"Say a prayer for peace
For every fallen son
Set our spirits free
Let us lay down our guns
Sweet mother Mary we're so tired
But we can't come home 'til the last shot's fired"
Monday, September 27, 2010
September 11, 2010: Arlington National Cemetery
On the 9 year anniversary of September 11, 2001, Jess, Lupe, Fanny, Molly and I made a trip up to Arlington National Cemetery to show our respect. Although the crowd was larger than usual, it didn't feel crowded or stressful. There is something about the landscape, and knowing that you are surrounded by so many honorable figures that creates a very peaceful atmosphere. It brought back memories from July 2010 when my family made a trip to Normandie, France and spent part of our day at the American Cemetery. In France, I remember walking by myself through the tombstones of fallen American soldiers that seemed to go on for miles. The same feelings and emotions came back at Arlington, and there were moments during the day where it almost felt sacrilegious to even speak. We were privileged enough to witness the 4:00 changing of the guards at the Tomb of the Unknown Solider. Throughout the rest of the day, we saw John F Kennedy's tombstone, and the Arlington Pentagon Memorial. We had to walk for almost 45 minutes across the cemetery to reach the Pentagon Memorial, but I believe it worth the wait. It was in this surrounding area where all of the newest tombstones were placed. Most of the tombstones we saw indicated that the souls resting had either been victims of the terrorist attacks of September 11th, or had passed away in Iraq or Afghanistan. My friend who currently attends Norwich University pointed out that a graduate from her military university actually laid in the ground of Arlington. I could tell this was an emotional day for her too, considering how many fellow students she became friends with who ended up overseas. On top of that, her father was one of the brave souls who nearly risked his life, volunteering as a firefighter at Ground Zero. It seems like everyone I meet either has a family member or friend serving overseas. I, myself have family members and friends who have been in the Middle East, or who are in the stages of preparing to fight in Afghanistan. Standing on the grounds of Arlington as the sun began to set, I remember standing in silence looking around and seeing purple hearts on the tombstones as far as I could see. Of course I will always support the men and women fighting for our country, but for God's sake, what have we gotten ourselves into?
"Say a prayer for peace
For every fallen son
Set our spirits free
Let us lay down our guns
Sweet mother Mary we're so tired
But we can't come home 'til the last shot's fired"
"Say a prayer for peace
For every fallen son
Set our spirits free
Let us lay down our guns
Sweet mother Mary we're so tired
But we can't come home 'til the last shot's fired"
Thursday, September 23, 2010
President Obama's Cairo Speech: One Year Later
On Thursday, September 9th, we had two political leaders speak to our class about their political affiliation in relation to their religious identity as a Muslim. The first was Suhail M. Khan who served under the Bush Administration, and is a current member of the Board of Directors of the American Conservative Union. He wrote a very interesting article in the Foreign Policy Journal (http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2010/08/23/americas_first_muslim_president), discussing the voting trends in the Muslim-American population. While he made the strong point that the general Muslim vote swayed from Republican to Democrat between the Bush administration and the Obama administration, President Obama has essentially failed to reach out to the Muslim-American community, which has caused a lot of dissatisfaction among this population. I watched the entire video of his speech in Cairo last year, and I admit that President Obama made a very moving speech, filled the prospect of hope for creating unity between the East and the West (among many other issues such as nuclear weapons, the Arab-Israeli conflict, etc.). Unfortunately, anyone can take a look at the past year and realize that virtually nothing has been done to accomplish any of the progress he discussed in his speech. I would love to stand by our President's side and support his every decision, but he is in such a sticky situation right now that is holding him back from making the best decisions. Suhail Khan spent some time discussing the current challenge of many Americans truly believing that Obama is truly a Muslim, and associating this with negativity. He told us that this is the main reason that Obama has failed to genuinely reach out to the Muslim community and failed to meet with Muslim leaders. Within his administration, there is such a strong political consensus that he honestly cannot afford to reach out to the Muslim community because of the continuing high suspicions that he is a follower of Islam. I asked Mr. Khan what he believed the Obama Administration was realistically capable of doing to clarify any suspicious activity in his personal life. He believed that Americans need to see Obama publicly attending Church in order to break these suspicions, and for him to make a significant speech in Jerusalem (as he did in Cairo last year) to reinforce the United States' legacy to support Israel. Whether I agree with his statements or not, it was a good reality check and really reminded me how complicated the politics of Washington DC are. As easy at it may sound for the President to reach out to Muslims across America, there is a huge restraint on his public image that needs to be taken into account. With out country so divided right now, every single statement, speech and action must be so carefully analyzed to ensure that nothing is taken the wrong way.
