Harem Hijinks

Aisha is a very popular name in the Sunni Muslim world but among Shiite Muslims it is a term of exasperation. (The name Hillary seems to have a similar polarizing effect in another part of the world).
To Muslims, every word of the Koran is sacred. In addition to the Koran, Islam has a second source of religious instruction which is called the hadith. The hadith are anecdotes about Mohammed (PBUH)and other founders of Islam. They are considered important source material about religious practice, law, and historical traditions.
Apparently, the hadith also covers the intimate life of the prophet's harem and makes for some steamy reading. It has been compared to a soap opera, full of intrigue, romance and drama of course. The star of this Mecca soap opera was the prophet's 3rd wife, Aisha.
-Aisha was 6 when the prophet proposed and 9 when she packed up her dolls and teddy bears and went to live in his harem. Mohammed (PBUH) was 53.
-she was his favorite wife
-she was unable to have children
-10 years later, he died in her arms, she was 19
-she was forbidden by Mohammed (PBUH) to ever marry again
-she had a life-long rivalry with the prophet's daughter, Fatima.
Fatima believed that her husband, Ali, should succeed Mohammed (PBUH) as caliph (religious leader) but Aisha believed that her father, Abu Bakr should get the job. When Abu Bakr took control, the supporters of Ali (or Shiat Ali) refused to follow him and thus began the rift between the Shiite and Sunni Muslims that continues to this day.

Holy Holi

I know that I'm supposed to be blogging about the prophet, especially since this is his birthday. I've just become a little distracted by all the other events that are happening today ...first it is Good Friday, UAE Mother's Day (did you girls forget?), Iranian New Years and my favorite...the Indian festival, Holi. There is a huge Indian ex-pat population here in Abu Dhabi and I'm convinced that no one can do festivals like the Hindus. Maybe it is all that spicy curry, but while the rest of us are dying Easter eggs, they are dying each other.

Wife #1 and the Black Turban

Pictured above: The late Ayatollah Khomeini looking very dashing in the black turban that signifies that he is a direct descendant of the Prophet

By all accounts, Mohammed (PBUH) was a very devout and pious man. Although there are no pictures of the prophet, the verbal descriptions are very flattering as well. He was meticulous about his grooming, perfuming his beard and brushing his teeth at least five times a day. No wonder the ladies couldn't resist.

In his lifetime, he married about a dozen wives. He was 25 years old when he married his first wife. Her name was Khadija, a rich businesswoman who was 10 years older than him and she proposed to him. It was to her that he ran after his revelation from Gabriel. She was his first convert.

Khadija gave him money, status and four daughters - his only children to survive infancy. The Ayatollah Khomeini, King Hussein and King Abdullah of Jordan and the thousands of sheiks and mullahs who today wear the black turban, (that signifies descent from the prophet) all trace their lineage to one of those daughters, Fatima.

Khadija was his only wife for 24 years until her death and it is rumored that she wore the turban in the family. It is interesting that it wasn't until after her death, that the prophet began to receive the revelations from God on the status of women. Therefore, Khadija, the first convert to Islam, was never required to veil or seclude herself.

Pillar #1 Peace be upon Mohammed...and St. Patrick too

Happy St. Patrick's Day...and only 3 more shopping days until Mohammed's (Peace Be Upon Him) birthday.

Today I said we would start discussing the 5 pillars of Islam and I've actually done some research on Mohammed (PBUH).

Review:

The first pillar of Islam is profession of faith in Allah with Mohammed (PBUH*) as his messenger. (From now on I'm going to call him "the prophet" so I don't have to keep typing PBUH. )

First some prophet basics
1. He was born in Mecca (Saudi Arabia) in 570 AD. This is why the Muslims face Mecca when they pray.
2. He was illiterate ...most people were back then
3. He was a descendant of Abraham through his son Ishmael

4. At 40 he received his first revelation from the Archangel Gabriel (same one that is in the Bible)

5. After his encounter with Gabriel, he ran home to his wife (he only had one at the time) and asked her to hide him. When he told her what happened, she became the first convert to Islam.

6. Now 1 in 5 people of the world believe the same


Although there is no command in the Koran, pictorial depictions of Mohammed are frowned upon. It is believed that any image could lead to idolatry where the person becomes more important than the message. So many of the sites that I googled, (in my extensive and exhaustive research), were blocked by the government censors. The picture above is from an old illustrated manuscript and depicts the prophet with a blank face and quite a fiery halo I might add. He is praying at the Kaabah (means cube) and there will be more on that topic when we discuss the pilgrimage of the Haj.

