Final Thoughts on the Trip

As I am in the aircraft on my way from London to Vancouver, I thought it appropriate to share some final thoughts about our trip, and what lessons, if any, I have drawn from my experience in Israel/Palestine. It might be a summary of some of the points I have mentioned earlier, but some might be original. Two thoughts jump out at me as I think about a summary:

First, too few people come to visit Masjid Al-Aqsa and Masjid Al-Sakhra. A lot of this is due to a fear that this area is full of trouble and some has to due with the fact that people don’t know that they can’t get in. Both of these are a fallacy. From my experience, yes it was difficult at times to keep showing your passport, but to be honest, in this trip and others, I have had a more difficult time in a Muslim country. Yes I spent two hours at the airport in Tel Aviv upon my arrival, but I also remember spending all day at immigration in Saudi Arabia when I was young. Yes, the Israelis do ask you questions about who I am, where am I going, etc, but from my recent trip to Jordan, I was asked many more intrusive questions at the border there than anywhere else I have been.

As for the people who think they can’t get in, I think my trip has proven them otherwise. Many people, when I was about to leave told me that I would never be allowed to pray in the Haram, but I went there many times, and even for Jumma for that matter. If more people did end up going, then it could only help the local Muslim economy. Walking through the Christian quarters and Jewish quarters in the Old City, one could easily find people from all over the world. In these two areas and in Bethlehem, I met people from Italy, Mexico, Germany, US, and even Costa Rica. The vendors located in this area look much better off with bigger stores and more items than in the Arab part.

Second, and this might be a bit controversial, is that I feel that, in a sense, I was lied to about the situation in Palestine, specifically, the West Bank. I DID NOT VISIT GAZA, SO I REALLY CANNOT COMMENT. In colleges and in mosques, we are constantly told of how the situation is in Palestine and that the Palestinians have nothing cause there land was taken away from them, etc. Frankly speaking, I did not find this to be the case. To give you an idea, if the condition of taxis is any indication of how people are living, in Jerusalem they drove Mercedes E class. I also visited a few parts of the West Bank (Bethlehem, Hebron, Jericho, Ramallah, and my sister in law told stories about Jenin) and the situation of the people, economically is not too far off what you would find in other Muslim third world countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh. In fact, there were parts of Jordan that were worse. Yes, I understand that the people have no land, but this is only as a nationality; in the West Bank, many people on land. The economy is doing well overall, minus the recent issue with no funding for the Palestinian Authority: keep in mind that many Palestinians living abroad, from what I know, send money back home and/or buy and build on land that they have.

So yes, there is poverty, and oppression, but nothing more serious than any other Muslim country in the third world, and most definitely not enough poverty to justify the suicide bombings that take place in the name of “they don’t have any other choice.” I find this even more abhorrent after I have visited than before. I mean, I was against them from the beginning, but now have solidified my stance based on what I have seen first hand.

Finally, I think that I have a better understanding of a final outcome of what will happen in this conflict. I should begin by saying the I strongly feel now that the Palestinians should just “get over it”, meaning they lost in 1967 and have been complaining since then; all the while, Israel has been taking more and more land. I think a settlement is coming but I also think that one strong state that encompasses both Gaza and West Bank is not practical. The areas and people are too different. Two separate states, loosely associated in a Federation is more likely. As for Jerusalem, which is still a hot bed on contention, I think if you spoke to the Palestinians living there, emotionally they would tell you that they want to be with Palestine, but practically, I think they know they are much better off with Israel, of course, that is, if they get citizenship and full rights, which now they do not have. Now I know all the things that Israel does is not good and not justified, and I have left these out in the discussion for two reasons: first, Muslims countries are worse, and everyone for the most part knows about them. What they don’t know about, and have been given misinformation, is of the situation of the Palestinians living in the West Bank, and I have tried to clarify some issues there.

Think Coming in is Hard, Try Leaving!!!!

We are now on our last leg of our journey and just spent the night in London, to catch a flight back to Vancouver this afternoon. Our flight yesterday left Tel Aviv at around 4:00 pm and knowing that we might face some difficulty with our baggage, we arrived at the airport at 12:00 pm. After waiting for one hour for the counter to open, we first waited for our bags to be screened (right after our Passports and identity went through the ringer). Each of our suitcases was put through the X-ray machine, and any bag that had any dishes, boxes, anything but clothes, went to a personal screener who hand checked the luggage. What this meant was that every wrapped ceramic plate we had, every box we had, any lotion, etc. was opened and checked.

