Polygyny

While there are some who think that most Muslims are marrying tons of Muslimas or that polygyny is the norm in the Middle East, I might be the opposite - I was expecting practically none and was actually shocked by the little I saw in Syria.

From when I began studying "the Middle East," or took some courses on Islam, it was repeated almost ad nasuem while though polygyny is allowed, and on the books in most Muslim countries (notible exceptions: Tunisia and Turkey), it is and has been throughout history not the norm. It's hard enough to afford one family, let alone two or four. When I studied in Egypt for six months, I can't say I exactly immersed myself in Egyptian society (I went to AUC) but I never met or heard a hint of these kinds of marriages. Oh sure, it happens, but rarely. Ok, it happens more than rarely in the Gulf, cause they have all that money.

Oh sure there are the jokes: I remember in Dubai once meeting an Emirati, family friend of a friend, who was gorgeous. My girlfriend and I stared. I failed to notice the wedding ring, but my friend (his friend) told me to cheer up: there's room for more. He's already got his respectable Emirati wife, you could be the scandelous foreign one. But this was all on the same level of serious as a teenagers catcalling a group of girls, "why don't you all mary me! C'mon, the religion says it's okay!"

In Syria, I have been amazed how many families with more than one wife I have met. Granted, if your stereotype of Arabs is oppressive men hauling around truckloads of wives, the few families I've met would contradict that. And it's important to note that they are a few among the many, many families I've met.

The first woman contradicted all of my stereotypes: she's a businesswoman, living alone with her children, making money, doing well. Married three times before, she divorced them all because each was an asshat in his own right. Her current husband lives in Lebanon with his other wife, and visits every other weekend or so. Sometimes she visits him. After some shitty, abusing, controlling husbands, this one suits her just fine.

The situation, though, does not suit the other woman fine. I've only heard about her, so this is all hearsay, but she's a foriegner who fell in love, got married, gave birth to seven children, and then was informed by her husband one day that there's another woman. Her son, my friend, told me the first wife stopped all relations and is still pissed. Husband can't believe it. He gave her seven children, a house, a good life. I mean, he remarried four years ago, get over it. I said that probably to her, her husband has been cheating on her twice a month for four years. She doesn't get over it, its a reopened wound every time he goes to Damascus. When they got married, I bet it never crossed her mind that a few decades later he'd be all, thanks for the babies and years, I'm gonna go get my swerve on in a religously-sanctioned fashion.

Most of the women I know who are in polygynous marriages are the first wives, which is obviously different than being the second wife. Their husbands, for the most part, seem like asshats, using weak-ass excuses to marry exclusively younger women. A friend was trying to tell me that some women don't mind - which I'm sure there are some who don't - but used the example of one of Um Tareq's friends. When her husband wanted to remarry, she went out and vetted the girls. I said this doesn't mean necessarily that she loves the idea, but thinks there's no getting around it and being involved in the process is a way to have some control over it. Months later, she comes to Um Tareq, crying that her husband ignores her and spends all his time with the other wife, who is now pregnant (and 20 years old - first wife and hubby are in their late 40s).

Another woman I know divorced her husband because he wanted to marry another woman. It adversely affected her living situation. This is a huge problem - if the woman doens't have any idependent wealth and her husband gets all asshaty and wants to marry again, what are her choices? Divorce, and live on what?



Another friend of the Umahat (moms), who mostly live in Jeramana and love me for some reason, is essentially separated from her husband. He wanted to marry some one "in order to have a boy". Nevermind the couple already has a boy - he's actually grown and getting engaged soon. When the subject has come up before, I've been told her inability to have a boy is a legitimate reason to remarry (even though in the same conversation it's been admitted that, yeah, the sex comes from the father). And in this, there's already a boy.

It's complete bullshit, especially when the source says treatment between wives has to be equal. Of course, the responsibilies are completely set aside when dudes are grabbing the "rights" afforded to them. That condition of equality doesn't interfer with marrying a younger woman, moving in with her, and ignoring the "old" wife in many cases. Then there are the men who go behind their wives back and secretly marry. Wife may know or not. Yeah, like I'm sure that's completely halal and exactly what God meant.

