During my stay in the
To me
Not to mention the refugees campus where almost anything bad you have heard over the course of your life, might sound ok relative to the misery and the horrors of living in the refuges camps. Although my parents were lucky enough to have had us born away from the refugees camps for being able to pay for a house on the outskirts of the biggest refuges’ camps in Palestine, Gibalia Camp, almost every one I have encountered or worked with in my life lived in the refugee camps. I feel sorry for these people who will never give up easily on their cause and their right of return insisted to ask whether 55 years of suffering were enough?
Some argue that Arab governments are not willing to help there refuges by improving their life conditions or continuing to hold them under these awful conditions so the Palestinian cause would not be lost with time. This argument is rather wrong and morally corrupt because my family and other families were able to leave the refugees camps forever (I hope) and No one had asked them not move out. Everyone would leave out of the refuges camp if they could, but where can they go instead? Where to, to their homes back inside
Back to
Public services do not exit the way they do in America, although we receive plenty of money in aids and grants from peace-loving nations around the world, things are not as good as they could be for many reasons. First the large number of people who are covered by there services and the lack of facilities. For example, health service is under a lot of stress, much is expected, but not much is given. I remember going to the local clink to pick up my older brother’s medicine, it would take me a day to get through my need. And that leads to another problem which is bureaucracy; bureaucracy is important back in Gaza because there is a large number of educated and qualified people who literary have nowhere to go-not even flipping burgers in Burger King or even custodial. So quite whining about your job or about your health services, it could be much worse and I know Americans and Palestinians deserve more, but unfortunately only Americans are born in a system that guarantees these things for their citizens.
Things to do in
Perhaps it is because I have lived in
1. Everyone back home has friends, a bunch of them at least-I do not meant the kind of friends you have on your list when one wants to go for a beer. These are real friends, like soul-brothers; you are always seen together and if you are not together, people will ask if everything is ok. And many know that in Arab and Muslim Cultures good friends are always from the same sex –there are some exceptions off course, but it is true if you are a guy all your friends are guys and no girls. The only opposite sex people that you know are one’s sisters, family members and perhaps some classmates. My American friends who are interested in the Middle East find it interesting that Arab guys can hold hands in public without being called gays, and that’s true –I will never do it again having lived in America now.
2. Get Married. Yes, people like it, and Arabs tend to get married earlier than their American and western peers probably 18-23 are common ages to get married. This is something that both Muslims and Mormons have in common. It works most of time because people are pushed to make it work for many reasons. First getting married again will coast a lot of money because weddings back home cost a lot and the guy for most cases ends up paying 100% of costs. Second, the family jumps in to help the couple work out any problems that the couple have not been able to work out themselves. Therefore, divorced rates are very low comparing to many other places. Extra: Arranged marriages are common back home, but they are different than the common idea Americans have. I have always joked about it by calling it a “longer blind date”
3. Go to the beach. Although God has taken away many things from the Palestinians, we are still left with a nice beach that perhaps the number one source of recreation for people in
4. Go to weddings. Wedding are really fun back home, free food, free music, free cigarettes, free dances and free gifts…etc Weddings last for about 3 days. These three days ensure that everyone gets to have fun. Ladies have their separate parties; men have their own… and rock on. Most families do not like the idea of having mixed weddings; they would rather have a separate dance floor where everyone feels comfortable and dance their butt off. Most moms go to wedding parties to check out girls for their unmarried sons, great chance of young lady to show of their skills and their manner.
5. Go on a demonstration. It meets the profile, I mean what else can you do, most demonstrations are held on Fridays-the Muslim Sabbath- after the noon prayer, most people plan to attend these demonstrations because they will come back home and moms will have lunch ready by then. Get your friends and go to an Israeli settlement or a check point throw bunch of stones-get your workout! And go home (you may also get shot, but who cares as long as you make it home at lunch time) One may get himself or herself in trouble by simply just attending a martyr funeral where Israeli soldiers tend to come and get things heated and Palestinians will overreact –as always. American news will feature this title in the next day, “A group of Palestinian terrorists were plotting against
6. Go to high schools and pick up in chicks after school. A large number of young men and women try to take advantage of the after school mixing where a lot of schools gets out at the same time and that would make a good locatin to meet and mingle with guys and girls by using cheesy pick up lines that do not seem to work in the US. That could be fun for a little bit, but it might end up with a disaster when a family member finds out and try to harass the person who is stocking their daughter or son.
7. Smoke the Hooka or cigarettes while watching the news or an old film that could be as boring as popcorn without salt. But you still do it because it is the only TV channel that your old TV can pick.
8. Gossip around and make your own news which most of the time involves the conspiracy theory-that is my favorite because it can get REALLY ridiculous like “A rich guy offers to turn the refugee camps into the Garden of Eden only if Arafat let him be a member in the Palestinian parliament” or “Saddam will nuke Israel, the moment he feels like it”….etc. these are few gossips that people initiate just for the heck of it. Maybe reality is not good enough, perhaps if one cannot make it then one needs to fake it.”
That is pretty much what one can do in Gaza Strip, no mountain climbing or hiking, no movie theaters, no skiing, no museums nor shows. Most things are politicized and most things are done because that is thee only things that people can do. However, some are still hoping for a better future that would make up for all the agony and the troubles they have gone through, but these seems too flowery and dreamy comparing to what I see on TV and what I heard from my family.