My sister in law was travelling with us and she had a stuffed Giraffe with her that she bought. Poor giraffe, by the time they got done with it, he had a whole in his back, belly, and neck. Complaining that she wanted compensation for the stuffed animal, she was taken to a room and was given a body search, then escorted through ticketing and then to immigration.

Immigration was as expected, with me being stopped, asked my father and grand fathers name 10 times, and then having my passport taken for more checks while Iman and the kids were let go. I told them to wait for me at the gate so they went on ahead. Like when I came in, I was made to wait and wait and wait until they did whatever checks they had to do. A person sitting next to me, most likely Dutch or German, whose name was Hal, after being handed back his passport asked why he always had to be checked, was told it was because of his name. He asked what he could do to prevent it from happening next time and the security officer smiled and said, short of changing your name, nothing!!! Anyway the wait was about one hour this time, but I didn't have the luxury of time. Coming in, I didn't haven't a flight to catch!!!! It came time for my boarding and still no response and when I asked the officer, he kept telling me to wait. The Swiss Air agent came to ask me what is going on and where my family was, and I apprised them of the situation. She just looked at me and said "ok" then walked away. About fifteen minutes before departure, I was given my passport and boarding pass back, with no questions, comments or anything. It is a ten minute walk to the gate!!!

I finally got to the gate and Iman and the kids were not there. I looked around for them and still nothing. Having told them to wait for me to board, I became worried and asked the agent. They knew who I was because I didn't even have to ask and she said, they just boarded the plane. After getting on board, Iman told me that they had waited as long as the agents allowed them to, and then she came up to her and asked, "they might not let your husband leave Israel, would you like to get on board?" Duh!!! of course not, and she left returning a few mintues later saying that I had been cleared and she should get on board and I would join shortly thereafter.......

Does Reciting Fatiha Make You a Muslim?

We have just begun our journey back to the US and last night, I went to Masjid Al-Aqsa to pray a final prayer (Maghreb). It wasn't any different than any other time, nor was I wearing anything different, but this time, as I got to the gate, the Israeli guard stopped me, asked for my passport, and then asked me if I was Muslim. I said yes, and then he said, "recite sura fatiha". I was shocked at the question and asked him what difference would it make. At this point, he asked the Arab Muslim guard from the inside of the mosque to come and talk to me. A point of clarification, if I have not made it before. That the whole complex of the two mosques (Masjid Al-Aqsa and Masjid Al-Sakhra) are entered through by huge gates that have been around for centuries. Outside of these gates are Israeli soldiers (most of the Jews) that guard the doors. Inside, all security is handled by Muslims employed by the Aqsa Endowment and the Committee that takes care of the Two mosques.

Anyway, I was with Iman and the kids, my mother in law, and my three sister in laws, quite a large crowd. As the Muslim security came up to me, he asked me the same question as to whether or not I was Muslim and then asked me to recite Sura Fatiha. I told him what difference would that make? I can recite and still be non-Muslim. At this point my mother in law started talking to him about the same thing and that I could recite the qur'an better than he could. The whole seen became very loud very quickly since as my mother in law said this, I was talking to the guard, he was talking back to me, my mother in law was talking, and by now, the passers by entering the gate (the were not asked the same questions) were telling us to leave it alone. Mind you that when Arabs talk, it sounds like they are yelling. To no avail we tried to tell them that reciting Fatiha would not make a difference and finally I started with Bismillah, I wasn't even finished when he said, ok, you can go. I kept reciting, thinking to myself that if he asked me to recite, then let me recite the whole thing. As I thought this, my mother in law said it, and this started another round of "talking". Finally, I stopped after three verses, on the insistence of a passer by, and we went in.

A very confusing and frustrating scene which is difficult to discribe fully. However, clearly, I was bothered by it and kept thinking about it during my 1.5 hour stay. After prayer, I made a resolution that I would go and speak to the Muslim guard again. I approached him and first asked him if he spoke any english. I knew he didn't but had to aske. I began speaking: "can you tell me the difference between a Muslim and a non-believer?" he just looked at me, knowing that I was asking a rhetorical question. I said, it is the Shahada. "The Prophet in a hadith said, ad-deen an-naseeha (that the religion is of giving sincere advice). The next time you want to ask if someone is Muslim, tell them to say the shahada, that is a better test than if you ask them to recite Sura Fatiha. Many people in the US can recite this and are not Muslim. If the person is Muslim, he will say it. IF he is not Muslim, well he just became one." The guard just looked at me and said, you are right, but this is what the Committee asks me to do. I walked out at least knowing that I had done my part, and that in the future, maybe others will not have to face the same awkwardness, bordering on humiliation, as I did.