After this guest speaker, we had Assad Akhter the Legislative Director to Congressman Bill Pascrell (D-NJ) speak about being a Democrat and his religious identity as a Muslim. It was interesting to hear from Democratic and Republican leaders back to back.
Later that afternoon, Imam Johari Abdul Malik spoke to our class on the principles and practices of Islam and the environment. We learned that the sources of environmentalism within Islam are taken from the Qur'an, Hadith, paradigm based reasoning (ijtihad and the struggle to implement Islamic ideals in a modern day context) and Ijima (consensus). The imam emphasized how crucial environmentalism is within the faith of Islam. He gave the example of Somalia in the 1990's. Superpowers in the world attempted to persuade Somalia to allow waste dumping near their coastline in exchange for large amounts of financial compensation. He described the actions of fundamental Islamic figures who fought against this, because it went against Islamic environmental principles. This really got me thinking back to a segment of my Moral Problems course at NDNU when we spent a couple weeks discussing John Stuart Mill's theory of utilitarianism. I understand how crucial it is for some Muslims to be aligned with their fundamental principles in preserving the Earth, but in cases similar to Somalia's, it is really worth it? I'm not speaking specifically about Somalia, and under no circumstances am I for polluting the coastlines of Africa. In a case like Somalia though, there has been no stable government in nearly 2 decades, extreme poverty, high child mortality rates, disease and overall poor living conditions. In a situation where the greater good could be accomplished with large amounts of finance to solve internal problems, wouldn't one think that this would trump Islamic beliefs in being environmentally responsible? As I said, I am completely against oceanic waste dumping, but I would be curious as to whether the violation of certain Islamic principles is ever acceptable in order to truly benefit the greater good in a time of crisis.
After this guest speaker, we had Assad Akhter the Legislative Director to Congressman Bill Pascrell (D-NJ) speak about being a Democrat and his religious identity as a Muslim. It was interesting to hear from Democratic and Republican leaders back to back.
Later that afternoon, Imam Johari Abdul Malik spoke to our class on the principles and practices of Islam and the environment. We learned that the sources of environmentalism within Islam are taken from the Qur'an, Hadith, paradigm based reasoning (ijtihad and the struggle to implement Islamic ideals in a modern day context) and Ijima (consensus). The imam emphasized how crucial environmentalism is within the faith of Islam. He gave the example of Somalia in the 1990's. Superpowers in the world attempted to persuade Somalia to allow waste dumping near their coastline in exchange for large amounts of financial compensation. He described the actions of fundamental Islamic figures who fought against this, because it went against Islamic environmental principles. This really got me thinking back to a segment of my Moral Problems course at NDNU when we spent a couple weeks discussing John Stuart Mill's theory of utilitarianism. I understand how crucial it is for some Muslims to be aligned with their fundamental principles in preserving the Earth, but in cases similar to Somalia's, it is really worth it? I'm not speaking specifically about Somalia, and under no circumstances am I for polluting the coastlines of Africa. In a case like Somalia though, there has been no stable government in nearly 2 decades, extreme poverty, high child mortality rates, disease and overall poor living conditions. In a situation where the greater good could be accomplished with large amounts of finance to solve internal problems, wouldn't one think that this would trump Islamic beliefs in being environmentally responsible? As I said, I am completely against oceanic waste dumping, but I would be curious as to whether the violation of certain Islamic principles is ever acceptable in order to truly benefit the greater good in a time of crisis.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Short Week=Long Days
It's Thursday morning, and I think for the first time in my entire life, I am voluntarily out of bed at 7 AM with two hours to spare. This might have something to do with the fact that I went into a pizza coma and fell asleep at 8 PM last night. Our class has an extremely short week, so Dr. Nimer is packing our only two lecture days full of class sessions and guest speakers. Yesterday morning, we have two back to back lecture sessions (1) Reflections and reactions on last week's speakers... and (2) Contemporary Islam, the Modern Nation State and the International Order.