Along came the Mormons
If anyone has asked me what I have known about Mormons prior to my coming to the
During my stay in
I have to come to learn about the Church through my friends, my roommates and all those who I have encountered. I had also to take a number of religion course as part of my academic program due to that fact that BYU is a private institute that is sponsored by the LDS church. Because of these classes I became more familiar with the Church, its history and its teachings. One might be right is he said that Mormons want you to be a member of their church because they really want everyone to become a member of their church (Every 18 years old men and 21 years old sisters are encouraged to go on a mission for one and half years to 2 years) Having said this, I have never been harassed or forced to do or say things that I should be saying and I have never been condemned for critiquing certain cultural religious practices in the church. Although, I am not a member of the Church, I honor and appreciate this great institute that does many things to help people around the world in every aspect of life since the church has the biggest private welfare system in the world. Furthermore, I have not felt excluded from the Mormon community because of my faith or race, I was always been invited to attend both social and religious gatherings, my favorite gatherings are on Monday night during what I come to know as the Family Home Evening (FHE) where young men and young ladies get together and act like if they were a family; play games, do activities, pray and eat refreshments. In BYU no one if let behind unless that is what they personally have chosen for themselves. I have a lot of stories and experiences in BYU with the Mormons and I do not think that I can mention all of them here, I will just mention few.
One day my ward bishops came to visit me and get to know me better and he ended the conversation by inviting me to attend church with them on Sunday. I told him that I would love to meet the new people in the ward, but my only problem was that I have a new suite that I still need to take a tailor shop to measure on me. So the Bishop smiled and told me that I do not have to do this because Sister Rachel is has a sewing machine and she will gladly fix my suite. And it really worked Rachel fixed my suite and I attended church for two weeks and a raw, in fact the bishop gave me a calling in the Church which I thought was interesting since I am not a member of the church. I was called to be the public relations coordinator.
Another story happened to me in
Another thing I liked about the members of the Church was their social relations an dhow they get to meet and know people. Mormons do a good job in getting everyone to know each one, they have so many games and methods to help people get acquainted with each others quickly. It is true that the church encourages its young men to go out with all kinds of people on dates and group dates so they can know more about the person and get married. Mormon young men tend to get married at age 21-23 after their completed their mission. Everyone is encouraged to form their own family or their own kingdom. Perhaps BYU has the largest population of married people among universities in the
I am not trying to be an advocate for any group by promoting them over others; I just wanted to stand up for what I felt good about. It might be because I have met so many people who dislike the Mormon Church and point figures at them by calling them the God-Makers or polygamists. I have never seen or heard of any polygamy case in
My goal is express my gratitude and my appreciation to the people who have fascinated, have inspired me by challenging me to be good and to do good things that I would have never thought I am capable of.
The Greatest Things in
- The American Constitution
I have never understood why many Americans take pride of a book until I visited the constitution center in
compromise presented by the Congress to make America even a greater place
and to make the constitution a source of inspiration for many nations that
would stand for themselves, liberate their land, and examine the American
constitution as reference.
Perhaps, the greatest thing about the constitution is the way it is
implemented and applied to all people without discrimination (in most cases)
And how it applies to everyone from the American President to the Custodial
worker with no exception. Perhaps because I have never taken a class on American
Heritage or history, but I have not quite understood why most Americans would get
offended whenever the constitution is insulted, I would be insulted of I was
an American and someone was degrading the core of my country, the pillar
that makes me country great. The constitution managed to draw the fine line
between the three branches of authorities and creating the most up to date
and the most logical sort of government for such a huge-to be- nation
The constitution guarantees basic rights for citizens during time of peace
and war, it stands there as reference book for the rest of us. As Benjamin
Franklin said that the constitution is not perfect, but he was wiling to
vote for it because it was the best possible outcome or it was as good as it
gets. Until this day the constitution is still modified and refined to meet
changes in the American society through 27 (so far) amendments.
Now I realize why this country is great and why a lot of people envy its liberties and its unlimited rights given to the people. It is due to this book that I can have rights and enjoy these rights even though I am not a citizen. I have loved being able to write editorials and letters without having to worry about secret service officers going after me or trying me to say what they think is right. I also love the fact that I can respectfully argue with professors and those who superiors to me without being judged or brought down by these people.
- Public Libraries
I have spent so many hours hanging out in these places, I love public liberaries and I like the wide services they offer; from borrowing book, movies, and music to holding lectures and panels on many subjects. Public libraries are truly among the greatest things in
- Buffets
These are very American experience all you can eat food, perhaps one of my best barging food spots are buffets because you can always eat more and no one walks hungry. Bottomless dishes, drinks are all great. I do not think anyone can beat that. I tend to be weak with food especially buffets because they offer a wide variety of dishes and options. That is the reason I love
- Movie Theaters
I cannot forget the movie theaters, perhaps I have spent more time in the movie theaters then the time I spend studying (I am good student) I have made this rule two years ago which is I have to watch at least 3 movies a week, and I have managed to keep my word. I think it is because I have never seen a movie theater prior to my visit to the US (I did watch movie when I was in Norway, it was Three Kings) I was also grateful to having a dollar theater few blocks away from my apartment because I won’t let any movie simply pass me without watching or reviewing it. I want to share with you one thing which is from all the movies I have watched (a lot), I have just found my greatest movie which is The Last Samurai with Tom Cruise. I seriously thought about quitting watching movies after having seen that one, it was like the answer to my prayers.
