Aug. 6, 2003

If you happen to be cruising the streets of Gaithersburg this fall and you see a group of camels, don't worry, you're not hallucinating.

The camels, along with some Arabian horses, will be for real in October when the city plays host to a project intended to increase understanding between Americans and Arabs.

Called the Friendship Caravan, the visit will be a test run before it embarks on a coast-to-coast tour in the spring, leaving from San Francisco and ending up back in the Washington, D.C., area.

Volunteers for the Gaithersburg caravan will not only introduce the animals to people and maybe parade through the streets, but they also will hold music and dance performances and a variety of discussions. The caravan is an effort to dispel misconceptions between Americans and Arabs about both cultures, said Michael Kirtley, who is spearheading the effort. The caravan, he said, will have a crew of permanent volunteers and display vehicles for the cross-country tour.

Although programs and dates are still being worked, Kirtley said, plans are in the works for a roundtable discussion with women from various Arab countries and the United States and dance and musical performances by a rock band and dance troupe from Bahrain. Also planned, he said, are business networking meetings, a satellite conference between Arab and American children, a question-and-answer session with ambassadors of Arab countries and a "Meet the Media" session where people can talk to both American and Arab journalists.

"Everything that we do will be showing the two sides," Kirtley said.

One goal of the caravan is to show Arabs how friendly and hospitable Americans are, he said.

A photojournalist, Kirtley spent several years living in both Africa and the Middle East. During that time, he said, he grew to know the hospitable, peaceful, tolerant nature of the people there. He has since made it his mission to promote understanding between cultures. In 1990, he organized a peace caravan that traveled across North Africa to promote understanding between Africans and Westerners.

Kirtley said that after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, he realized there was an increasing divide between Arabs and Americans.

"It was something that was so powerful in terms of pushing people apart," he said.

The nonpolitical caravan will be a very informal way for people of different cultures to meet each other, he said.

"We believe that it's impossible to talk politics until you get to know each other," Kirtley said.

After talking about the idea with colleagues and friends, Kirtley, who was living in Connecticut at the time, decided to begin organizing the Friendship Caravan about 10 months ago.

City Mayor Sidney Katz said it is always a good idea for the city to support events like the caravan that showcase diversity and encourage people to get involved in the community.

"I believe that we're a community that appreciates all our citizens," he said.

Human Services Director Linda Morganstein, who is acting as the city's liaison to the caravan organizers, said the caravan will help Arab people living in Gaithersburg feel welcome and understood.

"I think everyone sees it as an opportunity to help everyone in the city understand the Arab world better," she said.

City Manager David Humpton discussed the project briefly at a July 28 work session.

"This seems like the kind of cultural concern that can only help," councilman Stanley Alster said.

So far, the city has said it will offer police escorts for the caravan's walking route, a one-day use of the City Hall Concert Pavilion and resident nonprofit rates for use of the gymnasium at the Activity Center at Bohrer Park.

The cross-country project will rely a lot on time, space and money donated by participating cities and Rotary Clubs, Kirtley said. The Montgomery Village Rotary Club has been a big support in getting the pilot version off the ground.

Gaithersburg, which Kirtley said he hopes will be the final destination of caravan's cross-country trip, is a known as a model city for embracing diversity.

"I think Gaithersburg represents a lot of what the Friendship Caravan is all about," Kirtley said.

Kirtley chose Gaithersburg, he said, because it's moderate size will not undermine the caravan's person-to-person mission. At the same time, he said, it is near Washington and New York.

Samira Hussein, a Gaithersburg resident from the Arab community, said she is thrilled about the event and the city's support.

"They really do care about their citizens," said Hussein, who coordinates the Arab American Heritage Month Cultural Festival in Gaithersburg. "This event will really put Gaithersburg on the map of the whole world."