When polyandry has come up in discussion, I've been told that its because a woman just couldn't handle this - women are sensitive creatures who couldn't love more than one. Ah, bullshit.

I know polygyny is a lot more nuanced than this - my first example is some one who is very happy with her shared husband. It's possible there are some very happy families where everyone is pleased with the situation and gets along fine. I haven't met them. Generally, from my experience, it makes for some very unhappy women and asshat men. Though I'm not a Muslim, I'm in favor of the train of thought that interprets Sura 4:3 as historically limited or saying: marry one, two, three, or hour, but if you can't be equal, marry only one. And who can be truly equal and fair, besides God? No one. So focus on making that one wife happy.

Telteesh

I happened to catch a program "Red Line" (الخط الاحمر) on the Syrian channel yesterday, when the topic under discussion was catcalling and harrassment التلطيش والتحرش. There was a group of young people and three experts all discussing the problem and if it was a problem and its reasons. I missed the beginning, but did manage to catch a young person asking if girls hold any of the responsibility for catcalling, with their dress and cause, you know, a lot of them like it anyway. Or if it's all the dude's fault. The psych expert rattled off a list of reasons why dudes might be hassling, including economic pressures, family pressures, and sexual repression. But despite all this, he is still a human not an animal and responsible for his actions. The girl is not.

I'm glad the expert said the girl is not responsible, but he still didn't refute that girls like telteesh. I am so sick of this. Everytime this topic comes up with my (male) friends, I'm told that Syrian girls like telteesh, it makes them feel good. Why else would they dress up like that, wear makeup like that? When I tell them, actually some girls don't, like me, I'm told I'm just a weird American. Syrian girls are different. That's strange, as actually I've chilled with Syrians who've told me telteesh annoys the hell out of them too.

The end of the show had some interviews with men, shot outside of the literature college in Mezzeh. "If you a pretty girl, do you catcall her?"
"Well if she's really pretty.."
"Of course"
One said that it's obvious she wants people to comment on her looks by the way she walks, or what she wears, or puts makeup on.

Because of course, if a woman takes the time to look nice she's doing it for the men on the street. She's not wearing makeup because in the workforce looking nice is required for women. She didn't put herself together for a husband or a boyfriend. She's not trying to look nice to show up other women because of the insane competition women are supposed to have with one another over looks. She's not dressing up cause, hell, she wants to. She's doing it for you, man standing near the SANA building.

The last guy interviewed said he never catcalls as it's disrepectful. That's some one's sister or niece, and he wouldn't want people saying that to his sister. While it's nice that he actually thinks of respect, it's strange that it's not disrepecting her he's worried about, but the nearest attached male. But even he agreed that girls dress up looking for comments.

While I don't doubt there exist some girls who live for the thrill of a random man sucking his teeth in appreciation, it doesn't apply to all of us. So shut the fuck up.

Phone Calls

About a month ago a strange number called me on my cell, saying he was from the simsar's office and asking me how I was doing. He knew my name, but was a young guy, not the old man that handed me the keys to my apartment three months ago. He asked how I was doing and if he could come over, while I was cagey and refused. His name was Ra'id, and I know of no other Ra'id than my friend over on Rowda. "Why do you want to visit?"
"To see how you are doing."
"I'm fine, thanks."
"Can I come over."
"No. Who are you?"
"I'm Ra'id, from the office."
"I don't need anything from the office."
"Do you like the apartment?"
"Yes."
"Can I visit?"
"No."
"Why?"
"Why do you want to visit?"
"To see how you are. Just to visit."
"I don't know you. No."
"You're on the second floor right?"

After wasting his minutes more, he finally didn't call back when I hung up again.

