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Omar found himself to be the odd-man out when his two co-workers sat together on the bus, leaving him to find another seat by himself. Dave didn't have any co-workers at the conference and was happy to sit next to anyone and found a seat next to Omar.

Before he left Riyadh, Omar was excited to travel to Los Angeles. He had never been to the United States. Most of his travels were within the Arab world, from his indigenous Syria to his new home in Riyadh where he moved with his family when he found work there at a booming international telecommunications company. Although the prospects of attending a large telecommunications conference so far from home did not sound so enticing, Omar was feeling adventurous and was curious to see what America was like. He would be traveling with two other co-workers and was already starting to miss his family. He kissed his wife and baby girl good-bye, and got in the taxi ready to take him to King Khalid International Airport for his late night flight. The streets were already quiet as the calls for evening prayers echoed throughout Riyadh. Omar put his bags in the trunk and was on his way to LA.

On the other side of the world in New York Dave was preparing for his trip to LA. He woke up early to start packing his bags for his trip. Although he would be traveling within his native America, he would not be going to LA with any co-workers, nor with his wife and 13-month old boy. After working in the telecommunications field for five years, he was finally asked to represent his firm at the annual conference in LA. Despite the sense of self-satisfaction, Dave unhappily kissed his wife and baby boy and left for Liberty International Airport in Newark later that day.

Although from completely different worlds, Omar and Dave had a fair amount in common. They had a serious demeanor at work, were often found reading the news and following Middle East politics online, but they were both relaxed and jovial at home. They followed sports; Omar supported Al Shabab Riyadh Football Club, while Dave was an avid New Jersey Nets fan.

The similarities of the two men were abundant, but in reality the different worlds that Omar and Dave came from were very glaring when the two met. In a shrinking globe, in which a telecommunications company could have offices in both Riyadh and New York, the people that make up that company can represent completely different cultures, civilizations, and viewpoints. The two men, who seem the same on the outside, were about to encounter each other and feel the affects of a clash of civilizations.

Dave detected an accent and asked Omar if this was his first time in the US. Omar said "This is my first time. I'm from Riyadh. My boss was at the conference last year in Las Vegas. He said it's an adult playground." "Yes it is," Dave responded, "you can do things they you cant do in Saudi Arabia, like get a drink." Dave asked if Omar would get any drinks while he was away from the Islamic rule of Saudi Arabia. Omar said "I could get a drink here, but why would I take such a health risk?" Not sensing the seriousness of Omar's comment, Dave jokingly said "well, it's not as bad as cigarettes."

Omar had a confused expression. He went on to tell Dave that an alcoholic drink is much more dangerous than cigarettes and that it kills more people every year than tobacco. In fact, he knows a healthy smoker, but a drinker who is very ill.

Dave assumed Omar would reject the offer of alcohol for religious reasons, but Omar did not make any mention of the Islamic prohibition of alcohol consumption. Instead, Omar made irrational statements on the health risks of the two vices. Dave did not know this at the time, but in 2000 the Center for Disease control said that the leading causes of preventable deaths were tobacco, poor diet and inactivity, and then alcohol. Dave was curious as to how Omar came to the conclusion that one drink of alcohol during his trip in America would be worse than a regular smoking habit.

Not wanting to delve deeper into the strange debate, Dave asked Omar if he was born in Riyadh. "No, I was born in Syria. It is a beautiful country and a great place to live except for the emergency government that has been in place for the past 30 years. There are a lot of threats against Syria now." Dave looked at Omar, and did not sense any sarcasm in his remarks and thought to himself "Then what makes Syria such a great place to live?"

It was clear to Dave that Omar and him would not agree on much but was still intrigued by Omar and wondered how this talented and educated businessman, much like himself, could have a completely different world view. How could he really think that cigarettes are not as bas as moderate alcohol consumption, or that an undemocratic emergency government is not such a bad thing.

"Why do they need such a government? What threats does Syria have," asked Dave. "There are threats from Israel and the West. Israel has always been a threat. They took Syria's land. They took the Golani." Dave then asked, "Didn't Syria lose the Golan Heights in a time of war?" Omar was quick to respond, "That is not entirely true."

Dave later told me he was not interested in opening up a "can of worms" with Omar so decided to let the subject drop and the two sat on bus quietly for the duration of the ride on the way to the conference. In the car on the way back from Newark when Dave returned from LA he repeated this story to me. We were perplexed how Omar, seemingly so similar in his suit and tie, his business cards, and overall professional and educated life, had acquired such a different education from Dave and other Americans.

I asked Dave, "What do you think Omar thought of what you said? Do you think he's talking to his friends right now and saying "I met this crazy American who thought cigarettes killed more people than alcohol and that Syria was more belligerent than Israel in 1967?"

The question I asked was not just about Omar on a superficial level, but more about how Omar's society affected him and was so different than ours. I remarked how I found it interesting that Omar never mentioned that he did not drink alcohol for religious reasons. I wondered if the Saudi government deliberately misinforms its citizens and exaggerates the dangers of alcohol. It is strange that nargila is so prevalent in Arab culture, yet alcohol is completely banned. I wondered what the Syrians learned about the Six Day War, and how and why Israel conquered the Golan Heights. What was most surprising is that Omar was not an uneducated man and was not a religious fundamentalist. He was, for the most part, just like Dave. But it became clear that it is possible that two average men from two different worlds would have such different truths.

Dave thought about what Omar might be telling his friends about Dave then responded to my question. "Yeah, he did think I was a little weird."