September 11th 2001
I am not sure but this was meant to be a normal day, I wake up at 6 o’clock in the morning go for a run me and my roommate Steven Landen, we get home around 7 AM I took a shower and do my morning prayer, then I wanted it to check my email. And there I go to www.aljazeera.net and read the news about 7:45 AM or something and there was breaking news that an airplane just hit the
I felt that the people I met including my friends were confused, not sure what to do or how to react. Most people at that day did not know what to feel or what to do and I kind of felt that when I tried to talk to some of my friends. Since that day was a Tuesday and in every Tuesday the university hold a devotional for students and faculty at 11:00 AM, and most people attend this religious meeting. The professor I worked for Kirk Belnap and James Toronto have asked me to come with them to this devotional, I agreed and we all walked together and I am still wondering what the deal is and what was going to happen with Arabs and the Muslims in America post September 11th I was amazed when I went to the religious meeting how careful of the president of the university was in choosing his words. President Bateman asked the crowd not to point fingers at anyone and wait until further notice. He also reminded the students and others (about 30.000 people) that we are all Children of God an dhow everyone should feel love and peace even during crisis. Even though I felt safe and welcome, I still avoided to be seen in public or to get into arguments.
Later that day, it turned out that Palestinians have nothing to do with the attack and it was linked to Taliban and their terrorist activates. Since it was along day full of stress and sorrow, I went to the gym and workout and there I saw heard in the radio that some Palestinian were rioting happy that the
I have received a number of phone calls from friends, family and others asking me about my safety and my conditions, all of them were assuming that Americans have been mean to me and that I am under stress from people around me which off course was not true, nothing unusual happened. In fact I was invited to about 4 dinners from families and friends how wanted to be extra nice to me, which was great. The university has also done a gathering for Arab and Muslim students on its campus trying to tell them that everything will be ok and we have nothing to fear about. They have also gave us some methods to stay out of troubles.
A funny story came on September 11th, it was like breeze in a really hot whether, I thought what happened was interesting. My friend Shadi has a friend form
Finally, my long day has ended, but the consequences of the attacks are still seen and felt everywhere,
The next day, news came out about Arabs fleeing their campuses and going home, afraid of the street reactions to them because of their faith or race which was logical. Although, the hate crimes have increased 600% post September 11th (According to ADC Report) I have never felt any danger or any hate toward me personally. May be I was lucky or maybe it is because I was in the right place. After Sept 11th, I flew to many places and many states. Although I have not been discriminated against in any flight, I have always felt that I am being watched. In a way it makes me feel special! Therefore, I am very careful about making any gestures or noises that could be interpreted as a “suspicious behavior”
Once I was on a flight from
I really feel special in the airports because although all these procedures and personals, it is still not as bad as it could be. I have seen much stricter and much more complicated and nastier rules in Tel-Aviv International Airport where security needs to get to know me personally and ask the tiniest questions like what is my favorite color and my favorite pet?...etc. In addition to all the security checks and the machines one goes through, in
Common American Questions
There are a number of questions that Americans are most likely to ask any Middle Easter person they come across. It is like there is a package of questions that Americans carry on their backs and ready to ask them whenever they meet a Middle easterner.
- Why do they hate us?
I wish I had a nickel for each time I heard this question. People assume that Arabs and Muslims setting in the corners plotting the conspiracy against
I would like to remind Americans that their made not only make them hate Muslims and Arabs, but it also does worse than that. In the months following Sept 11th I have watched TV shows, documentaries read book, newspapers and magazines trying to find out something fair and balanced being said about the Middle east and Muslims, I was not able to. I hated myself and I hated my race during this period of time, Simply, I did not understand what was behind these campaigns against my faith. Cross the spectrum, Arab media did not have enough guts to show the other pretty face of America, all what my family and other families watched on TV was scenes of post American wars and how brutal Americas are. Things were harder for Arabs to understand when the President of the Greatest country in the world, President Bush comes out and says, “It is a new crusade war” I do not know what president Bush was thinking, but fighting a religious enemy (Osama Bin Laden, I mean) with a another religious agenda is not going to do any good. Arabs and Muslims were lost because their history reminds them of how awful and how brutal the Crusades were. And there the gap was larger and the problem got more complicated.
I am not only accusing the media here because I admit there are feelings of confusion and mixed reactions that exist in both sides. Part of it the American stand on the Palestinian questions. Maybe the
I am not mad that the
Finally, I am not trying to victimize myself or my people to score some points, I know we have suffered and we are still suffering and I also recognize others’ sufferings as well. I sympathize for the Jewish cause and recognize their prosecution throughout history. Therefore, they must also stand for justice because there were many who stood with them, they should do more so history won’t simply repeat itself with the Palestinians.
I know many Americans who would say, “Man, peace in the
I know that we are all different in our believes, our standards and our orientations, but I also know that we are all humans and we share more than we like to admit. Simply, it is just the fog of war that does not allow seeing the good things in each others, we only want to find a reason to continue fighting and hating each others. Why do not we just simply set back and relax and pay an objective look at the history of out struggle. Man people have suffered before us, many others have lost their beloved ones. What we need to do is just accept each other and recognize out mistakes by ensuring that they will not happen again. In other words, both sides should stop victimizing themselves and work their differences for themselves. It might sound to be too good to be true, but honestly, I think all the negotiations and agreements have been done a long time ago and every single issue has been studies, examined and resolved in different scenarios.