Strange phone calls from strangers are not uncommon. Often someone will call a wrong number, and if a girl answers, they keep calling back trying to get a date. My friends have confirmed this happens to them all the time, so it doesn't have to do with my foreignness, just my ladyness, but in an attempt to not get me to hang up they always bring it up:
"Allo?" I say
"Marhaba."
"marhabtayn. Who is this?"
Sometimes they say their name, often they just ask for some one who I am not.
"Sorry, wrong number."
"Where are you from?"

After the call has ended, the guy calls back, to let me know that I have a pretty voice and where am I from? Am I a student? I hang up. They call back.

They call back the next day. They call back at 1am. And again the next day. I finally hand the phone to a male friend standing nearby, who bitches them out for me, identifying himself as my khateeb.

Sometimes the guy tries to speak to me in English, producing sentences like: "You voice nice."

Sometimes the English is a bit better, and they try to pass themselves off to me as another foreigner. "I am American too. Why don't we talk?" as if I'm not going to detect the Syrian-accented English or be unable to identify another American. I told him, in Arabic, that I didn't want to talk with him and he was an asshole. "What? I don't understand. Speak English." This was only the second time that particular guy had called back, but I was standing next to a friend, so I handed him the phone. He invoked the man's sister's genitals in a disrespectful manner, but the man just kept repeating, "I don't understand. Speak English. What?"

But at least he didn't call back.

According to some guy friends, some of these calls are not the result of wrong numbers, but bored guys sitting around dialing random numbers until a girl picks up. I don't really know what they are expecting to get out of this: BINGO! Got a girl! I'm sure she'll want to go on a date with a complete stranger who keeps calling her! I mean, maybe there's a glimmer of hope the first time, but after that, really, what are you thinking? That if you call me at 1am I'll be happy, put on some pants, and come over to your parents' house for some lovin?

Humped

Thursday night I was attacked. I was pretty tired from my week of pre-7am rising, and wanted to clear my head, so I went for a walk. While the main streets in Jerimana are bustling at almost all hours, you don't have to walk too far to hit farms and a little desolation. I needed to get away from noise and people for a bit. I walked this way before at 11pm with some friends, including guys. It wasn't yet 8:30 pm when I left home.

I was walking along a road near a field. There are small farms and the occaisonal apartment building on this road, with the lights of Jerimana not far behind me. While not busy, there were cars, bikes, and other walkers passing by in frequent intervals. I walked next to a pile of dirt and a young man, who had been crouched behind it, started walking very quickly towards me, when a car turned the corner and man's pace relaxed. I yelled at him, "What are you doing? What was that?" and kept walking, thinking maybe I had misinterpreted the situation. A second car, behind the first, passed and the man came running at me. I started yelling at him to leave me alone, and when he got near hit him with my bag and tried to aim for his face with my other hand. He tried to kiss me, and though I managed to prevent that, I got humped as he tried to grope things, when the headlights of a car came up the road. He ran, grabbing his bike that he had hidden alongside the road.

I flagged down the car, a taxi with a man sitting next to the driver. Clearly shaken and freaked out, I yelled that the guy on the bike attacked me.
"Why are you walking by yourself?"
I said I was going to a friends house, but thinking "Why does that fucking matter?" They invited me to get in the car and I thought they would try to catch up with bikeattacker, but instead they just questioned me why I was out by myself, where I lived, and what the guy had taken from me. "Did he take your wallet? your bag?"
"He didn't take anything, he attacked me."
"But he didn't take anything?"
"No, he attacked me."
The passenger muttered "harassement," as though I were silly to get so worked up over it. I got out of the car at the beginning of the road, where the streets were bustling.

I felt like maybe I shouldn't have been walking alone. It's strange that the first time I go walking by myself in a non busy area I get attacked. Everyone likes to talk about how safe Syria is, and not that my one little incident negates the true general low incidence of crime and especially violent crime, but for all the years I've lived in the horribly unsafe and crimeridden (according to popular opinion) States nothing like that has ever happened to me. Running through much more desolate areas of Michigan pre-dawn or after nightfall in sportsbra and shorts, walking home from the subway to my apartments in Brooklyn and Long Island City at 3am: nothing.

