The Road Goes Ever On

Egypt - May 20th

Sun, 20 May 2012 19:06:29 -0400

The last few days have been mejnoon (crazy)! Today we were blessed with the opportunity to see the Great Pyramid of Giza and go inside! While no scarab beetles attacked us, I still had chills seeing and walking in something so massive and so old, as well as seeing graffiti from as far back as the ancient Greeks! Made with 2,300,00 blocks, it is the only pyramid in Egypt with the king’s burial chamber inside the pyramid, rather than under it. We were also able to visit Sakkara, home of King Djoser’s step pyramid (the first ever constructed in Egypt) and the infamous Bent Pyramid, built for King Sneferu. While the pyramid lives on as an eternal monument to his pyramid engineer’s failure, it has also managed to stay put since 2600 B.C., which is pretty impressive. There’s also a lovely, non-bent pyramid right next door. Getting to see such pristine and ancient artifacts is truly an honor and a privilege.

Another enlightening encounter with Egyptian society occurs at the pyramids: souvenir salesmen. Getting wooed, hassled, tricked, and persuaded to purchase trinkets and mementos was quite an experience. Some would even go as far as offering something as a gift and then expecting money or walking into your photo and expecting compensation. But these activities provide often the only (and small) source of income for many Egyptian men and their families. Combined with the dramatic drop in tourism, making a sale has become more imporantant then ever and it often necessary to simply survive.

With this fresh in our minds, it was an extraordinary honor to hear a lecture from Dr. Emad Abdel Gahfour. Dr. Emad is the current President of the Egyptian Salafi political party Al Nour. Al Nour party grew out of the Salafi Call movement in Alexandria, one of the largest Salafi groups in Egypt. Salafi usually is used to describe conservative Muslims who believe the exact example of the Prophet and Sunna (rather than only the principles) is true Islam. Truthfully, Salafism and Salafism in Egypt could each have their own books, so do some more research if you please. The Salafi Call had been promoting its vision of Islamic piety and social work (treating the sick, helping the poor) and largely avoiding political involvement since the mid-70s. Nevertheless, they, like many opposition and Islamist groups in Egypt before 2011, suffered varying levels of persecution under Sadat and Mubarak. According to Dr. Emad, the leadership of the Call was split about what course of action to take as the 2011 Revolution erupted across the country. Eventually, the Call decided to support the revolution and then decided that forming a political party would be the best way for their group to influence the public sphere.

Al-Nour organized rapidly and surprised many people by winning a quarter of the seats in the 2012 parliamentary elections. Dr. Emad believes this success led foreign governments to take the party more seriously and that the democratic institutions within the party administration have helped improved the image of Islamists. Like every other party, Dr. Emad stated the party’s goals as ending economic, security, and political corruption and abuses. He and the party also see an Egyptian society and law code based on Shar’ia (basically the Islamic way of doing things) as the most desirable outcome. Sadly, he was quite superficial about providing specifics about how they would like to ensure that laws were both Islamic and democratic, since a Salafi conception of Shar’ia is different than most Egyptian Muslims and certainly the sizable Christian population.

I also found Al-Nour’s decision to not field their own presidential candidate and endorse Abdel Moneim Abdul Futouh both wise and politically shrewd. By not fielding their own candidate, they avoid (or at least appear to avoid) the compromises and dirty world of scrambling for political power and portray an image of distant, pure group working only in the interest of Egypt. Additionally, I personally think Abdul Futouh has the revolutionary background and credentials to be a successful president. Additionally, he appeals to a wide range of Egyptians, secular to Salafi, which is very important at this point in Egyptian history. Aside from any genuine convictions, Al-Nour gains credibility and can portray the party more positively in Egypt and the international community by accepting a candidate much more liberal than themselves.

Egypt - May, 18th

Fri, 18 May 2012 17:45:34 -0400

Today, we travelled to the Egyptian Museum, which houses an extensive collection of artifacts from ancient Egypt. It was amazing to see tablets, tombs, and towering statues that survived around 5,000 YEARS of history and weather remarkably unscathed. Many of the artifacts we saw were colored with paints derived from natural flower pigments that shone as if they had been applied a few hundred years ago, rather than a few millennia ago. Artifacts telling tales of conquest, such as the Narmer Tablet, seem to have suffered almost no erosion or deterioration (It’s not the years, honey, it’s the mileage). Aside from seeing the treasures of Tutankhamun and the rest of the museum’s pieces, we also received a crash course in ancient Egyptian history and religion. The entire body of artifacts that has come down to us from ancient Egypt seems to have derived from a royal fixation on death and preparation for the afterlife. Nevertheless, these statues also served an important purpose in this life: providing concrete symbols of royal divinity and authority, demonstrating power to the king’s subjects and rival kingdoms, and recording the history of ancient Egypt and the unification of Lower and Upper Egypt.