The only thing that is still missing is a leadership is has enough guts to carry out its commitments and to stand up for and deliver. I think both sides need this strong leadership that would be strong enough to last and convincing enough to get everyone on board. For the Palestinians, they have chosen Arafat to be their leader and so far he seems to be the only one who can get most if not all the Palestinians on board. Why? His sacrifices and his involvement with the Palestinian cause is far beyond questioning by any Palestinians or Arabs. But on the other hand, Sharon made clear more than once that he is not for peace, that was his campaign that brought him to power and the only reason he manages to be in power is because he is so tough on the Palestinians, he simply threw all international laws and norms into a garbage cans and just made his own law. Sharon the person that was not allowed to hold a public office due to his association with the massacres on the Palestinian refuges in
The Story I heard back home about the Arab/Israeli conflict
The Story I heard in
A Scenarios Arabs in
Scenario # 1
A white person walks into a café and the place is busy, he looks for a chair and there is only one chair left unoccupied.
The American: Is anyone using this seat?
The Arab: Not really, you can use it, it you want to.
The American: Sure… thank you.
5 minutes passes, no one speaks or try approach the other person, the Arab is reading his book and reading some notes while he or she doing so, another Arab person calls him or her and Arabic is spoken…The Arabs speaks in a very loud voice like if he or she was mad. the Americans looks confused for a second and all out of sudden becomes interested, the Arabic guy hangs up the phone
The American: What language was that, I know Spanish, but this is not even cloe to that.
The Arab: Yeah, it is uh, it is… it is Arabic..
The American: that’s way cool I have never heard such thing, it is nice.
The Arab: oh… thanks, you know I have many friends here.
The American: Hey my name is Mike, what is your name?
The Arab: oh ok, my name is Shadi… nice to meet you.
Mike: Oh, hold on how do you say your name again?
Shadi: it is Shadi, but you can call me
Mike: that is nice…. So where are you from
Shadi: Oh I am from….
Mike: Yes, Sure Pakistan, it is next to
Shadi: (here we go) No, it is
Mike: Oh I am sorry I heard it wrong, my bad.
Shadi: it is ok, I am used to it!
Mike: (trying to get the conversation going) I have a friend who visited
Shadi: that is cool, I ma actually from
Mike: So that’s cool, will I just wanted to talk to some one from the
Shadi: (Closes his book) sure you can ask me anything.
Mike: It is ok if you do not have time, I come here more often, I do not want to be disturbing you.
Shadi: it is alright….go ahead
Mike: what do you think of Suicide bombing? I always watch news and they seem to be a big problem.
Shadi: You are right, they are a problem, but you know what, that’s not all what matters. Well, I do not really like suicide bombing and these things, but I understand that people are sick of it and they want to do anything to send their massages cross. I won’t do them myself, but I think they are sentiments of a greater disease, a disease known as occupation.
Mike: I see what you mean, but do not think that Jewish people have suffered a lot throughout history and they need a homeland?
Shadi: I think you are right, but I am as a Palestinian used to have a Homeland once but I have lost a long time ago and now Palestinian are sick of it, they would anything to have the same thing that Jewish people have dream about for centuries. Let me tell you this, every nation lives in its respective place they call home, except for the Palestinians, out home lives in us and you won’t let that die.
Mike: So do you think peace is possible in the
Shadi: I think you are right, there are challenges and complex problems but that does not that peace is not possible. Let me tell you this, although a cure for cancer has not yet been found, we still spend millions of dollars and hours trying to crack it. Have we given up on that even though the cure seems to be distance from turning into reality. Sometimes time is all what we need.
Mike: I would have to agree with you, you are making a good point. Let’s hope that we will have peace one day in the
Shadi: I think that is great, my family has been telling me this whenever I call them, although they live under horrible conditions of fear, insecurity and confusion, they are still hoping for a peaceful solution for the problem. I just want to remind you that on both sides there are those who think that means the end of the region and they will do anything to stop peace for taking place. What we need to do is to find these people and try to work with them and get them on board if they refuse we would have to do all what we can do to stop them from starting a new circle of violence.
Mike: That is true, but do not you think that the idea of working with these people is somehow a naive idea?
Shadi: I have to go now, but let me tell you this, a strong leadership in the
Mike: Alright…thanks for your time, it was nice chatting with you, take care
Shadi: You too, bye
I wish I had a dime for each time I heard these questions, a lot of people have a lot of questions and I think as an Arab and a Muslim I have to sacrifice some time to these kinds of conversations because they really help other understand what is truly going on the Middle East and in a way it helps me organize my thoughts and feeling about these issues. I know it is hard sometimes to be answers to all questions asked because we do not always know what the story is or because we are not informed enough, but one can always try by sharing his or her opinion with others because it will greatly influence the way they will form their own opinions.
Scenario 2
A senior American is reading a bunch of groups that deal with the Middle Eastern conflict, the Arabs and Muslims cultures and a number of other books. A Middle Eastern looking, veiled woman walks into the library and sets next to the American guy to read her fashion magazine. The man walks at the Middle Eastern lady and starts a conversation:
The old American man: Hey my name is Todd? I am just curious if you are from around here? I come here more often and I have not seen you before.
The Muslim Lady: Hi, I am Aicha and I am from
Todd: That is cool; I actually want to go to
Aicha: How nice, but why are you going there if you do not mind me asking?
Todd: No, it is ok, I will be taking a vacation and I want to see the
Aicha: That is awesome!! Is that why are you reading all these books about the region?
Todd: Yes, but I have always wanted to know more about it, one always hear it in the news, but I do not think we really know what the deal is.
Aicha: I see, that is true, you know I am no expert, but feel free to ask me any question about it. May be I can help.
Todd: Thanks, I will most likely do.
Few minutes pass by and Todd moves forward and says:
Todd: You are from Jordan, right?
