Blown Away by Muslims!

Over the past two months of traveling, there's been one reoccurring theme that's entered into every discussion and every situation. Islam. It comes up whether we ask about it or not. It's so entwined with everything we experience and it seems to dominate the entire foundation of everything cultural that we decided to look a little deeper at the topic that gets a nasty reputation in the states, and is so overwhelmingly popular in other parts of the world.

We met with a wonderful group of volunteers from Resala, an organization that utilizes youth to inspire and help other, less fortunate youth in a plethora of capacities. 15 young people between 18 and 24 gave up one Saturday night to meet with us and discuss Islam.

Our discussion started with an introduction of our project and what we hope to accomplish. Our first question asked how Islam influenced their values in life - including the decision to become a volunteer for this organization.

We received a lot of answers that focused on a particular idea - that Islam instructs its practitioners to help the people around them. It teaches charity as a value, and that charity can come in many forms, including kindness and smiles. Said one participant, "The most beloved work to Allah is to make everybody happy!" Which is consistent with one of the organization's goals: "Let's make their happiness our aim." Outside of religion, some volunteers mentioned that they got involved in order to develop their country, to make it better, and to give chance to disillusioned youth. My personal favorite was one volunteer who said that he started volunteering to serve Islam through science, but discovered that he found great fulfillment in the work he was doing so that serving Islam was no longer his only reward for his efforts.

These kids are getting tremendous fulfillment from helping other kids in their community and their attitudes of help are inspiring. One guy taught English to a blind girl. Other kids spend their time tutoring orphans or collecting and distributing food to the poor.

During our session of how Islam instilled value into their motivations in life, we were asked numerous times, "What do Americans think of Islam?" It's a difficult question to answer because America is so huge, and so diverse that there isn't just one simple opinion of what Americans think of Islam. It was quite clear though, that they expected a specific answer to the question they had asked. And because Tim and I are so amazingly prepared, we already had an answer for them. However, as prepared as we were, it was difficult to deliver the answer diplomatically. We tried, with great effort, to explain that America is home to many, many different types of people - educated, uneducated, open minded, closed minded, etc. We explained that there indeed are Americans who think that Islam = a religion against the U.S., terrorism, fanaticism, and oppression.

Of course not all Americans think this way, and we explained that too, but the stereotype that does exist needs to be rectified. I went into a spiel on how Tim and I were there that day to establish a cultural link between our two societies, which continue to misunderstand each other. I believe that a severe, and dangerous, lack of information plays a huge role on this stereotype existing in America - and I explained that it was fueled greatly by the media's coverage of religious extremists committing unbelievable atrocities in the name of Islam. As soon as I had finished my explanation of the media being the culprit of why people think this way, one participant admitted, "You know, our media shows us the same thing about you guys. It's the same on both sides."

It's a shame that the perspective of the masses so greatly depends on a third person perspective. However, not everyone has the opportunity to see how things truly are for themselves. I guess the only thing we can do, is ask ourselves that we be able to understand that the information we are being told isn't the infallible truth, but someone else's version of how they interpret it.

Our discussion entered America's perception of Muslims and we quickly heard comments like, "You can not judge a book by its cover", which was funny to hear such an idiom so far from home. The participants implored us to tell America that the only way to understand Islam is to read about it for yourself. They also said, you can't truly learn about Islam from other Muslims because all people are different, including Muslims.

About war - our participants told us that Islam specifically preaches that in any war, the only targets are soldiers - never women, children, or old folks. Of course, when we see news about suicide bombers, we rarely make this connection. This fuels the stereotype, but it's a stereotype only deserved among extremists. And hardly every Muslim is an extremist. We also heard that although Muslims have occupied territory through hostile acts of war in the past, they're the only religion that has never destroyed another culture's history in the occupation.

On the oppression of women, one gal had plenty to say! She said that the clothes she wears to cover her body and head protect her from men around her who could easily objectify her. She said that Islam ensures rights to women, not deprives them. And although we see in the news a very male dominated society, it's the woman who is in charge at home. Continuing, she commented on the rule of a man having the opportunity to have up to four wives. This is only allowed by permission of the first wife, and the rule originated from a war-time, in which there weren't enough men to repopulate the community.

As we closed our two-hour, Saturday night discussion, one volunteer said, "We are all descendants of Adam and Eve. We are all brothers and sisters. Why should we want to harm our brothers and sisters?" Once again, they pleaded with us to tell people to get to the source if they want to have an opinion on something. This seems a simple request, which I'll commit myself to, and hopefully inspire others to follow.