Friday afternoon I had some friends over and some one made the whole Syria is completely safe argument, to which I told what happened the night before. The guys were flabbergasted, saying that was a weird thing that hardly ever happens. They also could not believe that the men in the car had reacted like that, saying that most Syrian guys would chase the guy down. "Syrians love to be heroes." It was suggested that I return to the same spot and walk around as bait, while two of my guyfriends hide in the bushes so they can get anyone who messes with me.

The ladies present refuted the idea that this shit is rare, with examples. Not that some one full on attacking is common, but harrassment (not meaning verbal. Verbal harrassment or catcalling is talteesh, while if its physical it is taharrosh)

I was heartened though, when I pointed out that it had only been 9pm and Tariq said, "That doesn't matter. You should be able to walk around at 2am naked without being attacked."

I don't mean this post to reinforce the stereotype that Arab men are sex-starved maniacs. Obviously the vast majority of men do not attempt to hump women on the street. But there there is a lack of awareness about harrassment among guys. When one of my friends refused to believe that this kind of stuff happens more than "hardly ever" he said he'd never heard of such an incidence before tonight. Really? How often do you hang out with girls and how often would they be comfortable talking about it to you? He then cast a critical eye on several of Manar's anecdotes, because she said this had happened to her cousin, that to her friend. "Syrians exaggerate. A guy says he saw a hat with 4 colors and after a month the hat had 200 colors." He also said it was women's fault for not making a bigger scene when something like this happens.

I'm just feeling very pissed off about the incident.

Hackers

Hackers are douches. I went to the UNFPA global site yesterday to get some materials, and was confronted with a defaced site. It was down for the whole day. Hackers, defacers: I get it. You're anti-establishment, oh, aren't you so BAD!

So go ahead, attack Microsoft or Pepsi, but seriously, UNFPA? Was it the anti-fistula campaign that needed some smacking down? Or just generally the evil corporate goal of reducing maternal mortality? Oh sorry, I just realized that you're actually just comparing dick sizes with other hackers.

Muslims to Potentially Call for the Blood of Obama

Obama just can't win.

First he was criticized for being too "in" with the Muslims. He was accused of being one, of being indoctrinated at an Islamic madrassa in Indonesia, of expressing sympathy for the Palestinians, and for the endorsements of Hamas. While Obama has replied by shoring up his "I love Jesus" cred and declaring himself no less a friend of Israel than Clinton, the insinuations continue.

Now, an op-ed in the New York Times goes the other way: Obama would piss the shit out of Muslims. The author, Edward N. Luttwak of the conservative thinktank Center for Strategic and International Studies, begins by benignly praising Obama's charisma and well-organized campaign - this so we know that what follows isn't an attack on Obama, just fact.

Theoretically speaking, Luttwak posits, Muslims the world over would demand Obama's blood, should he become president.

What? Oh, I'm sorry, Luttwak's position is a bit more nuanced:

As the son of the Muslim father, Senator Obama was born a Muslin under Muslim law as it is universally understood. It makes no difference that, as Senator Obama has written, his father said he renounced his religion. Likewise, under Muslim law based on the Koran his mother's Christian background is irrelevant...

Wow! who knew that you could be born Muslim? However do the babies say the shahada? As far as I know, Obama has never had said the shahada (profession of faith), and therefore has never even been Muslim. Islam is not a religion; not a race.

Senator Obama is not a Muslim. He chose to become a Christian, and indeed has written convincingly to explain how he arrived at his choice and how important his Christian faith is to him. His conversion, however, was a crime in Muslim eyes; it is "irtidad" or "ridda," usually translated from the the Arabic as "apostasy," but with the connotations of rebellion and treason.

Oh my god you're using Arabic! And well enough to scoff at simple translations of "ridda", since you know the connotations as well! Bravo! But, since Obama has never actually been Muslim - can he really be an apostate?

Indeed, it is the worst of all crimes that a Muslim can commit... the recommended punishment is beheading at the hands of a cleric... It is true that the criminal codes in most Muslim countries to no mandate execution for apostasy.