Aicha: Yes, Sir I am from
Todd: Oh I see, so your family is among the 65% Palestinian population of
Aicha: that is correct sir. One day we might be able to come back to our vine and our homes that we abandoned in the 1948.
Todd: I hope you will be able to, but you know I have been reading about it and it seems allowing millions of Palestinians refugees to return to
Aicha: I have always heard this sir, but I do not think that they want us to come back anyways. My family still has their real estate slips and certificates of ownership; I do not think my parents will let that go. And you know, if Israel really means that our home is not land is not large enough to accommodate us, then why are they keeping in bringing every Jewish and his dog to the Palestine; from Russia, Ethiopia, America and other places, I ma sorry but this is hard for me to understand.
Todd: That is true, but do not think that
Aicha: I see, I do not know what to say, I have never thought of it this way, but lok at this way. For a Palestinian why would you want to live some where else other than home without any motivation to do so? It is true that there are more than 20 Arab countries that could host the Palestinian population within their territories, but why would do that when most of them do not recognize the legality of
Todd: I see your point and I feel sorry for the Palestinian refugees in a way everyone tries to get the most of them by abusing their cause to pass their own agenda. I know you probably do not have time, but let me ask you one more question: How about if we gave these refugees some options like opening work opportunities or granting them a citizenship or something, do you think that would help?
Aicha: I would have to say that this would help reduced the trauma because not every one wants to go back to Palestine, some Palestinians were fortunate to build wealth and gain another life that does not allow them to go back to where they come from, but I know a lot of people would insist in coming back or at least they would insist on having the ability to come to their homes every once and a awhile. I am also aware that many Western nations including
Todd: Oh ok, well thanks for your time; your answers have helped me understand some of what is really going that part of the world. It was great talking to you Aicha.
Aicha: No problem, my pleasure, it was fun I like talking about it.
The last scenario I am going to mention here is one of those that focus on Islam and its teachings; these are common questions that Americans are most likely to ask.
Jeff is a college student major in International Studies and a minor in Arabic/Islamic studies. His class assignment is to interview some Muslim students and ask them about their reactions and opinions regarding issues that concern the American public. Ali is a student form
Jeff: Thanks Ali for showing up and you willingness to answer few question, this should not take more than 10 minutes of your time.
Ali: Do not worry about it! Just hit me.
Jeff: ok, my first question could you please tell me about your religious background?
Ali: Sure, I am a Muslim student from
Jeff: Great, that is more than what I needed, but it will be good to have more. Ali can you please specify what kind of Muslim are you?
Ali: I do not understand your question…Uh ok you mean if I am Sunni or Shiite, I am Sunni, but it is not that big of a difference.
Jeff: ok, that leads to the next question why do you say it is not a big difference?
Ali: I do not know a lot about Shiite, but it is not that we are divided on something, I have always thought of the difference to be that one person drinks diet coke because it tastes better and the other person drinks the same diet coke because that person wants to cut the calories. In other ways, we do the same rituals and ceremonies and we celebrate the same holidays, Shiites tend to be more mystic and about saving the prophet’s heritage and family be viewing them to be superior to others. But I never had a problem praying in a Shiite Muslim or a Sunni Muslim for the most part.
Jeff: Alright, that sounds terrific. Ali can you tell me more about your family?
Ali: I come from a big family we are eight kids, 3 sisters, four brothers, one father and most importantly one mother. My sisters are the oldest and they tend to be ruling the house when my parents are not there. But we boys do not like that because they always want to look us in a room and they want us to keep it clean and tidy while they have their gossip and girly stuff going on. We do a lot of things as family, and we like to tease each others. My dad makes most of the decisions, but sometimes he asks us about certain things and our preferences, to tell you the truth he would normally do what he wants, but my mom is the only one who can have him change his mind.
Jeff: You mentioned something about your sisters, are they veiled? And have they gone to college?
Ali: My family is a traditional one; we have always done what has been done around us. My sisters are veiled when they go outside to visit their friends or when they go to the mall, they must wear their veils. I have one sister that went to college, she is a senior studying Political Science, but my other sisters, they are engaged and they want to have babies. My dad told them he would pay for them if they want to come to
Jeff: They are the lucky ones, they have it all figured out! So Ali do you feel that because you are a guy you have some more rights than your sisters.
Ali: Although it might seem this way, but sometimes I feel I am asked to do more than my sisters. In other words, it is true that I do not have to wear a veil when I go outside but everyone outside will be watching me if I do something wrong, I will be punished for it. There are a lot of things that I have to abide by when I deal with people, otherwise I will be ashamed. And my parents always expect more from me because after all I carry their last name, but my sisters will have a family of their own. Let me tell you this, you might think that for a girl to wear Veil of Hijab might be a bad thing, but in fact it is not because it means that whoever is wearing the veil are taking their privacy with them, no guys are checking their boobs or their bodies so it is less annoying for girls, so girls are judged based on their mental and intellectual abilities.
Jeff: That is pretty cool, but do not you think that Islamic states tend to have a worse image when it comes to women affairs?
Ali: that is not true, a lot of Islamic have problems, but it is because of cultural practices more than religious practices. People tend to mix these things up. For example, Islam asks families not to take the law into its hand when an adultery committed, one needs four witnesses to document a case and NOTHING can be done if one does not have four trust worth witnesses, but many families tend to skip all that and they tend to take the law into their hands after hearing a rumor or a gossip about a suspicious behavior. You see my points, even countries with no clear religion like some African and Asian nations still have practices that unjust toward females. Islam was one of the first faiths to establish clear and fair teachings regarding women who participated in the early years of the foundation of Islam, they were more than wives and mothers, they attended lectures and religious gatherings and stood for themselves and in some cases they corrected Caliphs.