Handshakes and thank-yous followed for a few minutes. Some participants had more specific questions for Tim and myself. While I was engaged in a chat I could overhear Tim defending his spiritual beliefs as a couple kids tried to get him to accept Islam. It made me laugh and reminded me how similar Christians and Muslims actually are.

Volunteer Like an Egyptian!

I am once again blown away by the friendliness of the people of Egypt. Egypt draws an insane number of tourists each year, generating heaps of opportunities and income for locals. So big is the tourism industry, that the government set up a branch within the law enforcement agency called the Tourism Police. They're police officers whose duty it is to specifically provide tourists with safety. That's not to say that Egypt is a dangerous place, but many western tourists are misled into thinking that it is.

Egypt is rich in history and archaeological sites that are overwhelmed with tourists on a daily basis. People from around the world come to see things like the Pyramids at Giza, the Ramses Temple, the Temple of Karnak, and the Egyptian Museum. They come to relax at a shisha bar or perhaps to take a faluka ride down the Nile and ponder the lives of the ancient Pharos. But the true treasure of Egypt is it's current inhabitants.

You can not walk through a city in Egypt without receiving an onslaught of welcome wishes from locals who are eager to shake your hand. Of course, there are still the guys on the streets that talk up a good conversation and then all of a sudden, conveniently own a store nearby and invite you inside "to give you a business card". But the majority of people on the street are content to say, "Hello!", "Welcome to Egypt!", and more than occasionally someone will speak a bit of English and ask our names and where we're from.

Seeing the smiles on peoples' faces and hearing the love in peoples' voices creates a warm feeling of grand contentment despite the constant background of honking horns and clouds of exhaust that never seem to clear. Life here is happy. Even after Tim and I each had sentimental things stolen from our backpacks, while they sat unsafely locked in our hotel room, I can still say that I'm happy to be here.

In a place where happiness seems to dominate, an unfortunate piece of reality hangs around to balance the scale of life: poverty. Gas is the equivalent of $0.60 USD per gallon, which is twice what it was last year. Mandarins are $0.30 per pound, and Tim and I are able to overfill our ever shrinking stomachs for less than a dollar a meal. Prices here are insanely cheap for western standards because that's all that the local people can afford to pay. And in a society where work is hard to find and money is hard to earn, we found a network of volunteers across the country - giving of themselves for the benefit of their community!

We met with the Youth Association for Population and Development. YAPD is an NGO that runs many different volunteer programs in Egypt. Some of their bigger projects include:

Egyptian Volunteer Center
A project that places volunteers within needed roles in the community.
Youth Training Sessions
A project aimed at tackling the unemployment problem through a group of training sessions.
Youth Hotline
A hotline for abused children.
Health Education Campaign
Education focused on HIV and AIDS awareness.

Over the course of a couple hours in their main office, we met with volunteers and employees. We discussed the best methods to get people involved in improving their communities and why people choose to become volunteers. The motivations of these youth was not money - of course, as volunteers traditionally don't get paid. Their motivation is social networking, making connections, developing their community to have a better society, and establishing a role in their country.

Their whole focus is on getting youth to be active in their communities to influence a positive change in the direction of development. They were established in 1994 and have worked with over 30,000 volunteers, mostly between the ages of 18 and 28. It was fascinating to see so many people involved in developing their communities in a place as difficult as this. The need for the work they do is very apparent, everywhere you look. This is a society of mystery, generosity, kindness, and a huge lack of opportunity.

An example of the need for YAPD's efforts came crashing into reality as crazily as our favorite taxi driver drives through the city. We went out that same night with the hostel guy, Amir, our favorite taxi driver, Farag, and two other guests who were both doctors - one from Lebanon, and the other from Morocco. It started out a good time of relaxing and hanging out, talking about whatever came to our heads. Farag was sitting next to Dr. Morocco and started asking medical questions. Farag, 27, is a wonderful, kind, loving soul and he was very interested in some specific health topics. Unfortunately, he never had the opportunity to learn this information in school and was asking quite basic questions. Like a good, conservative Muslim, he's waiting for marriage to have sex and was expressing his fear that he might hurt his unborn baby if he had sex with his future wife should she someday become pregnant. Dr. Morocco explained the concept of conception in detail as Farag listened intently, stopping to ask anatomy questions now and again. The parts he didn't understand, Dr. Lebanon tried to explain using a bottle of water, an empty cup, and a straw - the only props available. His peers were joking with him, and very much laughing at his expense because he's never learned the details of reproduction. He was asking questions that were funny, from an educated perspective, but also a bit sad and endearing to see his sincere attempt at learning something he knew nothing about. From the laughter, I got the impression that these topics were not maturely dealt with in this culture, thus really reaffirming for me everything that YAPD does in this country.