We attended an Islamic art exhibit where many of these illustrated manuscripts were displayed. The most interesting one was from a book of ancient bedtime stories. It showed the prophet in battle with a giant named Og and in the background is Mary and the baby Jesus. It looks like a mix of the Bible, the Koran and Lord of the Rings. Next we will discuss the prophet's love life. With all those wives, you know there will be trouble down at the oasis.

Pillar talk with Willie

I'm sitting here at the computer listening to Willie Nelson on iTunes and watching a helicopter fly past my window and land at the sheikh's palace next door. Now if that doesn't put me in a mood to write about Islam, I don't know what will.

Blue-eyesight is the first to confess that she is borderline-ignorant on the subject of Islam. My main credential is that I can look out of my window here on the 11th floor and see about 50 mosques. In one of my first blogs I rashly declared that I wouldn't talk about religion or politics when writing about the Middle East. I failed. I also said that I would never embarrass my kids either...whoops, failed at that one too.
Let's start with the basics. There are "five pillars" that you must know that "hold up" the faith:
1) profession of faith in Allah with Mohammed (PBUH*) as his messenger
2)prayer
3)fasting
4)pilgrimage
5)charity

*When writing the name of Mohammed, you must put "peace be upon him" (or "PBUH' for short) afterwards....

You can read any guide book about this area and the first paragraph usually contains something about Islam, that is how much it is part of the culture. We will spend the next blog or two on the subject of Mohammed (sans pictures of course). It is a fitting subject this week as it is the prophet's birthday on Thursday.

Thoughts and Reflections on a Year of Blogging

This time last year I began my blogging journey with some random observations about Abu Dhabi. If you will recall, I had a huge gala last week for my 100th blog (I'm going to have to start spacing my milestones a little further apart), so today I will be quietly reflecting on how much my perceptions have changed in the past year....

-Being from Houston I thought I could deal with any amount of heat and humidity thrown my way...wrong...
-You can talk about living in the Middle East without discussing religion...so wrong...
-Everyone is at war over here...wrong
-There are terrorists on every street corner...maybe
-Since everyone dresses alike here, they must all be just alike...wrong...
-Arabs have no sense of humor...wrong
-Making women cover up with veils must be opressive...wrong...most of them love it and wouldn't have it any other way.
-Arab women sit quietly while the men control everything...big-time wrong.

-Money can't buy taste...actually I was right on this one

Blue-eyesight is getting a little cross-eyed these days. Things that used to seems so foreign now seem perfectly normal. I have come a long way since my first blog....(at least now I know how to upload pictures). From now on I've decided to devote less time to my observations and more of my blog space to educating my readers about the culture. I am by no means an expert, but I can pass on what little knowledge I've gained ... I'll just make up the rest. So get ready for blue-eyesight's beginner's guide to the Middle East, In sha' Allah.

Camel Jumping ....Before there were Ferraris

A popular sport in this part of the world used to be camel jumping. Now that oil has been discovered, crashing your Ferrari into palm trees has overtaken it in popularity. In the countries that are not as rich, the sport is still alive and well....enjoy.



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iSmell

I'm sitting in an auditorium full of expat women. On the stage is a panel of 5 Emirati women in local dress (black robe and head scarf). It is the 2nd annual Emirati/North American* Women's Cultural Exchange Event.
(*we have to say North American because we invited the Canadians)
The panel speaks to us about women's issues in Abu Dhabi. The basic theme seems to be "We've come a long way, baby." We all agree that they certainly have come a long way.
They tell us, in perfect English, how they juggle careers and motherhood (the secret seems to be a live-in maid). They tell us that their mothers couldn't read or write but only one generation later, they are working on their graduate degrees. This is very impressive to me and I'm enjoying the opportunity to hear what these women have to say.
Trays of coffee, tea, dates and sweets are passed around while the women speak. I am taking full advantage of the Arab hospitality and enjoying the treats. Then I smell the incense. I spot the incense burners and start to panic. I just wasn't expecting incense during a panel discussion. I don't hear another word...I'm just focused on the smoke. Someday I will write an entire blog about the incense obsession in this part of the world. For now all you need to know is that I do not share the obsession.
In the past when I have encountered the dreaded incense burner, I've been able to hold my breath and avoid it altogether. Now I am trapped in an auditorium...nowhere to run. When it is my turn, I am supposed to bend over and wave the smoke towards my face and let it permeate my clothing. I see it coming my way and I take a deep breath and hold it. Then I put a big smile on my face and do a back handed wave that looked like I was enjoying the smoke, but was actually waving it away. This is something that will take more practice, but it worked for now. I'm really wishing I had a smell application for this blog so I could share my experience. Steve Jobbs are you listening??? iSmell could be the next big thing.