But that last part doesn't matter because we all know that Muslims are thirsting for blood no matter what the criminal codes of their countries say! He goes on to mention two famous cases of apostates: an Iranian man in 1994 and an Afghani man in 2006. Luttwak does allow that even Iran or Saudi Arabia would probably not prosecute President Obama, but

...another provision of Muslim law is perhaps more relevant: it prohibits punishment for any Muslim who kills any apostate, and effectively prohibits interference with such a killing. At the very least, that would complicate the security planning of state visits by President Obama to Muslim countries, because the very act of protecting him would be sinful for Islamic security guards. More broadly, most citizens of the Islamic world would be horrified by the fact of Senator Obama’s conversion to Christianity once it became widely known — as it would, no doubt, should he win the White House. This would compromise the ability of governments in Muslim nations to cooperate with the United States in the fight against terrorism, as well as American efforts to export democracy and human rights abroad.

Right. The incredibly lengthy and seemingly unending election has not provided opportunity enough to get to know this new guy - despite the fact that al-Jazeera has been inundated with coverage of the race, which is only displaced by news from Gaza or Lebanon. And naturally, Obama's being an "apostate" would hurt America's war on terror and rapport with the Muslim world more than the man who started a war, calling it a "crusade," and is overflowing with love for Israel. As for exporting democracy and human rights abroad - I don't think the US could be doing much worse than currently, so why not try the apostate?

The worst part about this article is that is sees the "Muslim world" as a vast monolith, mentioning only Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Afghanistan to represent this massive and diverse region. The Muslims themselves are not individual people, with the ability to say, measure a man's supposed apostate-ness versus his policy in deciding whether or not to stone him, but a herd of sheep expected to bleat hatred once the secret is out. It is obvious that Luttwak has not spoken to a single Muslim, but who needs to when scripture tells you everything you need to know about the adherents of a religion?

While Syria is not representative of every Muslim country, every person I've talked to here about the American election is now solidly behind Obama. They note his international background, how he wants to pull troops out of Iraq, and his being black, which I'm told "is a good step for America". A few people have told me that they hope his having Muslim family in Kenya means he will be less biased against Muslims than the current administration. In Tunisia, another, very different Muslim country, I only spoke on the subject with two people, when they brought it up, asking me if I was going to vote Obama since they want him to win.

But what do I know? I'm no thinktank. So take your pick: either Obama is too sympathetic to The Muslims (and thus, terror) or he's going to cause them to all go batshit insane and hurt the wonderful democracy-spreading America's been up to lately. Either one is obviously a valid reason to Vote McCain.

Flight to Tunis

Tariq's friend Tariq gave me a ride to the airport this morning. The line for checkin on the TunisAir flight was long and rowdy, all of us fanning ourselves with tickets in the unseasonable heat.

I was behind someone working for the ministry of culture, who gave me gum after finding out that I was Americain, not Tunisian. A girl in the line next to us asked me if I could hold her bag, and I became confused. She was Tunisian and the accent was hard to follow. Her mother butted in, pointing out my one little bag and thrusting one of her mountain of bags my way. "Can't you take it with you?"

She was large with eye makeup and a garish lipstick painted on; she seemed like a nice lady. But I refused, having seen "Brokedown Palace". I doubt there was anything in the bag; but I want to decrease the chances of my ending up in a Thai prison to as small as possible. She kept insisting and I kept repeating asifa (sorry), then she just let the bag at my feet until the people behind me backed me up, saying "she's not going to take it".

Soon after, a group of about five pushed their way through the first line, cutting off and joining the second line (mine). They claimed to be first class so people grumbed and let them. Upon arriving at the counter the ticket agent found they were not, and refused to serve them, pointing to us who had been waiting patiently in line. "We're here anyways! God!" They tried to force their bags onto the ramp, and refused to join the line, increasing the chaos, but the agent held firm and we had to pass our bags over theirs and hand our passports and tickets through their protests. Bravo TunisAir lady!