This organization is huge and they have an amazing network of volunteers who seemed to be very ambitious and giving for their own benefits and the benefits of their communities. It was refreshing and inspiring to see a young group so involved in positive social change.

Southern Tunisia of Death!!!

Our experiences with our host, Mehdi, and our Tunisian Manager, Amira, were better than anything our wild imaginations could have ever come up with! We enjoyed time with the best of the best - kind, generous, loving, intelligent, ambitious, the list goes on. If I didn't know any better, I'd swear their hearts were made of pure gold! Unfortunately, as I began an exploration of the south, I was rocked back to reality during the first five minutes on the train!

After our projects in Tunisia were completed, Tim and I decided to spend a few days apart to maintain our sanities. I decided to head south to see where Star Wars was filmed, and Tim went hitch hiking and camping somewhere else less Star Warsy.

I bought a ticket on a night train to Tozeur and was reading my book while I waited for the train to send me on a journey to a place far, far away. All of a sudden, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a hand slowly creeping toward my bag from behind me! I turned to look at it more clearly and it shot back behind the seat. I turned and made the facial equivalent of "WTF?!?!" There sitting behind me, was a guy in his mid-twenties, with a big, stupid smile on his face - embarrassed to have been caught and very obviously guilty. In his embarrassment he couldn't think of what to do. I stood up to confront him and he pulled off one of his fake gold rings and tried to sell it to me. Thanks, fella, but no thanks... I packed up my stuff and found another seat after calling him a bad person. Didn't sleep for the rest of the night!

I arrived in Tozeur, a small town that perhaps once had something interesting to offer, but is now just dominated by tourist shops all selling the same tacky souvenirs. I don't like places like these because although the locals go through the motions of being nice and welcoming and smiling - it's all 100% insincere. These types of places are nearly impossible to experience anything true of the culture, or to meet real people.

After I found a cheap enough hotel, I decided to take a walk outside the town, which sits in an oasis, to see if I could find the desert! I walked for over an hour in a southerly direction until finally I had found my way out of the oasis and palm forest and into the great Sahara. As I entered this ecotone, I passed four kids on a cart pulled by a horse. Two were about 12 years old, and two were about 18. They were all staring at me, naturally, as I was way, way out of anywhere tourists and even locals usually go.

Tim and I had been taking private Arabic lessons, 10 hours worth, so I gave them the typical Arabic greeting, which translates literally to "Peace be upon you!" and received what's becoming the typical response to my Arabic attempts - laughter. They looked as if they were ditching out on their afternoon chores as they rode their empty cart laughing. One of them was holding a sickle - a typical farming tool used for cutting tall grass, or woody palm branches/leaves. However, this particular sickle had a different destiny - it was to be used for cutting wandering Andrews...

I walked passed them and they continued on their way. I stopped to take in the view, listen to the birds, and enjoy the peace before my next month and a half of Tim's shenanigans are to begin. I noticed that they had stopped just as the road went around a bend. They backed up and started calling out to me, "Monsieur! Monsieur!" That's French for "Hey guy, come here!" They motioned for me to come over to where they were.

They sat along the only way back to town so I started walking back towards them slowly. After all, they had just corrupted my enjoyment of the peace and quiet, what else did I have to do?

As I neared, I took note that one 18 year old was missing, as was the sickle, and one 12 year old was standing in the road. I greeted them again as my new vocabulary is quite limited and the one 12 year old in the road put out his hand and said, "Cinq Dinars!", which is French for "Five Dinars, Buster!" He was dirty and looked as if his eyes had never before smiled. He was demanding the equivalent of about four USD, so I tried to respond with, "French is for sissies, I speak English!" but what actually came out was, "I don't understand French." The 12 year old on the cart spoke rough, but impressive, English and asked my name. I introduced myself and asked their names and shook their hands. On the cart, Ismael, the only English speaker, and his older buddy, Ahmed, were all smiles. Nabi reluctantly shook my hand but refused to look me in the eyes after I denied his fee for being a foreigner. I praised Ismael's English ability and complimented them on their country and oasis. After a very brief conversation, the two smilers called to their fourth friend, the other 18 year old, who was hiding in the bushes. He came out, sickle in hand, and disappointment all over his face! I extended my hand, testing him, and said, "Andrew". He mumbled something beginning with 'M' and climbed up onto the cart. Ismael invited me to ride with them, but I politely declined saying that I preferred to walk.

