10 Things We Learned about Muslims While Living in the United Arab Emirates

With photos of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi, UAE

I am not an authority, and this is not a comprehensive list. But it answers some questions non-Muslims often ask. 
Humans tend to fear what we do not understand, and I believe fear is sometimes encouraged for political reasons. Not on this blog. 

 1.    No two people are the same. To imply that all of the nearly 2 billion Muslims in the world  act or believe the same way is inaccurate. There are many acceptable variations in dress, eating habits, language, etc. among the world’s Muslims. There are also disagreements between groups of Muslims, just as there are between sub-groups of any large religion.

2.    Allah is the Arabic name for God, the same deity worshiped by Christians and Jews.   When speaking English, the Muslims I have met call God ‘God.’

3.    In Islam, God has 100 attributes or names, one of which is hidden. These include ‘The Creator,’ ‘The Truth,’ ‘The Light,’ and ‘The Forgiving.’ Each of the 99 names is written in one of the flowers on this wall of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. 
One flower is empty, for God’s unknown name.

4.      Muslims trace their heritage to Abraham, who is also the spiritual father of Judaism and Christianity. All three faiths venerate the God worshiped by Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad. 
Muslims honor the prophets of the Old Testament, as well as Jesus.

5.    Muslims believe they are descended from Ishmael, son of Abraham’s second wife. (In my Old Testament Genesis, Hagar is described as Sarah's slave or servant, not a wife.)
They believe it was Hagar's son Ishmael (Ismael) and not Isaac who climbed the mountain with Abraham and offered himself as sacrifice. The rift between Muslim and Jew is illustrated by this ancient sibling rivalry . 
Muslims celebrate Abraham’s faith and willingness to sacrifice his son, along with God’s mercy in sending the ram to be sacrificed in place of the son, during their Eid al Adha religious holiday.

6.    Islam has 5 Pillars, or obligations:

This 'clock' in the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
displays the names and timings of the calls to prayer.

a.       Profession of Faith and Oneness of God:  There is no God but God, and Muhammad is the Messenger of God.

b.      Prayer – 5 times a day, facing Mecca

c.       Almsgiving – charity is required of the Muslim, equal to 2.5% of the individual’s net worth annually, excluding obligations and family expenses

d.      Fasting – during the month of Ramadan, from dawn to sunset

e.       Hajj – the pilgrimage to Mecca, undertaken at least once in the lifetime of every Muslim who is physically and financially able

7.      There are reasonable exceptions made within each of these tenants, such as fasting during pregnancy and sickness. The emphasis is on following the spirit of the pillars, and making every effort to submit to the will of God.

8.      The Quran was written from 609 to 632 CE, as the Prophet Muhammad heard revelations from the Angel Gabriel. It has retained its format since that time.

9.      While much of Europe was going through the Dark or Middle Ages from the 5^th through the 15^th centuries, learning was preserved and blossomed in the Muslim world. Discoveries in Mathematics and Medicine (as well as coffee) are credited to Muslims during this period. The Great Awakening of the Renaissance was sparked by knowledge (and probably coffee) brought north from the Middle East and Persia.

10.  Political and cultural differences exist between groups of Muslims, just as between groups of Christians, Hindus, etc. These differing perspectives are often confused with religion, as humans try to impose rules on each other, or gain political power. But the majority of Muslims, who focus on Muhammad’s messages of peace and mercy, are not radical terrorists; they are friendly, contented, thoughtful, and generous members of the community. They also build beautiful mosques.

The symmetry and beauty of the Sheikh Zayed Grande Mosque in Abu Dhabi
was brought to you by Muslim mathematicians and architects.

If you want to know more about my personal religious beliefs, read my blog entry from January 8, 2013.

Discovering Jordan - Chapter 1 - Planning

 

Peaceful Umm Qais, near the borders of Israel and Syria

 

Many Westerners visit Israel, and skip holy sites on the Arab side of the River Jordan.  They might spend one day admiring Petra, the hidden jewel of the ancient Nabataean Empire, on a highlight tour of the region.  We like to take the roads less traveled, and as we are just getting to know many Arab people in Dubai, we want to continue learning about their perspective.  We also discovered that Jordan offers ancient historical sites, adventure opportunities, beautiful vistas, and friendly people who welcome American visitors.