A Realistic Fear

There's a profile on Chris Matthews, very loud pundit on CNBC, in the New York Times Magazine, which includes this interesting travel wish:

As we approached the airport gate, Matthews mentioned that he and his wife, Kathleen, have been contemplating a trip to Damascus. It’s something they have wanted to do for a long time. But he worries that he might make an inviting target for a kidnapper. “I can imagine getting some big-name media figure would be a big propaganda catch for them,” Matthews said. “You can imagine what the neocons would say if I were kidnapped. They’d be like, ‘See, Matthews, terrorism isn’t so funny now, is it?’ ”

What? When was the last time anyone got kidnapped in Damacus? Who does that? I sent out an email to his show inviting him to come to Damascus where many Americans and other foreigners go days without being kidnapped. But I guess we aren't big-name media figures like Mr. Matthews.

Got to be Moving On

I am moving. While living with the family has been nice these past four months, it's time I had my own apartment and little more freedom. Confining my search to furnished apartments in Jerimana, I found some 2-bedrooms for 10,000 Lira/month ($200) and 12,000 Lira, and some 1 bedrooms for 8,000 Lira, but ultimately settled on an 18,000 ($360) 2 bedroom because it is right on sahat-alsuyuf, rather than a 10 minute walk off the main road, has a balcony overlooking the square, airconditioning, and was the only apartment I saw with a full kitchen rather than an electric burner or two. I'll be living with an American girl Michele I met my 2nd day in Damascus when we moved into Um Zahir's house in the old city. Her condition is that we speak only Arabic, something I'm fine with, and if yesterday's seeing the place and negotiating with the owner and broker are any indication, we should be able to do.

I haven't told the family I'm leaving yet. I love Um Mazen and Abu Mazen, and would gladly stay in the house for several more month, but the problem is Iyad, the son. Iyad, though graduated from law school last May, doesn't work and doesn't study, so an inordinate amount of interest in my life seems to be how he's passing the time. He also seems to think America is a drug and sex orgy of sin, leading to situations where an American movie is on TV, characters are doing coke or something, so he asks me "Have you ever tried cocaine?". I laugh, saying "Are you kidding? It's so expensive!" and the rest of the family and his two friends laugh. He however, very seriously raises his eyebrows and says "Really, that's why? If it wasn't expensive, no problem?"

Or after filming the muselel, I was approached to be in another one, where I and 5 other girls would dance behind a singer in a scene. I was told I would have to wear a belly shirt, low-cut, etc, so I told them no thanks. I told the story to the family and Iyad asked why I refused. "When I'm the secretary of state, I don't want pictures of me out like that," I joked.
"So you really think you're going to be secretary of state? And that's why?"
"C'mon, I really don't need to be on TV like that."
"So the problem is just TV? But in life, in the street, no problem with belly shirts, right?"
Sure, just like the ones I wear everyday? My wardrobe consists of football jerseys and ankle-length skirts (a combination that has had my look called "homeless" on more than one continent).

These may seem like small complaints, but their continuation creates an atmosphere where I feel like I'm constantly under surveillance. Plus, I'm tired of questions like, "I happened to accidently see tampons in the trash. Are you a virigin?"

I Really Really Hate the Fucking Ferry

This having been my fourth time on the Arab Bridge ferry between Egypt and Jordan, I feel I am somewhat qualified to comment on it. It is a living hell.

The trip between Damascus and Cairo need not be the ordeal it is, rendered thusly only because of the ferry. I personally love buses. Bus across the Sinai, followed by bus to Amman, bus to Damascus? Sign me up! But that little stretch between Egypt and Jordan, that little sliver of water the Gulf of Aqaba, usually takes close to a day to cross.

Why the ferry? Oh, Israel, you hateful little slice of a country. Seriously, do you need Eilat? You have another ocean for ports and beaches. But no, Israel decides that they need Eilat, necessitating the Arab Bridge.