After our last lecture, I had 5 minutes to sprint to my room, change into a business suit and meet the class to head to our guest speaker of the day. We took the metro to Dupont Circle and took the shuttle bus up to Georgetown University. I am still not sure why I decided to wear a black, form fitting business suit and black loafers in 95 degree weather, but let me tell you, that was not one of my best decisions. I spent the entire walk admiring the incredible architecture around me, and also running between shady spots in hope that I might cool down a little bit. I didn't. Thankfully, the School of International Though was adequately air conditioned. At Georgetown, we attended a lunch meeting for staff led by Dr. Yujie Wang, Visiting Researcher at the Al-Walid Bin Talal Center for Muslim Christian Understanding (ACMCU). She conducted a presentation based off of her research on the Muslim community in China from the past to the present.
After our last lecture, I had 5 minutes to sprint to my room, change into a business suit and meet the class to head to our guest speaker of the day. We took the metro to Dupont Circle and took the shuttle bus up to Georgetown University. I am still not sure why I decided to wear a black, form fitting business suit and black loafers in 95 degree weather, but let me tell you, that was not one of my best decisions. I spent the entire walk admiring the incredible architecture around me, and also running between shady spots in hope that I might cool down a little bit. I didn't. Thankfully, the School of International Though was adequately air conditioned. At Georgetown, we attended a lunch meeting for staff led by Dr. Yujie Wang, Visiting Researcher at the Al-Walid Bin Talal Center for Muslim Christian Understanding (ACMCU). She conducted a presentation based off of her research on the Muslim community in China from the past to the present.
Monday, September 6, 2010
Semaine Deux
I apologize...I'm still getting caught up, so I can start making posts on a more regular basis. It's Labor Day, and my long weekend is almost over. I still can't get over how much I have done since I arrived. It feels like I have been here so much longer than 2 weeks.
Monday & Tuesday were my internship days at the Egyptian Embassy (as usual....Wed, Thurs, and Fri are all dedicated to class and guest speakers). I was assigned a new project this week, and I am pretty confident so far. Last week, I was asked to fully outline the government and economy of California, and give a detailed report on how business owners (specifically foreign business) would go about setting up business in the state of California. This required researching all of the different registration processes, finding specific forms for each step of the process, and detailing every element of business anywhere from tax regulations to finance. After my first project was approved, I was asked to continue researching in the field of business. I was asked to write a report detailing why American business owners and investors should do business and invest with the Arab Republic of Egypt. I've had to thoroughly research all the economic reforms since 1991 (which weren't really expedited until 2004), and demonstrate why Egypt is a more ideal environment for business than it was 6 years ago. Did you know that one eighth of our exports go directly to Egypt already? In return, one fifth of Egypt's exports head to America. So the internship is going great, overall. It's still Ramadan, so I've taken this opportunity to go off sight during my lunch break (for obvious reasons). Embassy Row is conveniently located just a couple blocks away from some great local restaurants, and a "cupcakerie" which I am no longer allowing myself to step foot inside of :)
Now as for classes this week, we actually only had one lecture. We are still building a strong foundation for our lesson, so we are taking a very detailed look at the political and religious history of Islamic societies. This upcoming week, we are closely examining the challenges of the "Modern Islamic State", and discussing the difficulties of colonialism, democracy, secularism, and nationalism (not necessarily now, but throughout history). Here's what we did this past week!