Next to the Egyptian Museum is burnt and ruined wreckage of the National Democratic Party, the former headquarters of former dictator Hosni Mubarak’s party and a symbol of the old regime. It is fitting that these two institutions are so close to each other, since the presidential elections this week will, with God’s help, be the first time Egyptians democratically elect a leader in 5,000 years. We spent tonight’s lecture discussing these upcoming elections and hearing the story of the revolution from regular Egyptians who participated in it. For our speakers, as well as many other Egyptians, the revolution not only liberated them from Mubarak’s direct domination, but from fear of the government. Moreover, it made people who had never given a thought to politics begin to take a personal interest in politics as a way to influence the future of their country.

While tonight was valuable for learning more details about the road to revolution, especially the April 6 movement, I found it more valuable for reminding myself and the other students about the power of ordinary people to create extraordinary change. Egyptians took responsibility not only to wrest control of the nation from a selfish tyrant, but to protect their families and communities from criminals released by the regime, direct traffic, lead chants, treat the sick and wounded, feed the crowds in Tahrir, and even protect the Egyptian Museum from any would-be looters. But discussions throughout the day clearly showed that the revolution remains unfinished, with former Mubarak Prime Minister Ahmed Shafik running for President and threats to the democratic process from a strong Egyptian military. Yet for this often cynical politics student, remembering the Egyptian Revolution gives me hope for the American political process, an end to the massacre in Syria, and the future of the world in general.

Egypt (Or, sorry about your news feed)

Fri, 18 May 2012 17:03:03 -0400

Ahlan wa Sahlan! Welcome!

If you’ve been following me for a while, then you may know I am currently running around Egypt with wonderful people from Drake. As part of this experience, I will be posting a few paragraphs every other day about what we have been learning along with a few pictures from that day, inshallah. I also hope to finish putting up the best photos from Palestine/Israel. Basically, there are going to be a lot of posts blowing up your news feed, so if you’re not interested, you might want to do whatever the digital equivalent is of sticking your fingers in your ears and singing loudly. For those of you are, I’ll try not to disappoint!

Jerusalem

Fri, 18 May 2012 16:55:17 -0400

Ramparts

Damascus Gate from the Ramparts

Old City

Lunchtime

Han takes in the view

View over the Old City

Secret Room, discovered via trespassing

Old City Hoops

View from the Hostel w/ group of IDF

The Hostel

Jerusalem

Haifa & Nazareth Baha’i Gardens and the Church of the...

Sun, 13 May 2012 23:31:08 -0400

Haifa

Haifa

Baha'i Gardens

Church of the Visitation in Nazareth

Mosaic

Assumed Spot of Mary's Home

Murals from around the world

Portuguese Mural

Mural

Haifa & Nazareth

Baha’i Gardens and the Church of the Visitation

Caesarea The town was built by the infamous King Herod about...

Sun, 13 May 2012 13:10:16 -0400

Roman Theatre

Broken Pillars

Near the Bathhouses

Roman Ruins

Fun on the Mediterranean

Planking!

Caesarea

The town was built by the infamous King Herod about 25-13 BCE, serving as the administrative center of Judea after the siege of Jerusalem. Pontius Pilate governed from the city, and it is also where Paul was imprisoned for two years before departing to Rome. It also developed a reputation across the Roman world for its beauty and the majesty of it construction. Josephus describes that in its construction,

“the king triumphed over nature and constructed a harbor larger than the Piraeus…Notwithstanding the totally recalcitrant nature of the site, he grappled with the difficulties so successfully, that the solidity of his masonry defied the sea, while its beauty was such as if no obstacle had existed.”

Dead Sea

Sat, 12 May 2012 13:15:07 -0400

Dead Sea

Photo

Fri, 11 May 2012 11:51:00 -0400

UN Office in Aida Refugee Camp

Hebron

Abraham Mosque

Tomb of Abraham

New Friend Amin!

The Candyman

Delicious sweets made since 1892

The Separation Wall The separation wall and subsequent...