Two weeks to plan a major trip is not our usual modus operandi, but after moving to Dubai over the summer of 2012, the holidays arrived quickly.  And not knowing how long we’ll live in the Middle East, we didn’t want to miss an opportunity to see nearby countries.  So the day after Thanksgiving, we started scheduling our Christmas vacation.

First, we held a family meeting to list qualities of a great vacation.  I wanted a safe and interesting country, where it would be cold in December, and we might join Christmas celebrations, as I was a little homesick.  Our energetic teenagers wanted to hike, climb rocks, learn about history, see beautiful natural areas, and maybe go to a beach.  Hubby’s coworkers recommended Jordan, where we could do all these things and also ride camels!

Map courtesy of Lonely Planet

Our last-minute plan was actually well-timed, because Syria’s civil war and Egypt’s civil unrest have chased many tourists out of the region.  The hotels and guide should not have been available during a major holiday with only a few days’ notice.  But Jordan was safe and had plenty of room for us, and we hope we helped their struggling economy just a little.

After reading suggestions and reviews on the VisitJordan, Trip Advisor and Lonely Planet websites, we mapped out a personal tour starting in the north and concluding at the Dead Sea.  We chose a Jordan-based tour operator that sounded small and interesting, yet professional.  Raami Tours was started by the son of a Dutch New Zealander, Marguerite van Geldermalsen, who fell in love and married a Bedouin Jordanian, raised their children in a cave in Petra, and later wrote a highly-recommended book Married to a Bedouin.  I was charmed by the literary connection as well as the promise that all Raami guides are Bedouins with inside information on local culture and the best hiking trails.  

Then, following suggestions from friends and reviews from Booking.com, we booked our own flights and hotels for 9 nights in Jordan.  If we had more time to plan, it would have been better to let the tour company guide us and book the hotels.  Not realizing the area is mountainous, I scheduled four nights in Madaba, which looks close to Amman on the map.  We would have saved hours of drive-time by staying in Amman for the first two nights and northern tours.  The drives were interesting, though, and we had fun exploring Madaba in the evenings, so no regrets.

To prepare for the trip, we watched Lawrence of Arabia, which was filmed mostly in Wadi Rum.  The kids thought it was too long, even when we pointed out that Prince Faisal is played by a young Alec Guinness, aka Obi wan Kenobi. 

 

 

I anticipated having a Bedouin Omar Sharif guide us through Wadi Rum.

 

 

 The girls prefered the movie Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, which concludes in Petra.

 

We bought sturdy hiking shoes, and packed flashlights and towels as we would be camping in the desert at least one night.  I also picked out my Christmas present, a Panasonic Lumix camera with a zoom lens. 

Our adventure descriptions will consume future blogs, but for readers who are planning trips to Jordan, the highlights of our tour are listed below.  We listed too many activities, but weren't disappointed when plans changed a little – unexpected hitches make an adventure, and one of the many benefits of scheduling a private tour is the flexibility to go at our own pace.  This was a memorable trip!

Day 1 – Amman City Tour, Roman Theatres, Citadel Panorama, Archeological Museum, lunch in local café, Cave of the Seven Sleepers

Day 2 – Drive through Rift Valley and Irbid, Umm Qais Tour, Abdulla’s Shortcut - skip Ajlun Castle, Jerash

Day 3 – Madaba Mosaic - Church of St. George, Mt. Nebo, Elijah’s Hill, Bethany Beyond the Jordan, Kerak Castle, drive through Wadi Musa, Christmas Eve in Madaba

Day 4 – Drive along King’s Highway, Shobak Castle, hike Dana Wilderness Reserve (south of Tafila), night at Feynan Ecolodge

Day 5 – Hike out of Dana Wilderness Reserve and drive along Jordan’s Worst Road to Petra.  Exhausted and near melt-down, skip a Little Petra hike and check in early at the Petra Moon Hotel.  After naps, showers, ice cream and dinner, enjoy Petra by Night with candlelight.

Day 6 – Full day in Petra

Day 7 – Wadi Rum Camel Tour, Jeep Tour, Camp in Bedouin tents

Day 8 – Wadi Rum Sunrise, Dead Sea Resort

Day 9 – Dead Sea to Amman Airport, bid a sad farewell to our driver and guide, Abdullah

 

The Dead Sea is not your typical beach, but a fun place to relax and clean up after touring Jordan.

Discovering Jordan - Introduction - Icebergs in the Desert

Culture is like an Iceberg was the discussion topic for Mr. Shadeed’s Cultural Studies class.  I learned more than the students.

