically, there’s no change in the law,” he said. “I think
(the laws) might be interpreted with more scrutiny.”
But decreases haven’t been equal across the board; Shirzadegan
Security
increases,
Diversity
decreases
International students face greater obstacles
in obtaining study-abroad visas since Sept. 11
BY MORIAH BAUNGIT | NEWS REPORTER
said there are substantially fewer students from Muslim countries.
“Some students have not been able to get a visa ... because of
security measures,” he said.
Unardi can testify to this trend. As a student from the predom
inantly Muslim country of Indonesia, Unardi applied for a visa
before Sept. 11, but said if he were to apply now, the process
would be far more arduous.
“If you’re applying for a new visa, it takes four to five
months just to wait for a result,” he said. “After Sept. 11,
everything got so strict.”
Bret Furtwangler | Graphic artist
Now Unardi, who hasn’t returned home since he arrived here
three years ago, said he is afraid to go back to Indonesia because
he doesn’t want to have to reapply for a visa, and he’s heard that
he may be denied entrance into the United States.
“I don’t want to go through all the trouble again,” he said. “I
can’t meet my parents. I can’t meet my family, but I guess it’s better
to stay,... better than having to risk net coming back here.”
Graduate student Heni Attiah from Egypt faces a similar
predicament. Like Unardi, he applied for his visa before Sept. 11,
but won’t return home because he too is afraid he won’t be able
to reenter the United States. As a young, single male of Middle
Eastern descent, he said he feels he’s scrutinized far more than
other visa candidates, and added the U.S. government regarded
him as “suspicious” even before Sept. 11.
“My age and my looks and my ethnicity ... all of them com
bine together to make a bad concoction,” he said.
Attiah has also said that he won’t return home until he has
finished his education because he’s afraid he’d be denied a visa.
“I feel like I’m a prisoner,” he said. “I don’t have the freedom
to come and go.”
While students from other parts of the world may face less scruti
ny when applying for visas, the process for them is also becoming
increasingly difficult.
Senior Santiago Garcia of Spain said it only took him fifteen
days to obtain his student visa, although he applied right after
Sept. 11, when the increased security measures had not yet been
put into place.
INTERNATIONAL, page 6
IN BRIEF
Muslims celebrate end
of Ramadan with 'Eid-ul-Fitr
Muslims around the world celebrated 'Eid
ul-Fitr (the Festival of Fast-Breaking) on Sun
day, marking the end of Ramadan. The holi
day began Oct. 15 and is a month-long Islamic
celebration of fasting during daylight hours.
'Eid-ul-Fitr falls on the first day of
Shawwal, the 10th month in the Hijra calen
dar. During the celebration, Muslims dress
in holiday attire, attend a special community
prayer in the morning, visit with friends and
family and often exchange gifts.
In many Muslim countries, the holiday is a
three-day celebration with the main festivities
occurring on the first day. Fasting is forbidden
on the first day of 'Eid-ul-Fitr because the fes
tival celebrates the end of the Ramadan fast.
After rising, participants dress in new, fes
tive clothes and attend a community prayer.
Part of the celebration of 'Eid-ul-Fitr is the
giving of an obligatory gift to charity. The
gift is usually given during the month of Ra
madan so it can be used by the recipient for
the 'Eid-ul-Fitr celebration. The gift, called
Zakatul Fitr, is normally given to needy
Muslims in the local community.
— Amanda Bolsinger
Insurgent battles escalate in Sunni regions
Although fighting in Fallujah has dropped off since attacks began last
week, military officials say more is expected before the city is secured
BY TIN I IRAN
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
BAGHDAD, Iraq — Insurgents stormed two
police stations Sunday in the strife-ridden city
of Mosul, killing at least six Iraqi troops as at
tacks spread throughout Sunni Muslim areas
following the U.S.-led assault on Fallujah.
At least 38 American troops and six Iraqi sol
diers have been killed in the fighting in Fallujah.
The number of U.S. troops wounded is now 275,
though more than 60 have returned to duty. U.S.
officials estimated more than 1,200 insurgents
were killed in the week-long fighting.
"The perception of Fallujah being a safe haven
for terrorists ... and the reality of it will be com
pletely wiped off before the conclusion of this op
eration,” said Lt. Gen. John Sattler, commander
of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force.
U.S. forces have spread throughout the city, al
though it could take several more days of fighting
before the city is secured, American officials said.
Fighting in Fallujah was ebbing, but insurgent
attacks appeared to escalate elsewhere in Sunni
Muslim areas of central and northern Iraq.
About an hour after heavy explosions rattled
central Baghdad, approximately four more large
explosions rocked die Green Zone, headquarters
of the U.S. and Iraqi leadership. Clashes were also
reported on Haifa Street, a center of insuigent sup
port in the heart of the capital.
In Mosul, where an uprising broke out last
week in support of the Fallujah defenders,
militants raided two police stations, killing at
least six Iraqi National Guards and wounding
three others. One insurgent was killed and
three others were wounded before Iraqi secu
rity forces regained control of both stations,
witnesses said.
Governor Duraid Kashmoula said the curfew
will continue to be imposed on the city from
4 p.m. to 6 a.m.
A dozen explosions rocked an American base
in the western part of Ramadi, about 30 miles
west of Fallujah, after insurgents fired missiles.
U.S. assault quicker than expected
Khabbaza
UNITED STATES
SEClVR
SECTOR
► Marines
KINGDOM
SECTOR
The U.S. military's ground and air
assault of Fallujah has gone quicker
than the April assault after
sending in six times as
many troops and 20<—■*'' "‘Mosul
different types of
aircraft. The military \
said 38 Americans /
and six Iraqi soldiers j
have been killed /
in the siege.
► Militants attacked two
police stations killing at
least six Iraqi National
Guards and wounding
three others
► Saboteurs set
fire to four oil
► At least two heavy
explosions hit
central Baghdad
after nightfall,
followed by
gunfire
found the mutilated V,
body of what is believed"'
to be a Western woman
► U.S warplanes dropped
four 2,000-pound bombs on a
series of underground bunkers
SAUDI ARABIA
SOURCE: ESRI
Witnesses reported seeing flames and smoke
billowing from the base.
One Marine and an Iraqi soldier were hurt
when five mortar shells struck a checkpoint
outside Fallujah.
In an interview with Iraqi television Sunday,
interim Prime Minister Allawi defended his
IRAQ, page 4