Mud Bath anyone?

Today, after much searching for a car that took us 4 hours, we made it out to the Dead Sea. Trust Me, they don't call it DEAD for no reason!!!! It is not too far away from Jerusalem and it only took us apporx. 1 hour drive time to get there. As you are going, there are signs that should you your altitude as you make the descend. Sea Level, -100, -200, -300, and by the time we got tot he beach, it was -315 ft below sea level. It was a beautiful day and there was not even a cloud in the sky. The water was warm as we went in and if you are used to swimming, your body gets out of wack. The reason is that there is so much salt in the water that your body naturally floats. So if you try swimming, you have to do the opposite of what you think you should do cause normally you would try to prevent yourself from drowning. No problem of that here, the water almost literally is trying to throw you out. Oh yeah, and if anyone goes in, be extremely careful to not put some in your mouth, as it is the most bitter thing you will ever taste and if it goes into your eyes, well expect to keep them closed for the next 5 minutes. Opening them exposes them to more water and air, which is extremely painful.

Most people consider the water of the Dead Sea as cleansing process and I discovered that first hand as well. If you have any scabs if you go in, expect them to dissolve by the time you leave the water. Any dry skin will peel off, and any dirty spots on your body that you can never clean (something very common in the Third World because most people where sandals and walk in dirt), no problem, that will come out to. The water itself is very think and you get a film of salt water on you that you have to take a shower to get out.

Also, the mud from this area is also supposed to be good for you. With every good thing, however, one must first endure a trial, and for me, it was walking on the stones and pebbles trying to get to the area where you dig into the ground to get the mud out. It was painful!!!!! but in the end, well worth it. My skin is so soft and beautiful :) The mud itself is a bit hard when you pull it out of the ground, but if you keep massaging it in your hands, it gets wetter and softer. And by the time you put it on your body, it is like you are playing with wet mud. One is supposed to leave it on for 15 minutes, and then take it off. It took me longer to walk back because of the stones and pebbles and then I had to wait for Iman to get the camera to take the picture of me covered in mud. I had it on for about 45 minutes. It had dried on me (my back) by the time I took a shower, but it was aaaalll good in the end.

The Trip to Amman (Not w/o my Satellite)

On my way back from Dubai to Jerusalem, I ended up spending 2 days in Amman because of border issues. On the first day, we decided to go to see Petra, which is, masha Allah, a beautiful place. In the middle of rolling hills, there is an area of mostly limestone and it seems kind of odd just there in the middle of all those hills. We didn’t have much time there, but saw enough to get an idea of what the entire city could be like. It is amazing that the Anbat (people of Petra) could have built such a city, with such efficient systems, like water is through aqua ducts and hydrolics, about 5 thousand years ago. The carvings in the rocks where the people lived, prayed, traded, etc. is just beautiful.

On the second day, we went to the area where the People of the Cave hid out and are buried. There is beautiful masjid next to their burial site, but the site itself is pretty run down and I thought, since the people are mentioned in the Qur’an, that they would have taken more care of it. Also, Jordan is populated with little shanty towns with 20 or 30 houses that are basically just metal walls put together. You can tell that the people living in them don’t have much in terms of things inside just from where they are located, usually outside of town in a very dilapidated area. Anyway, one thing of interest that we noticed in some of these small run down shacks was that they had Satellite dishes on top of them. The funny thing was that from the looks of it, the satellite dishes probably cost more than the house itself!!!! In the new age, amongst the poor, it is not about spending your life savings on a house, but rather, on purchasing a TV and satellite dish so you can be in touch with the rest of the world.

Amman itself is very metropolitain. And frankly speaking, I was very disappointed. In fact, I actually didn’t like it much. One of the main reasons is that it reminded me too much of Pakistan. Great class differences amongst the people and everyone is out to make a buck. For example, many times, even if you didn’t want any help, people were willing to hold your bags, give you directions, or many other things. That in itself, is great, but afterwards, they would ask you for a tip. Personally I hate this and as such, my entire two days was tainted with this feeling and action.

Can a Trip get any worse?