I had used my most important Taekwondo training to conquer their ill-willed plans, but still, my drugless high, instilled by my new friends in Tunis, had come crashing down in flames in less than a day! It was a sobering reminder that even in a country of superstars, there can be bad people. The lesson here is not to be afraid of everyone, everything, and everywhere we travel, but to treat each situation as a different situation, and each person as a different person! Maintaining openness and awareness, and perhaps a bit of caution, are key to what Tim and I are doing and are some of the reasons why we are successful!

Be All You Can Be In Tunisia!

The youth of Tunisia that I've had the pleasure of meeting have been some of the most promising youth I've ever been around! It seems everyone we meet is studying to be a doctor, or a PhD candidate in biotechnology, or already have a Masters Degree in Information Technology, and a number of other higher education students! We've spent our time here with people of great character and of even greater potential! Tunisia's government did a true service to its country when it made higher education free to students smart enough to pursue such a path in life - and indeed it will pay off in the future!

We met with 15 students from Insat University in Tunis to have a discussion about goals, stereotypes, and cultural understanding. These students all belong to at least one of four extra curricular groups: Biotechnology Club, Chemistry Club, Radio Club, and Theater Club. They organized a delicious traditional Tunisian lunch for us, while we hung out, conversed, and bonded for nearly five hours!

Our discussion began with having them introduce themselves and tell about their values and life/career goals. It was quite clear that these kids were shooting for the stars - and I have every bit of confidence in them that they'll make it! Many of their goals were focused on social responsibility, such as creating associations for proper nutrition, biotechnological advancements, and cultural education through theater - and one young man has already started an organization called Ecologically Engaged as a platform to do environmental education for youth in his community! Other goals focused around culture and idea exchanges, traveling and discovery, marriage, and normal goals typical of any college kid: to succeed.

It was inspiring to hear about their ambitions in life and I'm excited for them that their government is giving them the opportunities necessary to further themselves, and in the long run to further their country.

Our discussion moved more toward stereotypes as obstacles in their lives. Some of our participants had at one time or another been negatively affected in some way by a stereotype. And some had been blown away by experiences and people who had broken their previously held stereotypes! They all seemed to agree that stereotypes came from and are propagated by media, conflicts, religion, and a lack of information.

Wrapping everything up, we talked about how to correct stereotypes, and dispel these prejudices and prejudgments. Travel, discussions, and meetings were among the ideas presented to educate people about our differences and similarities. I used good ole Gandhi’s quote, "Be the change that you want to see in the world." to inspire them into knowing that they each have the power to dispel stereotypes by representing the truth about themselves, as this is a practice I hold in quite high esteem.

My favorite comment of the day was in relation to the fact that we are all connected: "If we want to build bridges, we will do it. If we want to cut them - we can too." It is all our responsibilities to recognize stereotypes for what they are, and to look beyond them and see an individual as representing the truth about themselves and no one else!

The meeting was a huge success and gave these kids the opportunity to speak about important issues. In fact, on one tangent, they got into a debate on Islamic principles governing public behavior. Tunisia is not nearly as conservative as Morocco with respect to religion, but still, a healthy, mature debate on a topic like this shows great insight into their culture and is great positive development for them!

My best to you guys and all your future endeavors! Thanks for all your hospitality and participation!

Cous Cous for Pig Skin!

Our host in Tunis is originally from Bizerte, a rather large city in the north. Mehdi has been an amazing host, showing us hospitality that we could never have even hoped for! While in Tunis on business, Medhi's mother stopped by the apartment and invited us to Bizerte for a cous cous feast! We excitedly accepted and were giddy at the opportunity for some interaction with people from a different age generation.

We learned that Mehdi's mother; Hayet, is an eye doctor and his father, Moncef, is the Mayor of Bizerte! We explained our project to them and asked if we could interview them to get a new perspective on Tunisia! After a cous cous feast that was fit for a mayor and his family, we had a nice little discussion on how they saw life in Tunisia, and the U.S.