Eilat is sandwiched between Taba in Egypt and Aqaba in Jordan. But does the ferry make this short route? No! It goes all the way down to Nuweiba on the Egyptian side. This itself is hardly the source of all the misery, as the actual trip takes an hour (by ferry - three and a half by barge).

There is one ferry and one barge a day. Only. Arrive at the Aqaba port at say, 2am, and you have yourself a good 12-hour wait until you kiss the sweet Egyptian soil. Arrive in Nuweiba at 6am, because it is the only real option from Cairo is the 10pm bus, and you have a good 14-hour wait to greet Jordan's dirt.

This is with the ferry. The barge, only 10 dollars cheaper (out of freaking $50 from Jordan to Egypt, and $70 from Egypt to Jordan) seems to be a lower layer of hell that even my cheap ass refuses to descend into. Arriving at Nuweiba at 5am (our driver was crazy fast) there was a line of men boarding the ferry. At 5pm when we started boarding our ferry, the barge was still in Egypt. I think they were going to leave soon. So those poor bastards were on that damn barge all day before it even took off.

Our ferry was supposed to leave at "oh, about 3 maybe, God willing". So we sat down in a little run-down ahwa after waiting around 2, maybe 3 hours to buy tickets, ordered coffee, tea, ate La Vache Qui Rit cheese and bread, and smoked shisha. Met a kid from freaking Mason, Michigan (right next to the old hometown - I believe we are rivals) who lives in Amman. Hung out with a nice Palestinian boy, and met some British dude who I let remain in his delusion that his Egyptian shisha for 200 guinee was "a steal" (the most expensive of my three had cost 60).

Ladies first: I know I have griped about this in the past, but it is nice getting to cut a whole bunch of men for being a lady. However, I really, really hate the foreigners first rule. We're in Egypt, and all the Egyptians are told to stay back while the foreigners buy their tickets, board the ferry, etc. Even worse, it seems as if the western foreigners are pushed ahead of the Arab foreigners. This trip was the worst I have seen this phenomenon, as literally the first bus (buses take you from the terminal to the boat - no just walking the 200 meters allowed) was all westerners. We had stayed back, cause there's no reason to get flustered - boat's gonna leave when it's gonna leave.

Previous times, there has just been a hustling of ladies to the front: Arab ladies, Egyptian ladies, American ladies. I prefer this as it means I don't have to wait long AND I don't have to feel like a giant shit for getting special "Western treatment". I'm getting regular ol' lady treatment.

We finally got into Aqaba at about 8pm or so, and were saved waiting by Rachel. On the boat they take our passports, and then in the arrivals hall we wait. After 20 minutes, Rachel says fuck this and walks into the office, 5 minutes later walks out with our passports and we get out before the rest of the foreigners. "What did you say?" I ask.
"Marhaba," She says. (Hi).

I hate the boat, especially since there's no alternative. How to get from Egypt to the rest of the Arab world? Israel ain't exactly an option for most people. So the shitty service and exorbidant price of the Arab Bridge continues.

There's more to hate, but I have only so much time to dwell on such unpleasantries. I am at Dera'a, on the Syrian - Jordanian border. Somebody's visa expired and we have to wait while a new one is issued. In Sha Allah.

Douchebaggery! I hate the NY Post

This really should be no surprise as the New York Post is owned by Rupert Murdoch, the only man capable of being evil and a "Rupert" (it just sounds like such a friendly name). And though I don't read it, it looks fun when I see others on the subway leafing through - always so many puns! And how can you but feel warm fuzzies for a paper in which the article "AIDS-Bite Threat from 'Hooker,'" appeared today with the following: "A hefty hooker threw a hussy fit yesterday when she was collared for trying to pick up an undercover cop... threatening to bite him and give him AIDS"?

But it continues to harangue Debbie Almontaser, former principal of the upcoming dual-language English/Arabic school Khalil Gibran International Academy, as well as the school itself in both two news items and editorial column today (as if editorial and news are seperate at the Post). The new principal to replace Almontaser is a non-Arabic speaking Danielle Salzber, and as the name suggests she is indeed a Jew. "New Principal 'Chosen'" is the headline - get it, she's a Jew? Previously she worked at the nonprofit New Visions for Public Schools that is helping to fund the Academy and worked with Almontaser and the teachers to develop the curriculum, so this is no left-field pick as the Post suggests.