100th Blog, "In Sha' Allah"

We are having quite a celebration here in honor of my 100th blog. Gee, at least I hope those are fireworks...in the Middle East you are never quite sure. Good neighbor Iran might be feeling a little trigger happy...who knows.
I can't believe that I have written 100 blogs. Some have been better than others, but I must say I have not run out of inspiration and plan to keep this blog train on the tracks until the well runs dry, the cows come home (or we move). Thank you to the people of Abu Dhabi, my family and friends for all the support (and occasional comments). Have I mentioned how much I love comments??? They earn lots of brownie points with me. I will pretty much love you for life if you comment on my blog. If there is anything else you would like to know about, just let me know and I get my team of expert researchers on the job immediately.
"In Sha' Allah" means "if God wills" and I should have started with this topic as my first blog. It is the whole mindset here in the Arabic world and explains so much of how things are run. It is the phrase that is uttered more than any. They use it to make appointments, to NOT stop at stop signs, to buy another Ferrari and so on. If they miss a day of work, then God must have willed it. If they run over you while you are crossing the street, then God must have willed that too.
Now I must go prepare for my 101st blog...."in sha' Allah".

Doing Time part 2

From the Gulf News, 3/1/08
Dubai: The Journalists Association has decided to celebrate UAE Press Freedom Day on September 25, following a high-level decision made on this day not to jail journalists doing their job.

Journalists now can do their job without the fear of being jailed, said the outgoing chairman of the association, adding that this a major development for the media in the UAE.

"We have every right to be proud to have reached this point in our professional lives," Mohammad Yousuf, the association's outgoing chairman told media persons who attended Thursday's election of the new board.

In America, we are so used to free speech that maybe we don't realize that in the rest of the world it is a very rare commodity. I just hope the new UAE no-jail policy includes bloggers too.

Here is a note to my family in case this space goes dark and I get hauled off. It is up to you, o' loved ones, to spring me from jail. When you plan the world wide "Free Blue-eyesight - the Desert Diamond that no longer sparkles" campaign use whatever means possible....tv, internet, radio. Martha Stewart had t-shirts...I thought that was a nice touch.

Stay tuned for 100th Blog gala posting next.

Doing Time - Part 1

Lately, I have been following the story of a fellow blogger, Fouad Alfarhan, a Saudi. Fouad was arrested for his blogging activities which included criticism of the Saudi Royal family and religious leaders. A huge, giant NO-NO in the Kingdom.

His blog’s slogan is: “Searching for freedom, dignity, justice, equality, public participation, and all the rest of lost Islamic values." What a powerful statement....so much better than my slogan "I'm bored, why not blog."

"We blog because blogging is our only option. We do not have a free media... " words spoken by Fouad Alfarhan (my new hero)
Arrested on December 10th, 2007
In jail for 82 days.

It is often said that the Muslim world needs a Martin Luther King. I'm thinking they are all in jail.


I gotta get a new slogan!!

I'll keep you posted.

A Lesson Learned While Walking at the Beach

This will be the last of my sunrise series as I'm finally getting over jet lag. Hurray!!!
Last night we were walking on the Corniche as usual and David spotted an Emirati man that he works with. This happens quite often and when it does they usually wave and say hello. As David started to wave, the man looked down. David then realized that he was walking with his wife and would not be waving as that would draw attention to her from another male. After almost three years of working with the Emiratis, he has yet to meet one of their wives. They are not brought to functions...perhaps because they don't know which wife to bring.

However, they don't mind meeting me, although I always have to offer my hand first for a handshake. Sometimes I offer and they do not take it. It is not meant to be rude....they just don't touch other women. This seems to happen more often during Ramadan when they are being more devout. No one teaches you this stuff...you just have to figure it out yourself.