Jeff: Man you seem to know a lot about this. Are there any comments that you would like to add to this?
Ali: No, I do not think so, but whenever you hear something, one should challenge it and examine it by going to the source and PLEASE NEVER TRUST THE MEDIA.
Jeff: Thanks buddy, you were great.
These are just few examples that Arabs and Muslims are most likely to go through when they have to talk about the
Americans and American Life
I would be wrong if I think that four years in
Religion in
There is this notion in this country that religion is a personal choice and it would be wrong to ask others about their religion. I do not know what do we need to keep this thing secret from others especially when the people around you are friends. Perhaps, people do not want to be judged according to what they believe in. In other words, Catholics are not supposed to do certain things, but some Catholics they do these things anyways so Americans are careful not to be classified as bad Catholics or bad Muslims or even bad Jewish. In
Another thing I also noticed the large amount of churches and religious groups, there are thousands of different churches in
I have also noticed that many of the religious groups in the
On the other hand,
Americans and politics
I have always heard that Americans do not know what their government does, people always have said this to refer to the level of ignorance among the American people about their government. Although this statement might be true, it is not a very accurate one. I have noticed that Americans care about politics and do want thing sot go smoothly, but the movement they lose their jobs or they get drafted to the army, politics becomes a concern.
My American friends tend to have some heated conversation about being a Republican or a Democrat, it really matters to some often, but others are not able to tell the difference. I have noticed that many Americans talk about these parties as if they were members in a country club or gym. It makes you cool and different in some level. But I have also noticed that people especially conservative are more likely to be loyal to their party as if it was customer loyalty to a certain brand. I have seen a number of panels and debates between the tow parties where they have gone wild and extreme where the major difference were abortion, gays, minorities, and welfare that’ all what I could notice that what it comes down to.
Few Americans involved themselves with politics and they do it right, they go all the way.Those Americans who involved themselves in politics are Really involved all the way in what they do because is makes living to be working on these things. I am amazed by the number of lawyers, lobbyists, legislative staff, politicians and others who’s daily live has to do with politics. But still the American public looks up to the American president who is not more than a front and a smart person who know how to get out of the mess he makes. I do not want to say that Americans presidents are liars (although some of them were) rather they are politicians and want to get things done by nay legal mean. My friends have never talked politics or even cared what this country should do, they are just simply fine with setting on TV at night to watch the news and feel good about what the politicians are telling them. The public would rather watch Saturday Night live or Friends than watching the news, “it is all the same anyways,” a friend of mine said that. Comparing that to where I come from, it would be weird to see people who do not speak politics, even those who are classified as idiots, they are really good at fabricating a conspiracy theory. Back in the
No one can deny that Americans care about politics when it is necessary to do so, but on a daily basis, it does not really matter if one watches or reads the news because it is not going to affect anyone of us. I would have to admit that I became part of this group and most news I read it is about things important back home, not here because not much is happening here, it is a boring country where everything seems to work and function as what the president says or as what this senator says.
Before I conclude, Americans like to do good things in the world and help others, it makes them feel good because others are doing it, we should so it. It might sound bad, but
Americans and Fun
Americans as most people like to have a great time, I found Americans to be interested in trying many different things even exotic things just for fun. Some things that Americans enjoy doing are really cool things, for example, hiking, jogging, biking, river rafting, camping, water skiing are all great things that I enjoyed doing in this country. In fact I was introduced to many things that I have never and would have never done without having come to the
Even some certain shows that my roommates used to watch like Jackass are brutal and crazy ideas that are being added to the concept of fun. I am not sure but it seems that Americans like to take it to the extreme in their fun living. For example, a friend of mine went into a camping trip by himself in the Wyoming Mountains for two weeks, I thought he was crazy because there is no way I would do such thing at least for the sake of my five daily prayers, it will not be possible. I am more of a modest person like to have a bit of everything just for taste, not to impress others.
I have gone hiking in the
Americans and others
Americans and minorities
I have noticed that Americans tend to have mixed feelings about people who are not white or those who are from another ethnicity due to the lack of knowledge or lack of experience that Americans go through. Although I found Americans from European origin generally warm and including others in their groups by inviting the “different” to their gatherings and their parties which is a very common practice, some Whites are still somehow confused about people from other ethnicities, mostly people from small towns who tend to be kind and warm to all by nature. And this feeling exist, it is not a feeling of hatred and stubberenece, but rather a feeling of confusion and insecurity due to common stereotypes and clichés that labels the others.
American cities
I love
Having lived in
In addition to that, we could not find a place to camp in, almost every spot on the hill was occupied, it was 4th of July as I recall, and every family in the valley seems to have chosen the same spot to camp. We just drove until we reached an Indian camp and stopped there. There was some fresh water and a nice scenery, we took some short nap until 6 in the morning, I remember I did my early morning prayers and woke up to find a large number of trucks with bikes all over the place, it turned out that we were napping in a parking lot for bikers, it was next to what I found out to be one of the world’s best biking routes, whatever that means. So we woke up and started hiking some arches and hills, remember we still have had not food till that point.
It was a Sunday and we roommates were Mormons so they were strict about going to church, we drove into the church parking lot and went to church with shorts and dirty smelly shirts. I asked my roommates if we had to do this, their answer was that is it more of a fun experience of just doing it. They took the Sacrament and we drove to the nearest Wendy’s, not to eat, but my roommate, a Texan went to the restaurant so he can make his own peanut butter sandwiches. I was ashamed of what my friends were doing because almost everyone was staring at us and making fun of us.
