Probably somewhere in the middle...

Sincw Sunday the summer session started at good ol' Hashemite U. That means were suddenly not the only people on campus. That also means the attention like in Egypt is back, except somehow even more. Atleast their not trying to sale me anything, but we're regarded either as a walking tourist attraction or a freak show by the Jordanian students. More times than not every time I look up in class at one of the door windows there are people (usually girls) starring. Not kinda looking, but unashamed starring. During our break I was standing outside with the German girl that has joined the class and another guy. A very Western dressed girl approached us and said "Are you the Americans everyone is talking about?" Ummm, I guess? Yesterday two guys in our group got asked out by two girls, they said they got to hold their hands for like 20 seconds at one point. I think Im starting to know how Europeans might feel when all the girls think theyre so cool in the States, except it looks like some of the people might think I can shoot lighting out of my hands.

Thats the wierd thing about being born into the global empire known as America. Theres something special about you, and everyone here knows it. America is powerful, America is rich, America is the alabaster City on a Hill which you can every get out of its light. In America, the girls can talk and dance with you, you can do and say generally anything you want, without the kings picture hanging inside and out every car, office, and building. America looks upon the rest of the world, and by high tech military weapons only America has, they can destroy you. They can take everything you've built to try to have an American easy lifestyle and burn it into the ground. Or America can befriend you, give you economic bonuses and help and make you succeed. Having people look at you with a rainbow of awe, resentment, and fear is a strange feeling. I think Im begining to know how Cortez felt when he fired the first gun in front of Indians, except with less thoughts of genocide.

As a introduction to my path on trying to understand the Arabs, you have to stand back and understand they're not all turban wearing farmers with a big onion domed palace in the city. I started to consider the thing you can ignore here, well if you ever leave the hotel you cant, Islam. My entire time in the Mid East Ive seen people pray at the call to pray exaclty....twice. Ive noticed the vast majority of people seem to be far more on the secular side. From here, Ive started to come to conclusion that Islam is almost more of an Arab identity than really something embraced by people. All Muslim countries have prothestising (sp) laws, that means its illegal to even try to convert a Muslim to a non-Mulsim religion. So, with every state controlled church, or vice versa, the religion begins to stagnate. Not that religions must evolve to survive, but the meaning of it loses itself in its control over you. Islam is demanding, Islam doesnt make much for free will. InSha'Allah (God willing, if God wills it), thats what you say. You have zero control over anything, its already been decided by God, and no, theres no Calvinist-esk theories running around, so why make waves.


Becuase of the jail time facing people on even looking around for something different, people seem to just settle into being Muslim, wether or not they can read the Quran. Attack it, youre attacking who they are though, its reminensent of people in America Ive met that know what they think they belive, but no deeper investigation is needed. Just keep towing the line and say a pray, and hope it gets to where you hope its going. I had a bigger point on the Arabs in here somewhere I promise. Hopefully I can be more articulate next time.

P.S. On the date they saw War of the Worlds (I saw it on a bootleg copy from the street, not a bad movie) and ate KFC. Soft empire, gives you the warm fuzzies.