Their values and observations about their community were eerily reminiscent of how I've heard my family speak, "The Good Old Days". They value family, respect for others, and love for one's country. With growth, as they told us, the town has become much more of a melting pot and there are people from everywhere and no one really knows anyone anymore. In the past, everyone knew each other and having a social responsibility was easy because everyone around you was your neighbor. They see all the opportunities that today's youth have, and are frustrated that they spend so much time sitting in front of a computer playing games or watching music on television. Their wishes for their grand children are "more responsibly"!

It was so close to the state of life I know in the U.S. we wanted to know their opinion of the U.S.

Moncef began by saying that even though the United States is a young country, it's very strong. The pride of Americans in their country is what makes it strong. And he went on a bit at how much he admired that. He also included that many people are upset with the U.S. for being so strongly pro-Israel, and supporting the injustice toward Palestinians.

Here's an interesting thought: If in your circle of friends one friend continually pissed off other people and got you into fights all the time, what would you do or say to your troublemaking friend? It would be fun to start an online dialogue about that, and I'll let any of my faithful readers comment by clicking on the comment link at the bottom of this article!

Moncef also said that Americans lump all Islam/Arabs together and he wants us to realize that they can be religious without war and terrorism!

On a development theme he said that rich countries should help poor countries, but not by simply throwing money at the development woes. Financial aid should be used for infrastructure and monitored closely so that corruption can't find its place with donated funds. This would help stop illegal immigration and increase employment!

In all it was a very, very enlightening conversation. It was clear to see where Mehdi had picked up his hospitality skills. And so when we returned to Tunis, we tried to return the favor by preparing a proper Superbowl party for him!

Tim and I went all out with the only resources we could find to work with. We bought a couple packs of Tunisian beer, and a couple bottles of wine. We made a vegetable/salsa dip for potato chips, and we constructed some very rough, but delicious nachos! We had a full spread of alcohol and junk food! It rocked! Kickoff was a half hour after midnight due to the time difference and we settled right in to one of the best Superbowls, ever! We explained all the rules of football and the history behind the teams and Mehdi seemed nearly as excited as we were - well, excited as I was - Tim's on a level all his own on this one.

Poor Mehdi, though, as excited as he was, we wouldn't let him go to sleep before the end of the game at 4:30 AM! And he had work later that morning - he's doing his residency to become an eye doctor and someday run his mother's clinic! You're a good sport, Mehdi! Thanks so much for everything you've done for us!

CIA in Tunisia

This true story is based on an event that actually happened within all realms of my own reality.

Thursday, 2008-01-31, 13:17 Zulu Time.

36° 47' 59.77" North Longitude
10° 10' 51.24" East Latidtude

Agent Wade and 00Judkins were walking down the main street in the center of Tunis, and had a very bizarre encounter that instilled excitement and wonder into their already interesting day.

They were heading for the old town - the medina - where a maze of small alleys are filled with a myriad of shops and cafes when all of a sudden some "random guy" made eye contact with Tim and altered his course to "contact" him.

The agents were just outside of a hotel-ish looking building, on a crowded street when the operative, Superspy, made contact with Tim. He was carrying a cell phone in one hand, and a laptop bag around his opposite shoulder. The laptop bag very obviously contained no laptop at all. Superspy changed his direction and thumped Agent Wade's arm as we walked by. Tim and Andrew looked back and wondered, "What the hell?" as Superspy maintained his eye contact with Tim and made a gesture that neither of the two former Peace Corps Volunteers understood. Then the operative followed them.

Superspy was casual and looked like any ordinary operative on the street. He walked so as not to attract attention and carried himself in a way that let him blend into his surroundings like a fat guy standing next to a hotdog cart.

Tim and Andrew decided to stop at a tourist shop and look at some postcards to see what Superspy would do. He waited for them. They were intrigued and wondered what their next move should be. Andrew wanted to take a picture of the operative to gauge his reaction. Tim shot down his idea saying, "Are you nuts, Double "O" Judkins?! That technique is not the wisest option!" They decided instead, to continue onward to the medina - with Superspy inconspicuously on their tails.

He finally stopped following them at one intersection and watched them disappear into the crowd. They laughed at what their imaginations thought they had encountered and joked about the mysterious, classified contents of the laptop bag. After some manipulative talking, Andrew was able to convince Tim to walk back to the "contact location" to see if Superspy had returned to meet whoever he mistook them for. He was gone though - obviously he terminated any further progress as he felt his confusion had compromised the mission.

Better luck next time, Superspy!

Names and places in this story have not been changed in order to protect the identity of the fat guy next to the hotdog cart.