During my vacation, I had to get to Dubai for a Funds conference that I was the Chairperson for, Funds World Middle East 2006. Since I was in Jerusalem, I had asked many people the entire procedure of how to do it, cross border, go to Amman airport, etc. and even wrote it down with prices of how much each taxi would cost, so as not to get ripped off. I planned, and Allah Plans, but Allah is the best of planners.

I got up early in the morning and went with my mother in law to the taxi area that was to take me to the Israeli border. When we got there, they told us that I couldn’t go the close border because I had landed in Tel Aviv. It was a Jordanian rule that I had to go to a specific border 120 miles north, which would take 2 hours. After much thinking and talking to other drivers, I decided this was the only option. I got and in taxi and drove the 2 hours to the border. It was entirely on the West Bank and it was beautiful. I saw small towns, desert Arabs with camels, and even saw a glimpse of Jericho. Enjoying the view, I thought to myself I still have time so no problem, alhamdulillah. The Israeli border was no problem either where I exited with the proper procedures, and extra security checks for me and no other people, and waited for a bus to take me across the border.

As I got to Jordan, I went in and got my visa with no problem and then proceeded to the immigration. This is where the problems began. He looked at me, at the passport, and said come with me!!! He took me upstairs into a room and as I sat down, a man walked in who spoke no English, at least that is what he told me. He began asking questions as to who I was, where I was going, why I was going there, where was I before, where have I visited, why, and a list of 20 other questions. He asked for my business card, some brochures of the company I work for, saw all the pictures in them and asked me who each of them was. I thought the questioning would never end, and I was pretty smooth with my Arabic, but after a while, because of the concentration, I was getting a headache. Finally, he looked at me and said, “you can go” and apologized for the questioning.

I got out of the border and took at taxi, the only one there, to the airport. It was a van similar to a Vanogan by Volkswagon, but much older, a bit beaten up, and no AC. I negotiated with the driver and from 40 JOD, came down to 25. We got in and left. As we got out of the airport, there was a police checkpoint and one policeman came over and asked the taxi driver if he could take one of the police officers to Amman. He turned to me and asked if this was ok, and I looked at him and said “do we have a choice?” he replied, “not really”. So the driver, I, and the police officer started our two hour drive south. I don’t know what came over me to start thinking about if I had everything with me. Suits? Check. Passport? Check. Brochures? Check. Ticket to Dubai? OH MY GOD… I had forgotten the ticket in Jerusalem with Iman. My heart started to race and I began to think I would tell the taxi driver to turn around, but there was a cop sitting behind me and he might think that was suspicious (plus he wanted to go to Amman), and that would not go over well and land me in jail or something. I thought, that there is no point in worrying. I would just go to the airport and tell them I forgot it, and they could issue me a new one. Cool…… actually, not really, because as the drive went on and the day wore on, it got hotter and hotter, and we were in a van with no AC. To distract my mind, I began speaking to the driver and the police man about random things, and inevitably, politics came up. I remembered the constant droning that Iman gave me about not speaking politics, and just acted like I couldn’t understand what he said. The policeman was asking if America was good or not!!! A common question that I have heard before, as if to provoke me. Anyway, there was silence for a while, and then suddenly, the car slowed down and pulled into a gas station to put air in the tires. No problem we were off on the road for in a short while, for a short while. On the side of the road, about 5 minutes later, the taxi driver say his friend who needed a ride as well, so he pulled over and pulled him in. All four of us again began our trip to the airport through Amman, in the heat. The the 120 mile drive south was mostly small town villages and one major mosques of a Sahaba that I couldn’t read fast enough to make out. And then we went over a mountain which took longer than usually cause the van was not too powerful and had to slow down on the inclines. We finally got to Amman about two hours later, dropped off the two other unexpected passengers, and then made our way to the airport, which was still about 30 minutes away. By this time, the temperature outside was a cool 120 Degrees.

I still got to the airport about 3 hours early and sat to wait for the Gulf Air counter to open. It finally did, and I explained my story of the lost ticket, but to blank faces, staring at me and probably thinking, who is this guy who asking to Board without a ticket. The agent told me that he could see my name on the computer as having a ticket and a reservation on the flight, but without the actually coupon, nothing could be done. I had to buy another one. Well I did, and proceeded to the gate. By this time, I was exhausted, having done all the traveling in the heat, worried about the ticket, the conversations in Arabic, and oh yeah, even if I got to Dubai, there was no guarantee I would get in cause I had an Israeli stamp on my passport. I tried to call Iman to tell her I was at the airport, and to tell her my story, but the phone would not go through. I later found out that the line in Jerusalem had died and they had to install a new one.