Monday &Tuesday- Internship
Wednesday- After our lecture, our class had the pleasure of meeting with Dr. Abdul Aziz Said from American University. He has been at American University for over 50 years! He spoke to our class on the resilience and dynamism of Islam, Sufi traditions, and the spirit of Ramadan
Thursday- We had our first off-campus guest speaker on Thursday. It was about 5,000 degrees outside, and we had kind of a hike after we got off the metro. After living in Seattle for 20 years, hot weather and I don't get along too well, but thankfully this experience was worth the discomfort. We conveniently passed by the Library of Congress and the United States Supreme Court, which I had never seen before. Both of those buildings are so magnificent! Shortly after I was done obsessing over the fact that we had just passed Supreme Court, we arrived at the Methodist building in which Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. planned his famous speech in Washington DC. This is where we met with the Islamic Society of North America to discuss Islam and world affairs. Our class met with Dr. Sayyid Muhammad Syeed who is the director of ISNA. During our session, we were encouraged to ask questions that related to our studies. I asked Dr. Sayyid if he could describe his experience as a leader of the Islamic Society of North America after 9/11, and how this event affected the goals, mission and activities of the organization. It was an emotional moment in the conference room when he described the events of September 11th, and how the FBI showed up at the office and asked all employees to immediately leave for their security. Feelings in the room began to brighten as he described the reaction of members of the surrounding community. When he initially expected protestors to surround the building, large groups of community members, specifically members of local churches showed up with flowers and gifts.
Friday- We met with Dr. Imad A. Ahmad, Philosopher and President of the Minaret Freedom Institute. Dr. Imad filled our minds and notebooks with information that no other speakers had not even remotely touched on. He discussed the relationship between Islam & science, and Islam & Liberalism.
Overally, we had a busy and productive week! On Friday, Lupe, Amalee, Lily and I took the metro up to Friendship Heights, got frozen yogurt and saw Going the Distance with Drew Barrymore and Justin Long. After the movie, we decided that it was Friday and it would be lame of us to go back to campus, so we decided to have an adventure. We took the metro over to the Adams-Morgan/Woodley Park area and ended up walking all the way to Dupont Circle. It was a very cool district with a lot of local, international shops, restaurants, bars and clubs. I could not believe how hot it was outside though! It was literally 90 degrees at 10 PM....and HUMID. The whole concept of being red and sweaty regardless of how much water you drink and how few clothes you wear is not really okay with me. Overall, it was a cool night! I'm glad I got to walk around and explore a new part of town.
Saturday was quite the adventure too. A few of us from class decided to meet up, go out to a local restaurant and go downtown. Somewhere along the way, we met a few kids on campus from Korea and Japan who tagged along. Our intention was to go to a local club, but that plan went down the toilet. There was some confusion as to whether the club was 18+ or 21+, and we learned the hard way at the door that half of us would be denied for not being of age. That's okay though, because downtown is a cool place to be at night regardless! The group just ended up going out for pizza and planning our next night out excursion where all of us could get into a club. Apparently on Tuesday there is a Lady Gaga concert after party at a 18+ club downtown........yikes :)
Monday & Tuesday were my internship days at the Egyptian Embassy (as usual....Wed, Thurs, and Fri are all dedicated to class and guest speakers). I was assigned a new project this week, and I am pretty confident so far. Last week, I was asked to fully outline the government and economy of California, and give a detailed report on how business owners (specifically foreign business) would go about setting up business in the state of California. This required researching all of the different registration processes, finding specific forms for each step of the process, and detailing every element of business anywhere from tax regulations to finance. After my first project was approved, I was asked to continue researching in the field of business. I was asked to write a report detailing why American business owners and investors should do business and invest with the Arab Republic of Egypt. I've had to thoroughly research all the economic reforms since 1991 (which weren't really expedited until 2004), and demonstrate why Egypt is a more ideal environment for business than it was 6 years ago. Did you know that one eighth of our exports go directly to Egypt already? In return, one fifth of Egypt's exports head to America. So the internship is going great, overall. It's still Ramadan, so I've taken this opportunity to go off sight during my lunch break (for obvious reasons). Embassy Row is conveniently located just a couple blocks away from some great local restaurants, and a "cupcakerie" which I am no longer allowing myself to step foot inside of :)
Now as for classes this week, we actually only had one lecture. We are still building a strong foundation for our lesson, so we are taking a very detailed look at the political and religious history of Islamic societies. This upcoming week, we are closely examining the challenges of the "Modern Islamic State", and discussing the difficulties of colonialism, democracy, secularism, and nationalism (not necessarily now, but throughout history). Here's what we did this past week!