Thu, 10 May 2012 23:02:41 -0400

Stories of Occupation

Bed & Breakfast ruined by The Wall

The Separation Wall

The separation wall and subsequent checkpoints lead to queues of hundreds and hundreds of men heading for work in Israel, which means most need to leave the house around 2 am to begin work by 7 or 8. Most of the work is construction, and ironically, men from Bethlehem are often building illegal Israeli settlements.

The wall also cut through an olive orchard owned by the Armenian church and shared with the neighboring Palestinian refugee camp. The entire orchard and it’s much-needed income now belong to Israeli settlers. The wall, among many other stories, also cut off access to Rachel’s Tomb; prayers offered in the early morning can still be heard loudly from the Palestinian side of the wall.

Bethlehem Countryside, Shepherd’s Field(s), and Mar Saba...

Thu, 10 May 2012 15:34:00 -0400

Hills Outside Bethlehem

Canyon and Caves of former Hermits

Mar Saba Monastery

Near Shepherd's fields

Orthodox Church at Shepherd's Field

Glory to God and Peace on Earth to Men

Catholic Shepherd's Field

Old Churches and Caves nearby

Cave

Bethlehem Countryside, Shepherd’s Field(s), and Mar Saba Monastery

In John’s time, as in Jesus’ time, shepherds were the dispossessed, the lowest rung of society. No longer owning their own land, then losing their sheep, they often ended up as the hired hands of the Rome-oriented wealthy urban dwellers — those absentee landlords of Jesus’ parables.

“These hired shepherd-servants depended for their livelihood on work that required them to be out in the fields and away from their mothers, wives, sisters, and daughters, whom an honorable man with the means to do so would have stayed home to protect. As a result, shepherds were considered the epitome of questionable honor among men— unreliable at best, borderline bandits at worst. In such a context, a good shepherd, like a good Samaritan, was a contradiction in terms. Dispossessed shepherds of John’s time were despised much as were the traitorous Samaritans.”

And yet Jesus says, “I am the Good Shepherd.”

Let’s all give thanks to the God that heralded his rescue mission into a wicked world with shepherds, regardless of their real or imagined faults

The Church of the Nativity - Bethlehem, Palestine The Almighty...

Mon, 07 May 2012 15:39:22 -0400

Exterior

Pillars and Main Chamber

Mosaics

Candles

Entrance to the Grotto (A Cave)

Place of Christ's Birth

The Manger

The Grotto

The Grotto (Revelation 5:9)

The Church of the Nativity - Bethlehem, Palestine

The Almighty appeared on earth as a helpless human baby, needing to be fed and changed and taught to talk like any other child. The more you think about it, the more staggering it gets. Nothing in fiction is so fantastic as this truth of the Incarnation.

- J.I. Packer

1) Friends They certainly aren’t all represented in these...

Sat, 05 May 2012 21:02:09 -0400

Selma, Malaak, and I

Ali and I

Sheesha Time

Easter Time

Arab Time

Egyptian Time

Soccer Time

AUD Time

Church Friends Time

Dunes Time

1) Friends

They certainly aren’t all represented in these pictures, but whether they’re from Abu Dhabi, AUD, or Church, without these wonderful and warm people, nothing would have been the same. Relationships truly make the difference between tourism and travel.

In Wildness is the Preservation of the World

Sat, 05 May 2012 08:03:01 -0400

Desert

Desert

Hatta

Dunes

Hatta

Beach at Sunrise, Easter Morning

Hatta

Hatta

In Wildness is the Preservation of the World

Sat, 05 May 2012 08:02:19 -0400

2) Nature

There isn’t much to be said here.

Enjoy the following pictures, then go outside. I will miss the desert and the mountains and the sea, but thankfully, the magnificence of Creation exists everywhere.

Now I see the secret of the making of the best persons,

It is to grow in the open air and to eat and sleep with the earth.

- Walt Whitman

One Love (Let’s Get Together and Feel Alright) Thanks to...