Anyway, I got to the gate, went in the plane and sat down in my seat thinking finally, in a couple of hours I will be in Dubai and can relax at the nice hotel/resort I was staying at for the conference, compliments of the organizers. No sooner had all the passengers boarded, and the plan was about to leave that the captain came on and said the plane had hydraulic failure and we could not leave. It would be a minimum of 4 hours. After all that had happened today, another delay!!!! We go off the plane and I was sitting close to business class so they allowed me to enter the business lounge which I thought would be great. It turned out, however, that the sections for smoking and non-smoking were non existent and all the smokers were chain smokers. As the seconds turned to minutes, it seemed like hours. I had a headache and was sick to my stomach. The headache from the whole day and the smoke, and the stomach, as I just realized, because I hadn’t eaten all day. I got something from the lounge, but after one bite, I could not eat. The smoke made me nauseated. I told myself that if one more thing goes wrong today, I will just turn around and go back to Jerusalem. The ground staff kept coming in and out of the lounge and speaking on the phone, looking at computer systems, etc. basically looking busy!! They tried to get us on another Dubai flight (direct, as mine was through Bahrain) but as the boarding call came for that flight, our plane was fixed. All passengers were forced to get on and go to Bahrain, knowing that our connections were missed. I would have to spend the night in Bahrain, hopefully at a hotel, but with my luck that day, probably at the airport.

Alhamdulillah, as we landed and I deplaned in Bahrain, the Dubai flight was also delayed and I had enough time to get on. After getting on, however, this flight also took another hour to take off and when I finally arrived at my hotel in Dubai, it was 3:00 am. I had had a 19 hour journey of heat, stress, smoke and no food. But now I was at the hotel, and before I went to bed, I wrote a small note to Iman very briefly telling her of my ordeal. As I wrote, my eyes welled up with tears and I went to bed dead tired. Even as I write this three days later, I am filled with emotions. However, alhamdulillah ‘ala kulli haal, Praise be to God in all occasions…

Jumma Prayer

Today, our goal was to make it to Masjid Al-Aqsa for jumma prayer. Sometimes the soldiers, if there is a “security threat”, they don’t allow anyone under 40 from attending. As we got on the taxi bus, I quickly realized that people from all over the areas were coming for the prayer. As we got to the Quds and entered its gates, all we had to do was just follow the wave of people since they were all heading for the prayer. Alhamdulillah, the guards did not give us any trouble and we were able to prayer at the haram. I was in the 6th row behind the imam. After the prayer, I met back up with Iman and the crowd was amazing. In different areas of the haram, there were small study circles with people teaching various lessons. Iman had made it out before me and she said that the place, even in the courtyard was full with people. I had a choice between staying in the courtyard to see the crowd or go up to the masjid and try to get to the front. I don’t regret going into the masjid as it was great to pray inside.

Afterwards, we went to the wailing (Western) wall and the funny thing was that we asked an Arab vendor where it was, and he give us a look that said why would we want to go…. He asked us if we were Muslim and then showed us where but very reluctantly. Even the guard was wondering why 4 Muslims would want to go the wall, and we just told him to see a religious and historical site!!! What’s wrong with that? I was surprised how few people were there from what we could see and the men and women were separated by a wall. I guess I found out where we get our “walls” from in Islam ☺

We stayed a very short while and then proceed to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. It was magnificent!!! Architecture was beautiful, the paintings were great, and we got to see the burial spot of Jesus. There were quite a few foreigners and tour groups and interestingly, the prices of the goods in this area were almost double the same thing you could buy in the Arab quarters. Usually the Christians don’t go to the Arab side at all and this is the best proof of this. After spending a good 6 ours in the Quds, we called it a day and went back home…..

The West Bank Trip

This day, our second full day of being in Palestine, we hired a driver to take us to the West Bank to the cities of Khalil (Hebron) and Bait Lahem (Bethelem). We left around 10 am and were in the West Bank by about 10:45 or so. Again, it is not very far, but I think the driver took us through some roads he knew that there wouldn’t be any check points. The entire day, we only came across one check point, and that was on our return into Israel. The West Bank is a beautiful place and each town is perched on hill. One clearly sees the Jewish settlements as different from the Palestinian areas because of the age of the houses. I was always told that the settlements were next to the Palestinian towns in the West Bank, which is true, but I learned that one needs to visit or be explained the topography to know what “next to” really means. The entire areas we visited were rolling hills and each town and settlement was on a hill. So if one settlement was next to a town, then it meant that it was on a separate hill and to get to it, you would have to go down your hill, and then up to the other, I would assume that each hill is about 1000 ft above see level.

