Mr. Dale Dean

State Department

Middle East Section

Washington D. C.

Dear Mr. Dean:

I thought I would write you a letter to introduce myself. I presume you have never heard about me and I never heard about you, but hopefully we will know each other and something positive will come out of our meeting on Friday at 10:00 AM. This is my second contact with the State Department, the first one was during the Carter Administration.   I called the State Department to get their opinion as to my suggestion of allowing me, and other doctors from the Islamic Medical Association to examine the Shah of Iran when he came from Panama to the United States as a sick man and in order to verify that his coming to the U. S. was not for political reasons but truly for medical purposes.   In that regard we would fly to Iran and try to diffuse the crisis from the beginning.  Though I was not encouraged by the State Department at that time I did go to Teheran during the hostage crisis as Secretary General of the Islamic Medical Association of the United States and Canada.

Let me give you a little bit about myself and that will be like a file that you can go through and this way it gives you an idea about my philosophy and where I am standing. I was born in Hiafa in 1938, which is part of Israel. However I was raised in a little town of Burin which is only a few miles away from Nablos, which is the biggest city in the West Bank.  I did my primary and elementary school in the little town of Burin and my High School in Nablos.  I was raised with my brothers by my Aunt, my fathers sister, after my Mother died very early, and my father left to Saudi Arabia where he remarried and never returned.

After I graduated in 1957 from Nablos, I became a teacher in the north of Amman, Jordan for 2 years and following that I went to Saudi Arabia where I worked as a teacher for 3 years.  In 1962, I went to Spain where I did Medical Degrees,  my specialty and my Ph. D. at the University of Madrid.  From there I went to Canada, where I remained 2 years in Ottawa and Toronto.   I immigrated to the United States in 1974, and since then I have been living, first in North Dakota practicing for seven years, a short time in South Dakota and Wyoming and finally in 1982 I settled in the Columbia Basin, which is similar to the Jordan Valley, in the State of Washington.

I am married to Nadia, who is from the old city of Burin.  Indeed she is the daughter of my former teacher.  We have 3 children, Yasser, 11 years old, Nooreen, 9 and Hashem, 5 years old. All were born in the United States.

During my early years I have been very active in politics.  In Spain, I founded the Islam Student Organization and I was the president for several years.  I was also a co-founder of Muslim Student Organization in Europe, The Islamic Medical Association of Europe, and came to the United States and Canada.  I became the co-founder of Islamic Medical Association of the United States and Canada and was the Secretary General for 1 year and also chairman of the political action committee for the same organization. I am a member of several Arab, Muslim, and Palestinian organizations in the United States.

I am also a member of several U. S. organizations such as ACLU, Physicians for Social Responsibility, Common Cause, Halt for Legal Reform, People for the American Way, the Rainbow Coalition, etc.  Four years ago I became more involved in the main stream of American politics.  I believe I have achieved some success by introducing resolution dealing with the Middle East which was passed by unanimous vote.  I was very proud and happy to be elected as a member of the platform Committee of the Democratic Party for the State of Washington.  I helped draft some of the resolutions already in the platform.  My main effort and significant objective is to help the Israelis and the Arabs, especially the Palestinians to achieve a mutual recognition and peace in the area.

I would like to make it clear that though politics flows in my blood, I am not a full time politician.  I will never be. I am a successful Medical Doctor, Board certified in Internal Medicine and Family Practice and probably Geriatrics in September.  I also hold a Ph. D. in Preventive and Social Medicine from the University of Madrid (title of my thesis was "Sanitary and Social Problems of Palestinian Refugees Living in the Arab Countries.") and a Diploma in Public Health from the University of Toronto, Canada.  I have no intention of leaving my career as a Medical Doctor.   Hopefully my company, Designer Diets International, which will go nationwide in the winter or the spring of next year, will make me a successful businessman.  I have no ambition of any political position in the Middle East.  My only pleasure would be to go there and see everybody is relaxed and happy.

My drive inside me is remarkable.  It comes from the memory of my Aunt, who raised me with my brothers. She raised us, and sent us all to Universities, working very hard as a laborer in the fields since she was illiterate.  That Lady entrusted me since I was the one who traveled the most to bring my brothers and my father and half brothers and sisters from other countries to come have a picnic under the trees she planted in the little town of Burin.  Unfortunately, 4 years ago, my aunt was losing her sight and she asked me to bring my children so she could see them before she went blind. Unfortunately, because of distance and special circumstances, political boundaries, we were unable to go and she went blind without seeing my children. Two years ago, when she was with my brothers in Kuwait, she landed in a hospital, dying.  She wanted us with her before she died, but when my children were ready to go, news came that she had died. This sad memory is very deep in my heart and I am working very hard with this drive to do everything I can for those people in the West Bank and Gaza to achieve their goal of self determination.

I would like to fulfill my dream to take her remains from Kuwait, and the remains of my father who died a few years ago, to go back with all of my brothers, scattered in Kuwait, Canada and the United States to meet under the fig and olive trees she planted and pray on her remains. This alone makes me with so much energy to do something.

I am not trying to be something, but I would like to have the authority and the power to do something and this is my objective.

Mr. Dean, I am sending you some of the interviews and articles which I was involved some of them as recently as last month and others almost 7 or 8 years ago, just to give you an idea of my philosophy, my type of thinking. When we meet, I hope we will have enough time to exchange views and ideas and have the point of view from the State Department. I believe I have a good contact to meet with the leaders in the West Bank and Gaza. All my activities, especially in the Islamic field, will give my effort great impact and credibility, considering that 80% of the Palestinians are Muslims, being myself one of them and from the main stream.

I hope by the time I come back, if necessary I will stop by and be able to talk to you and other State Department people, including the Secretary of State.

Hoping to see you very soon.

Mohammad H. Said M.D.