Monday &Tuesday- Internship
Wednesday- After our lecture, our class had the pleasure of meeting with Dr. Abdul Aziz Said from American University. He has been at American University for over 50 years! He spoke to our class on the resilience and dynamism of Islam, Sufi traditions, and the spirit of Ramadan
Thursday- We had our first off-campus guest speaker on Thursday. It was about 5,000 degrees outside, and we had kind of a hike after we got off the metro. After living in Seattle for 20 years, hot weather and I don't get along too well, but thankfully this experience was worth the discomfort. We conveniently passed by the Library of Congress and the United States Supreme Court, which I had never seen before. Both of those buildings are so magnificent! Shortly after I was done obsessing over the fact that we had just passed Supreme Court, we arrived at the Methodist building in which Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. planned his famous speech in Washington DC. This is where we met with the Islamic Society of North America to discuss Islam and world affairs. Our class met with Dr. Sayyid Muhammad Syeed who is the director of ISNA. During our session, we were encouraged to ask questions that related to our studies. I asked Dr. Sayyid if he could describe his experience as a leader of the Islamic Society of North America after 9/11, and how this event affected the goals, mission and activities of the organization. It was an emotional moment in the conference room when he described the events of September 11th, and how the FBI showed up at the office and asked all employees to immediately leave for their security. Feelings in the room began to brighten as he described the reaction of members of the surrounding community. When he initially expected protestors to surround the building, large groups of community members, specifically members of local churches showed up with flowers and gifts.
Overally, we had a busy and productive week! On Friday, Lupe, Amalee, Lily and I took the metro up to Friendship Heights, got frozen yogurt and saw Going the Distance with Drew Barrymore and Justin Long. After the movie, we decided that it was Friday and it would be lame of us to go back to campus, so we decided to have an adventure. We took the metro over to the Adams-Morgan/Woodley Park area and ended up walking all the way to Dupont Circle. It was a very cool district with a lot of local, international shops, restaurants, bars and clubs. I could not believe how hot it was outside though! It was literally 90 degrees at 10 PM....and HUMID. The whole concept of being red and sweaty regardless of how much water you drink and how few clothes you wear is not really okay with me. Overall, it was a cool night! I'm glad I got to walk around and explore a new part of town.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Where to Start? 2 Weeks into the Semester...
Hello family and friends! I have officially been living in Washington DC for 2 weeks, and am loving every second of it! Well...almost every second, minus extreme heat and humidity and having to walk down four hallways to get to the restroom on my floor. Other than that, I am officially settled in, and I am adjusting to the city very well. The journey began on the 17th of August when my mom and I flew across the country...just the two of us, and my 5 massive suitcases. We did a bit of exploring, had some lovely dining in Georgetown and headed to bed early. The next day, I had two internship interviews at the Embassy of Egypt and the Embassy of Jordan. The night before I was drilling myself on political structure, economic policies, foreign policy and and the names of all the important political figures. I'm not going to lie; I was extremely nervous and really did not know what to expect. It turns out I completely overreacted, and had nothing to worry about. Both interviews went absolutely fantastic, and I was offered both jobs on the spot. After a few phone calls home and to my American University professor, I decided that the Egyptian Embassy would be a better fit. Since the internship is a serious requirement for the program, I can't even describe how relieved I was to have a job directly upon my arrival! So now, I am officially working at the Economic Office, right on Embassy Row. (See the picture below) I'm directly in between Greece and Italy, and on the same block as Sudan, Togo, the Turkish Defense Office, and a few others. I like to tell people that I pass by Joe Biden's freakishly large house on the way to work every day :)
Moving on...