Khalil, however, is different. It is a town that is truly divided in half between Jews and Palestinians. The city is named after the Prophet Ibrahim as he was referred to by Allah as Khalilullah, or Friend of Allah. The actual masjid where he is buried along with his first wife, Sara, is in Khalil, albeit on the Jewish side, bordering the Palestinian quarters. It is a beautiful masjid as well, but quite small. Also buried in this mosque are the Prophet Ishaq and his wife Rifqah, the Prophet Jacob and the Prophet Yusuf. The minbar that Salahuddin used was moved from Jerusalem to this Masjid and stands in the front. We were unable to visit the graves of the Prophets Jacob and Yusuf as they were closed off for security reasons. Also, there is a foot print that the guide told us was that of the Prophet Muhammed. It was very small, so I have my doubts as to its authenticity. I also have my doubts cause the Prophet did not visit Khalil. If one argues that it was when he was a child, then since he was not a Prophet then, why would anyone choose to make a footprint out of it. We made it in time for Dhuhr prayer, and then left for Bethlehem after walking through the market of Khalil where they say things our much cheaper than in other cities.

On our way to Bethlehem, we past many small villages that were perched on the hillside, but the highest one in the area is that of Bethlehem. And the highest point in the town is the Church of the Nativity. Bethlehem is an interesting town with a mixture of Muslims and Christians living together side by side with no animosity to speak of, and they have been doing this for hundreds of years. They even have some joint festivals they hold every year. The Church itself is quite old and some parts of it are falling apart with no money to fix them. It had a huge gate that one could enter through but during the Ottoman empire, they cemented it in because people were riding their horses into it from there and it was destroying the church. There is a small entrance to the left that you have to hunch a bit to get in. It reminding me of the “eye of the needle” saying one always hears about, since if this was a fortress and not a church, this would be the eye of the needle. In the church, besides the main hall for worship, there are endless hallways and caves down below that were used as monasteries and we also got to see they spot were Jesus, peach be upon him, was born. In the church, while we were viewing, there were quite a few tour groups that had come and two in particular we saw were from El Salvadore and Italy. Looks the Church does get international visitors as I mentioned the Aqsa should get by the Muslims.

On our ride home, we again saw beautiful rolling hills and small towns, and we also saw a town called Khidr, named after the prophet/wise man that taught Musa, peace be on him, wisdom of things unknown. Throughout our entire ride going from Israel to West Bank and back, there was only one point where we were stopped for a check. This could be due to the driver knowing his way around so well that he could avoid them, but it could also mean that the borders between the two areas are very porous with checkpoints on the road, but the hillsides being free of any borders. However, with the wall coming up everywhere, that will soon change, or at least that is what people say…..

Masjid Al-Aqsa and Sakhra

Today we left in the morning to go to the Haram Al-Sharif. It is the place where the Prophet Muhammed ascended to heaven in the ‘Israa/ma’raj story and is considered in Islam the third holiest site. We caught a bus in the morning which took us about 30 minutes to reach Jerusalem proper. It would have been much faster if we took the pre-Wall route since this one was winding through neighborhoods, most times with potted roads and single lane streets. Iman’s grandmother made it a point to make sure I knew exactly which areas were Jewish and which were Muslim as we drove. It was kind of obvious, since all Jewish houses have an Israeli flag on them while the Palestinian houses have nothing. After a about 15 minutes winding through streets, we hit a major avenue that had two lanes on both sides and the road was smooth. Iman turned to me and said that when she came last time, this is how the road was straight from her grandmother’s house to Jerusalem, if it wasn’t for the wall I spoke of earlier.