I had the chances to drive with my friends to different places around the country; I drove to Vegas six times, drove to
As a matter of fact I envy Americans for the large, beautiful, and diverse land and I prey to God preserve it the way it is. In other words, I saw mountains, snow, ice, sun, rain, dry humid, cold, and freezing, hot, windy, stormy… I have seen all of these climes in this country. Although I am not a member of the American society, I will not allow something bad or a misrepresentation of this country as long as I am living. Having said that, I must say that I won’t hesitate to critique and criticize the wrong and incorrect practices and policies carried by this country, not that it will make a difference, but it is always good to have this right. Unlike many Americans that have the power to change and to make things better, they chose not to activate their rights, I do not know why. Some Americans would rather run around and shout out loud… “Hey, look at me, I am free!” well what good does it do you having something that you are not willing to use? What good does it do you to have many blessings and wealth that you do not share with others? A good friend of mine once told me this while he was helping me get into a graduate program in the
My point-if I had one is that if you can help someone or if you can help make something better by helping in anyway even by saying a nice word, one should do it. My dad has always taught me that “son, saying a good word is charity” My word to all Americans is “you guys have a great country, keep it this way, do not hesitate to stand for you cause, just do it right by making sure that it is the will of everyone and no one is judging anyone else. And we do not always do the right things, we can only try”
Americans and arts
I do not know what’s up with Americans and art? They go to museums and spend hours in there staring at things that make sense and others that do not make sense. I am sorry but I am not that kind of guy who would go to enjoy art and try to figure all possibilities. From the many times I accompanied my American friends to museums, one of my friend stated in the museum for 6 hours, what the heck was he doing? I finished the whole tour and I think I saw EVERYTHING in less than two hours. I do not understand what is the deal with arts? Ok, I like going to museums and learning about other cultures and alternative ways of looking at things, but give me a break. I cannot immerse myself in a painting or artifact in order to know myself or know others. It is ok, you can call me stupid, illiterate, and intellectually insensitive, I get that a lot, you would have to stand in line. But I also saw many people stare at things and paintings that do not make sense to me or to anyone else and if we ask the creator or the painter, the answer would be the same. “You need to look at this piece and reflect one’s inter and your life on it, you make what you need out of it.” That is pathetic. It is like listening to a singer with such a bad voice and the words do not fit together and in addition to all of that, we do not speak the language of the song..
I am sorry but arts are supposed to take us to different frontiers and speak with a language that we are familiar with and then life us-they do not really have to do that to see other things in a different way. I have enjoyed going to musumes like the Smithsonian institute in D.C., I have visited all the 16 musumes and galleries, it was an interesting experience, and I loved it. For those who do not know, the Smithsonian is the largest museum complex in the world and it has millions of artifacts from mammals, painting, and flags to space shuttles. I do not think that I hate seeing arts, but what I hate is looking at things that do not make sense. I advice all Americans to take a vacation in D.C. and enjoy what the city has to offer, there are hundreds of things that people can do for free.
Having spoken of arts in
And off course we cannot skip talking about
An interesting thing that seems to be happening only in
This also goes along with American holidays that have to involve food, as a foreigner we have a lot of holidays and favorite dishes but we do not go as far as Americans do. New Years Eve, wines, beers, sparking apple ciders and all sorts of drinks and sweet things, 4th of Jul barbeque and all kinds of meet; Halloween, corn candy, trick and treats; Thanksgiving, Turkey, roast ham, chicken, gravy, mashed potatoes, jams, and a thousand kind of pies. Christmas Dinner, that’s another story, pretty much as much food as Thanksgiving It is true that I have enjoyed eating those things and celebrating American holidays with my friends, but sometimes I feel the guilt for eating this much greasy and oily food. But what do you know; free food is always a blessing especially when your pay check does not get deposited when you needed to be deposited.
Today I went to drop off my girlfriend at the airport at
The Cap driver looked Arab, but did not speak English with Arabic accent so I was not sure how to speak to the guy. In the car me and my girlfriend were holding hands while the guy kept telling us stories and back and fourth, he kept looking at the mirror which scared the heck out of me. So words come and go and his mettometer increasing dollars and cents faster than a French Concord, I asked him where he was from? He answered
To make a long story short, we get to the airport about 7:20 and my girlfriend checks in and we went upstairs, she had to do her fajer (Morning) prayer, so she did her wudu (ablution) and we found a seat in the corner, she put her head cover and went for it, but before she started prayer she joked saying, “Now these people will thing we are going to blow an airplane using some Islamic black magic!” I laughed. Afterwards we went to Burger King and grabbed some breakfast, the restaurant was full of soldiers who are most likely either heading
Because it was the President’s Day, all my friends and neighbors organized a trip to
Americans and Work
I am thinking that one cannot say that he knows Americans and their mentality until he or she actually sees them working. In my opinion, Americans are different people at work; it was hard to know them while they work. I mean in America, most of my co-workers come to work striped from their “let’s party” mode and equipped with “Let’s get this done” Americans come to work and plan on getting the job done if they were giving the tools to do so and if not, they will spend the day whining about it and about how horrible that day was.