Teaching gives one insights into local culture, and a regular substitute gets to know a school quickly.  So by the time I had spent a few weeks covering math, history, and French classes in our Dubai international school, I felt fairly competent.  But when given an Arabic teacher’s schedule, I laughed because I knew only two words of Arabic – shukran and la (thank you and no).  Fortunately, another Arabic teacher lent her assistant, and these students are fairly respectful.  But I was relieved when 4^th period Cultural Studies required analysis of a simile, and was conducted in English.  I enthusiastically listed iceberg qualities and made Titanic comparisons to culture, until the 7^th graders’ eyes started to glaze.  Then they were permitted to create artistic interpretations of the subject, while my mental wheels kept spinning.  That was 9 months ago...

How is culture like an iceberg?  Both are majestic, constantly-evolving creations, their beauty supported by massive hidden structures.

Because of occasional disasters, people fear and avoid icebergs and foreign cultures, even centuries after a scary event.  And it’s true that if we barrel radar-blind through unfamiliar waters, bad things can happen.  But we can learn lessons from the Titanic, such as to slow down around icebergs and other cultures, and understand that much waits to be encountered beneath the surface.  Each of us is like an iceberg, traveling with our cultural families, often bumping into icebergs from other places.  When we are friendly and respectful, our interactions are usually safe and enriching.

Icebergs and cultures might make a big noise when they collide, but mostly they float peacefully, sharing fragments of information when they interact.  An Australian kid once observed, “You’re American, aren’t you?  You sound like the blokes on the telly.”  “That’s funny,” I replied, “so do you.”  (I’ve always thought of ‘British’ accents as intelligent, because of the BBC shows on our educational channel.  Wonder what impression American reality shows give the world?)

Globalization has caused much melting in recent years, so it’s important to record and appreciate our world’s icebergs and cultures as they exist today.  In Dubai’s heat, people from many countries melt together and raise a generation of ‘third-culture kids.’  At school, our young icebergs bump into each other and share information.  Will this create a uniform watered-down culture, or more diverse icebergs? 

Hot Dates to Hoopoes

Do What??

“Do you want to move to Dubai?”  Bob came home with the question over Memorial Day weekend.  He’d been offered a neat position with his company in the United Arab Emirate famous for its unique architecture and Western-friendly business climate.  After making lists, shedding tears, and doing research, we decided as a family that if we found a good school situation for our daughters, the experience would be incredible.

Other families have similar priorities.   We were told that any Dubai school with an “American” curriculum had stopped accepting applications for next year, because their classes were full with long waiting lists.  So on June 8^th, we boarded a plane to Dubai, in order for the girls to interview and test for the few available spots in international schools. 

Through an online women’s network, I found an education consultant who helped us locate schools which would best serve our kids.  Fiona steered us toward Jumeira Baccalaureate School, a two-year-old International Baccalaureate school with a staff of master teachers and excellent leadership.  They graciously welcomed our girls (who are both terrific students as well as nice people).  Many prayers have been answered, as this appears to be a wonderful fit for our family.

So my blog is destined to become a “Dubai diary,” looking at human interactions from a new perspective.  All the sociology and anthropology courses I took in college seemed quite relevant as we observed the mash-up of cultures in the Dubai malls.  (Imagine a Paris fashion store packed with female shoppers in black ‘abayas.’) 

Dubai is a modern Constantinople, a trade center near the intersection of three continents, with people from many countries and cultures living together.  Our daughters will represent America in their international classrooms. 

I love the way such exposure to diversity teaches us about ourselves.  Encounters with other ways of thinking, dressing, worshipping, etc. makes you see your own customs more clearly.  Differences can feel threatening until you get used to them.  Or they can be funny.  For example, Emirates Airlines allows you to bring your hunting falcon “hooded and tethered of course” into the cabin as accompanied baggage, but dogs may only fly to Dubai as cargo.  Is this a matter of practicality or different priorities?   We certainly wouldn’t want our asthmatic Shih Tzu becoming falcon fodder in either section of the plane!

I’ve understood the meaning of “head spinning” news over the last month.  (Actually checked the neck tethers a few times to be sure I couldn’t do an Exorcist imitation.  And my family would tell you I’ve seemed a tad possessed….)  But now that the most important decisions are made, we are settling into a busy summer of cleaning out, packing up, and saying good-bye, so we can say ‘hello’ to Dubai at the end of August.