It was a short walk from the bus station to the old city that is like a fortress and we entered through the Door of ‘Umar. As soon as you walk in, there are street vendors lined up and down the sides for the streets selling all kinds of wares. We slowly walked down the main street as Iman and her sisters wanted to do some window shopping (figuratively of course, since there are no windows). People still live in the old city above the street vendors and I felt a sense of awe that I was walking down streets that were thousands of years old. I imagined also how much blood would be found if someone was to dig up the streets!! As we approached the gate of the Haram, there were guards standing there and they asked us if we were Muslims. Three girls in Hijab and I with a beard and they asked us that? Seemed odd, and then they asked if we were from Turkey? Anyway, they did let us in, and as soon as you walk in the, Masjid al-Sakhra just jumps out at you because it is so colorful, and very beautiful. As we walked in, it was almost time for Dhuhr prayer, so I quickly went to make wudu and then went to Masjid Al-Aqsa, which is south of the Masjid Sakhra and a little lower (about 100ft). As a point of clarification, the beautiful structure that most people see is the Masjid Sakhra or Mosque of the Rock. The real holy site (its all actually holy) is the Masjid Al-Aqsa, which is much more “ordinary” except from the inside. For prayers, the women pray in the Sakhra and for Friday prayers, the entire courtyard is filled with worshippers.

As I walked in, the imam was giving a lesson and I understood most of it. I could tell that the people were a bit unhappy with it since some of them asked him to stop. What he was saying was that the men, at the risk of not spending time with their kids and family, should just pray in congregation at home rather then coming to the masjid. Pretty radical concept for the Middle East if you think about it. Anyway, after prayer, I went and saw the Masjid Sakhra and the rock from which the Prophet Muhammed ascended to heaven. As I walked out, I saw Iman’s uncle waiting for us and he gave us a great tour cause his house in literally part of the haram, directly underneath one of the minarets. I didn’t even notice until he pointed it out to me that beneath the Masjid Aqsa is an entire masjid below. My Uncle told us that it was used as a stable for horses and then abandoned until 1948, when a group of Pakistanis were hired to clean up the place and then it became a masjid again. It was huge down there, equal to the size of the masjid above and very cool as well. I can’t wait to go back for Friday pray, that is, if they let me in. Sometimes, they don’t allow people under 40 to attend Friday prayer there.

I think it is important to note that it seems that slowly, this masjid is becoming the forgotten haram. Not in terms of being on people’s mind, but rather, that no one visits it. Many people assume that they can’t come because the Israelis won’t let them, or they will have problems when they do come, etc. Alhamdulillah, so far, the opposite has been true for me and my family, and as such, would encourage people to come. Compared to the “international” nature of both the Ka’ba and the Prophet’s mosque, and the number of people that visit there, the Masjid Al-Aqsa is a ghost town. However, there is no reason for this to be the case.

Our first 24 (or so) hours

Everything I was told about what to expect when I arrived was incorrect, and I got very divergent views. Some told me to expect lines of guards meeting us at the airport guns drawn and escorting us to the terminal where soldiers would await us to grill us with questions and hold us for many hours. Others told us it was going to be a piece of cake. I think what actually happened was somewhere closer to the latter. We arrived at Ben Gurien Airport which has just been renovated into a brand new facility. We walked a long time to the immigration area and as we gave our passports, it didn’t take long for the officer to begin looking at them and then at us. “American?” she asked, as if the U.S. passport in her hand was not proof enough!!! Then she got up and left and when she returned, two unarmed guards came and stood behind us while she asked more questions. It became obvious that what tipped her off was that I was born in Pakistan, as she asked where I was born, when was the last time I was there, etc. After a while, one of the guards asked me to accompany him and to leave my family with the immigration officer. He took me to a holding area where there were a few other people. They took my passport and then I waited, and waited, for about two hours. I did ask where my family was and they had no idea, so I assumed that they cleared through, gotten the bags, and were waiting for me to come out. The only time the guards spoke to me was to ask the name of my father and my grand father. Then they let me go without anything further…… I had asked them to not stamp my passport, but of course they didn’t listen, and we’ll see what happens when I travel in a few days to Dubai…..


My grand mother and sister in law were there to pick us up and the drive was very nice. The house is about 30 minutes from Tel Aviv and we passed rolling hills (mostly limestone) till we got to village/suburb called Bait Haneena. Iman’s grand mother has a nice piece of land with a building on it that houses 3 other families other than herself and is how she covers her own expenses. As I walked into her house and then for the entire day, I had a sense of déjà vu. It wasn’t until I much later that I figured out what it was. That if I erase for a minute where I am, then I could easily replace it with a house my aunt lived-in in Pakistan. The carpet, the doors, the furniture, even the coloring of the walls was reminiscent. It was actually amazing, that even thought the two places are thousands of miles apart, and two completely different cultures, the houses would have so much in common. Her house is also literally about 4 houses away from the masjid so it gives me an opportunity to visit the masjid every salat. Just being here less than two days makes me think how much easier it is to be a Muslim in this area than if I was in the US. Not much happened the day I arrived as we were still recovering from our journey.