My life in DC
DC has been a great city so far. I am writing this while I am staying in DC and working on an internship with the American Arab Anti Discrimination Committee, a civil rights organization that seeks to promote the situation of Arabs and other minorities in terms of representation and civil liberties. ADC has been around for more than 25 years and it has lots of success stories. ADC has a large number of chapters around the
As the majority of you out there know that interns do not usually get paid for their work, some in fact do, but the majority does not get any money, that’s my favorite thing about capitalism; how to screw others and make them asking for more while feeling good about the whole thing. So my faineance is not going to well, my parents did help me some, but it is too much to ask them considering the mal situation in the Palestinian territories. Originally, I was promised a 400$ stipend monthly, but due to some rigid INS- now the good news we have the Department of Homeland Security rules, I could not get the money. As I am working more than 20 hours, I cannot get paid for it, but have I worked 20 hours I would get paid for it, it sucks, but what do you know. After all we are just a bunch of foreigners trying to steal American jobs form them.
Because of those financial difficulties, I decided to take my one shot which is to start writing some ides down and may be put them in a book. Adding to all my financial difficulties, I had to borrow some money and take the GMAT, which I failed with honor. But you know as Americans have advised me to abuse the system by milking it. For example, me going to a particular school is good for both me and the school because I would add more flavors and diversity to that school’s campus. I have never got the American philosophy behind encouraging international students and students from minorities groups to go to school. I have to confess that it is harder for us-international students to compete against many brilliant American students who score well on tests like the GMAT and the LAST. But it does not mean that we cannot make it, we just need more time and more dedication. As I write thee pages some White students took some steps to fight Affirmative Action Policies by putting an essay contest for white students on campus-I think
For example, you know I just took the GMAT, I did not ace it, but rather is aced me. I did not understand what I was asked to do, they use some form of English that sounds French and looks Latin, but they insist that it is English. I did not do well in the test; it was beyond my skills in fact I failed. I did prepare for the test indeed, but I admit I have not studied hard enough. Maybe I will have another chance to take it again or maybe my school would be in a bad need for an international student to fit their statistics and their graphs, so they will give me the easy shot for my MPA degree. Funny enough, I thought I prayed harder than studied, I was confident that it won’t be that bad, but it was indeed bad. As they say in Galaxy Quest with Tim Allen, “Never give up, never surrender” Amen to that brother.
Here is what I have to say conservatives if you are not so conservative skip to the next chapter. I like you guys, I seriously do. I tend to be a conservative Muslim (Please do not confuse, a conservative Muslim does not mean terrorist) in fact, I grew in a family that fears God and have great respect for God’s religions. Here is the deal, my parents never punished us for not praying to pray or for not being angels. My dad and my mom are practicing Muslims who do vow to God five time a day as well as keeping up with their jobs and family. Not all of my siblings are active Muslims, but they do everything else by the book. They do not steal, cheat, lie, abuse….etc. others. I do pray five times a day to God I believe to be true, a God that I highly respect and a God that I happen to call Allah (Allah actually means the one God ) Regardless of the fact that you and me disagree on whose God is right and whose God is fake. I do or at least try to do my best of worshiping God and fulfilling his commandments and teachings in his holy book, the Koran. Here is the connection, doing the right thing does not make you an authority running around and telling people what they should do and what they should not. In other words,
All what I am saying is that America is an multi-ethnic and multi-faith country and the only way I see it to this country is to include others in the decision making process and not alienating individuals or labeling them with a mark of guilt by association. We all can tell other what to do so we can like them, but can we really like them without trying to change them, unconditional love perhaps. I do not say that Americans should take crap from others in order to look multicultural, but what I am suggesting is that what Martin Luther King once said, “everyone can be good because everyone can serve” Although I am not an American citizen, but I have lives in this country lonf enough to like it and willing to stand for it, defend it if I have to. That might be hard for you to understand, but I will not hesitate to argue, report, and even beat those who want the
- I have a lot of American friends who have influenced my life and have in away made me a better person by teaching many things that my parents would approve
- I have traveled in this country from North to South, from West to East and seemed to like it and like most of its values, its diversity, its culture and its civilization.
- I have become a better person by having lived in this country and having to reach limits I thought I was not meant to experience. Like driving from a place into another feeling safe and secure.
- I do like opportunities that are made available for underdogs, and those who are not supposed to make it. Like many of the social programs.
- I do like the buffet system and all-you-can-eat and drink restaurants as well as the public libraries that are sources of knowledge made accessible to all.
- I do like that companies, schools, hospitals, entrainment industry and other entities go to the extreme to make things good, relatively cheap, available to all and simply the best in business.
- Customer service in this country fascinates me, I like that fact that one can return stuff to stores with no questions asked and no headaches and obstacles thrown at one.
- At least that one knows that every cent on ones taxes is going to be stretched and its value maximized to get the most benefit for society. Meanwhile, in other countries, one might pay taxes and later denied services if needed like health service.
It has been awhile since I wrote last, but now here I am back writing. A lot have changed since then, Janet Jackson have exposed her breast live and kicking for everyone during the Super bowl, I have graduated and walked, took couple of pictures and I now I even started to read fiction. For the worst, violence in
I am troubled by the crisis in the
It does not seem that
Having just moved to
Americans and Literature
Americans and college
Americans and Family
Americans and
On a serious note
Please, do not hate me for talking trash about America since I do not have a country of my own to trash. In a way I am saying that you need to be grateful for what you have…
Why is it so many rich individuals and corporations in America (traditionally conservative) claim they support the troops, but yet do nothing to help those whom they support?
• Many veterans declare bankruptcy
• Many veterans get evicted from their apartments
• Many veterans are denied medical attention and medications
What kind of support are we talking about here? Banners and bumper stickers do not feed families, start doing something>
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