And then there's the column, "School Bad Idea Even Before Hebrew-haha" - get it, she's a Jew? - in which Andre Peyser calls the Jewish principal of an Arabic school "the worst joke ever to hit Brooklyn" before getting on with the business of assailing the very idea of the school: "Some bright combination of political correctness and insane guilt has determined that New York needs a public school catering to Arabs." "Using the public schools to segregate Muslim students seems antithetical to every societal ideal."

Peyser's head is so far up her own ass she doesn't even know that "Jew" and "Arab" are far from mutually exclusive identities (ask all the Mizrahim here in New York!) The school is not a "Muslim school" or for Arab students, nor a "potential hotbed of anti-Semitic and anti-American sentiment". Have you ever worked in a public school in New York? The shit you say is monitored. I once wore a t-shirt that was a little out-of-line and had to wear a jacket over it the rest of the day. Furthermore, there are Spanish, French, Mandarin, Korean, Haitian Creole, and Russian dual-language programs and schools already in New York. Why not Arabic? The political affiliation of the columnist is not hard to discern (see: owner of paper) and I bet I could also guess her views on the "war on terror". How do these Islamophobes expect to gather intelligence for their favorite war when they oppose the teaching of Arabic?

Having half their classes in Arabic is no more going to turn students into radical Islamists than learning Russian will produce alcoholic communists or French smoking avant-garde existentialist filmmakers.

That's it - I won't talk about the Post again. It's just too maddening.

Douchebaggery! Thomas L. Friedman

In honor of Independence Day, a reminder that free speech extends to douchebags:
The incomparable Thomas Friedman in his Wednesday column found it necessary to comment on the recent attempted terror attacks in England.

Describing the chaos, two bombs, and "Allah," he queries the reader "Where was I? Baghdad? Kabul? Tel Aviv?" You know, scary places. "No, I was in England." Holy shit! Terrorism? In England? Impossible gov'ner! "But it could have been anywhere. The Middle East: now playing at a theatre new you."

The overwrought drama aside (and his inclusion of Kabul in the "Middle East") this doesn't even make sense. Terrorism is apparently a new, exported Middle Eastern thing, like the hookah bars popping up everywhere. We can easily find incidences of terrorism in England's history that don't have to do with Muslims, or even the Middle East- several involving a little organization called the IRA. When there's a Tamil Tiger attack in Sri Lanka, is that the Middle East? What about Marxist rebels in Nepal? If shit blows up anywhere in the world is that the Middle East playing?

God no, of course not. Friedman clears that up for us: only if Muslims are involved. Looking at several events in the past couple years and the disparate identities of the terrorists, their disparate aims and methods, yet their common espoused religion, he concludes that these Muslims are fucking crazy and no one in the Muslim world is condemning it. Why are these Muslims angry? They think their religion is right and are all pissed off about the prosperity of non-Muslims. "This creates a real dissonance and humiliation. How could this be? Who did this to us?" Variation on a theme, similar to Bernard Lewis, that "They hate us because of who were are, not what we do."

First of all, Juan Cole has already dealt with this: there are denunciations of terror from Muslims - important ones too. Second, every religion thinks it's right to the exclusion of all others. Third, why can't Muslims or Middle Easterners (cause it's all the same, right?) be pissed off about real political events or policy? For example, cutting off aid to the Palestinian people when they elect a government we don't like. Or maybe, the Iraq war.

Silly me, Thomas Friedman is right. Muslims are crazy motherfuckers who hate us for our freedom- I mean our prosperity/their poverty/our porn/the Crusades, and if not lovers of terrorism, then at least chill with it. Otherwise, Muslims would condemn it, and Thomas L. Friedman says they don't. And he wears the moustache of truth.