Fri, 04 May 2012 23:01:20 -0400

Ferris Wheel at Global Village

Yemeni Honey is Amazing

Delicious Arab Doughnuts with Date Syrup

Malaak with Manaousha

Supporting Al Ahly, Egyptian soccer team

Bastakiya, recreation of old Dubai

Veronica embraces Mongolian Culture

Restoration work in Deira

Tile Work

Enjoying the Water Taxis

One Love (Let’s Get Together and Feel Alright)

Thanks to Malaak Jamal and Nicole Sabbagh for photos 3 & 4

One Love (Let's Get Together and Feel Alright)

Fri, 04 May 2012 23:01:02 -0400

3) International(ness)

It may be cliche, but I’ll say it anyway: Dubai is truly international. Arabs, Africans, Indians, Pakistanis, Filipinos, Europeans, a smattering of Americans, and every other country or combination of ethnicities in the world has a presence in Dubai (and really good restaurants!) If it’s a form of cuisine, it’s here, it’s authentic, and it’s usually cheap. I’m especially going to miss shawarmas with the perfect amount of garlic sauce and naan/peshwari chicken induced food babies from Muhammad Iqbal. I’m also going to miss hearing so many languages, especially getting to practice my Egyptian Arabic and tossing around “yalla” and “khalas” everywhere I went! And I always got a kick out of English words transliterated into Arabic. Getting to have politics and religions classes with people from all over the globe was truly a privilege, and, inshallah, I’m definitely going to get more involved with the International Students Association at Drake when I get back. At the risk of sounding like a hippy, I loved getting to experience such diversity and most (not all) people abandoning any kind of serious prejudice or racism. One World, One Love!

And for those who may think Dubai doesn’t have much of a culture (me, in the past), I can confirm this is definitely false. While there’s not much left as far as buildings go, there is definitely a distinct Gulf culture under the surface of the city. More than that, I think the mixing of cultures, even since before the oil boom, has created a distinctly Dubai culture. Plus, there are Dubai memes, and if that doesn’t prove an area has its own culture, I don’t know what will.

Dubai State of Mind

Fri, 04 May 2012 07:02:00 -0400

4) City Life

Like my man Jay-Z says, big lights will inspire you. I knew Dubai was a big, bright, brilliant, busy city before I came, but then I arrived here! Its literally insane. When the Burj Khalifa lights up in tandem with the Fountain as you soar through traffic on a Friday night, it really is something else. Its quite a big change from Nebraska and Iowa, to say the least. The skyline is almost cartoonish from certain angles because there are so many buildings crammed together. My friend Aaron described it best: “It basically looks like Coruscant.

I love finding people everywhere all the time, wandering through unreasonably large malls, and the metro. This city does public transportation right, and the metro is fast and clean (because if you do anything wrong, they’ll fine you like crazy). Surprisingly, there are super nice parks here. Safa Park is gorgeous and great place to play football or have a picnic, both of which I did multiple times. I’ve also come to love seeing rich Dubians fly through traffic on Skaygh Zeid Road with no regard to cameras, cars, common decency. Apparently some of the locals refer to their speeding fines as a “tax on speed” — just something you pay every year. It’s quite endearing in its own way.

Dubai State of Mind The majority of these photos (1,2,6,7,8,9)...

Fri, 04 May 2012 07:01:10 -0400

1) Arenco Building

2) Sheikh Zayed Road

3) Busy street in Deira

4) Dhow leaving Deira

5) Taking the Metro after a long day

6) Dusty Day in Dubai

7) The future is now (Metro Stop)

8) From Jumeirah

9) Deira docks

Dubai State of Mind

The majority of these photos (1,2,6,7,8,9) were all taken by the amazing Pushkar Sinha. Check out his Flikr page here.

Bye, Dubai

Thu, 03 May 2012 05:05:20 -0400

It’s been a while since I’ve updated this thing, but life has certainly continued. Currently, I’m basking in the ridiculously hot weather, eating a lot of manaeesh, and enjoying being finished with school. I leave for Palestine and Egypt this weekend, but until then, I’ll attempt to condense my semester in Dubai and share some of the best pictures from the last four months by listing the Top 5 Things I’ll Miss about Dubai.

5) AUD, the American University in Dubai

AUD - A magical land where the bookstore doesn’t screw you over, coffee from the vending machines is bafflingly delicious, and the “close” button in the elevators always work. It really is the little things that count. At first, I hated having security guards posted at every gate into the university and the dorms. Now, I’m already missing their smiling faces. Perhaps they could send one to my house in Des Moines, you know, where all the shootings are. Academically, spending a semester learning about Islamic history, politics, and religion was fantastic and deeply satisfied my inner geek. I was also able to help teach some great guys during English classes put on by one of the university clubs for expatriate workers.

Photo

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:25:25 -0500

Dates and Coffee

Traditional Coffee Set

Feast provided by Jubail Economic City

Ready to Feast!

Dessert in the Desert

Eastern Saudi Arabia

New Hats!