One last thing of note. Everyone keeps talking about the wall that is going up between Israel and the West Bank. From the house I am at, it is less than 200 yards. I am not sure what people think of when I say a wall, but I had a completely different image of it before I saw it. It is about 18 ft. high and solid gray cement. The Israelis literally put it where they found it convenient and in what areas they wanted as the one next to our house is cutting through a major thorough fare that was used by all to get to Jerusalem. Now it is undriveable for cars. Not only that, but from the veranda of the house, we can see the city on the other side, but can’t get to it. Knowing that in this part of the world families all live in one area and most times on one street, I wouldn’t be surprised if families are on opposite sides of the wall and what took one minute to go see a relative across the street now will take an hour or so, going down the length of the wall to get to a check point, crossing it, and then doubling back all the way to almost the same spot again. It has similarities of the wall built in Berlin, however, I don’t think that in Berlin they salamandered neighborhoods and families to build it. In the end, I think this idea will be a huge failure. I can imagine some time in the future when some politician gets up (be they Israeli or Palestinian) and to an excited crowed yells “Mr. President, tear down this wall”. Economically it makes no senses and will hurt as well. For importantly, however, the intent (at publicly) is to separate the West Bank from Israel to prevent terrorists from easily crossing. What it actually does is harbor deeper resentments and lets the “other” truly become the other to a point that they can plot whatever they want with now more freedom. In any case, in the short time I have been here, what I suspected is already happening, that people have dug holes underneath the wall and use it for crossing. My sister in law told me of a wedding she was at where one of the women asked her to check the back of her dress to see if it was dirty or torn. She did and found nothing and when she asked why, the women responded that she had just crossed under the wall and thought she had caught a snag. She did it for a mere wedding, so imagine how easy it would be for someone with more evil intents to do it.

Our Brief Stopover…

We started our trip with a stop over in London for a two days and three nights. A very expensive place to be for an American. Everything is exactly the same price in numeric terms, but after conversion, it all doubles. So, for example, if a sandwich costs $5 in the US, it will cost 5 pounds in UK. The problem is that 5 pounds is actually $10 dollars.
After getting over the conversion shock, it wasn’t such a bad stayover. We stayed at the Sheraton Park Tower located in Knightsbridge Area of London, almost adjacent to Harrod’s. It was a very nice Hotel, a 5 star, and we got it because of my points from traveling. It was amazing to find that almost all the people that stay in the hotel were Arabs and on TV, they had 10 out of the 30 channels being Arab. They even had a qiblah pointer in the hotel room!!!! It is very amazing to see how diversified London is. Living in America, especially Bellingham, we still feel the “minority complex” where people don’t look like you, behave like you, etc. In London, it is completely different. I was walking in the Subway going from one line to another and there was a billboard for Shadi.com. It is a marriage website for Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, etc. What I find amusing about the sign was not that there is a website for this type of thing. They have many in the US also. But I could never even imagine that a billboard advertising, for example, zawaj.com would be in the US, because it wouldn’t get much traction. In London, however, it is a different story. Apparently the owners of shadi.com find it worthwhile to advertise in such a public place…….

The other thing that I noticed while in London, which I have noticed before, but considering the current global situation, it was much more pronounced: the size of most of the cars there. I always find it interesting that when they interview people at gas stations complaining about how much they pay to fill a tank, inevitably the car (or truck) behind them is a large SUV like suburban. Gas is so expensive in London that it probably would cost to fill a small car. But interestingly enough, the three auto makers always complain about the difficulty of building cars with good gas mileage and are coming up with hybrid SUVs. In London, all of these same manufactures are building small cars that get great gas mileage. Why not just introduce them in theU.S.?

So we toured London and since I was with family, we didn’t see everything, but did hit the best spots. Its tough traveling with three kids. And although many times I was frustrated at the way they were behaving, wining when they were tired, etc. I am proud of them cause they did enjoy themselves and overall were very good sports about the various spots we were visiting and, at least Abdallah was interested in some of them. For example he was very excited to see Big Ben and to ride on the double decker buses and I was pleasantly surprised when he took interest in Westminster Abbey and House of Parliament. Of course, with such magnificent architecture, who wouldn’t, right? (I guess that’s what happens when you home school) ;)

We took a very early flight to go from London to Tel Aviv, via Zurich. We got to Tel Aviv in one piece and then proceeded to the immigration lines where we were stopped and were questioned. I was held for two hours, but more on that later……