Take a look at my residence hall building! Pretty impressive....
My mom and I got me all moved into my room at American University. Somehow I managed to secure a single room with a view (and air conditioning!). Mom, if you read this, you were so much help, so supportive, and I appreciate everything you did to help me get settled in here! Saying goodbye was no fun, but then again, when is saying goodbye ever easy? I've been far away from home before, and I've been just fine :)
I'm going to sum up the last week and a half as quickly as I can, so I don't bore anyone
(1) Orientation was kind hot, long, and summed up everything that we had read at least 5 times before. Sorry, just being honest :)
(2) Our first class meeting went great. For those of you who don't know, I am enrolled in a program called Islam & World Affairs. It's an 8 unit course with 12 students, and we spend the semester in lecture courses and meeting with important figures and hearing from guest speakers. From October 24- November 11, we will be traveling in Egypt and Jordan (Syria was taken out of the itinerary) to meet with local political and religious leaders. Don't worry, we get to enjoy the culture too, and see all of the important sights. Rumor has it that we might even get to meet the King of Jordan!
(3) In the first week alone, our class met for lecture courses with our professor, and with the Pew Research Center, the Brookings Institution (Saban Center), and Ambassador Mary Yates from the National Security Council to hear her lecture on "Strategic Thinking in National Security". On Friday, we were invited to the Rumi Forum's "Breaking the Ramadan Fast" Iftar out in Virginia. At sunset, we got to eat a traditional Turkish meal with the Turkish Muslim community in Fairfax, Virginia. I had never been to an Iftar, so this was a wonderful experience.
(4) Last Monday, I began my internship! I actually heard back from the American Task Force on Palestine, offering me a job the day after I began working. I was kind of upset that I passed that opportunity, but something tells me that I would have chosen the Egyptian Embassy in the end. Everything went great on the first day, and I couldn't help but notice how friendly and hospitable everyone working in the Embassy was. Of course, it is the holy month of Ramadan for most of the Embassy staff, and the office is only open until 3:30 for the next few weeks. I'm not complaining!
Take a look at my residence hall building! Pretty impressive....
I'm going to sum up the last week and a half as quickly as I can, so I don't bore anyone
(1) Orientation was kind hot, long, and summed up everything that we had read at least 5 times before. Sorry, just being honest :)
(2) Our first class meeting went great. For those of you who don't know, I am enrolled in a program called Islam & World Affairs. It's an 8 unit course with 12 students, and we spend the semester in lecture courses and meeting with important figures and hearing from guest speakers. From October 24- November 11, we will be traveling in Egypt and Jordan (Syria was taken out of the itinerary) to meet with local political and religious leaders. Don't worry, we get to enjoy the culture too, and see all of the important sights. Rumor has it that we might even get to meet the King of Jordan!
(3) In the first week alone, our class met for lecture courses with our professor, and with the Pew Research Center, the Brookings Institution (Saban Center), and Ambassador Mary Yates from the National Security Council to hear her lecture on "Strategic Thinking in National Security". On Friday, we were invited to the Rumi Forum's "Breaking the Ramadan Fast" Iftar out in Virginia. At sunset, we got to eat a traditional Turkish meal with the Turkish Muslim community in Fairfax, Virginia. I had never been to an Iftar, so this was a wonderful experience.
(4) Last Monday, I began my internship! I actually heard back from the American Task Force on Palestine, offering me a job the day after I began working. I was kind of upset that I passed that opportunity, but something tells me that I would have chosen the Egyptian Embassy in the end. Everything went great on the first day, and I couldn't help but notice how friendly and hospitable everyone working in the Embassy was. Of course, it is the holy month of Ramadan for most of the Embassy staff, and the office is only open until 3:30 for the next few weeks. I'm not complaining!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)