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Is Big Brother watching?
Nov. 24th, 2014 08:37 amAs I've mentioned, I recently returned from a trip to the Middle East. It was definitely a trip of a lifetime. As part of a group, I visited important cultural and historical sights in Israel and Jordan.
Why did I go? (Most of you will feel this is an unnecessary question.) As a person who was raised in the Presbyterian church and is now steeped in the Jewish culture from the school where I have worked for ten years, the allure of being in many of the sites integral to Bible history was very compelling. Add to that the opportunity to travel for two weeks with Sue, the best friend of my childhood, as well as her dear sister Joanne, who has made her profession as a pastor, made the trip a not-to-be-missed adventure.
I was not disappointed. The "Holy Land" was rich in cultural experience. My reconnection with Sue and Joanne was fun. My son refers to Joanne as "The Irreverent Reverend." As such, she, Sue and I never let some slightly wacky comment slip by us. At the same time, Joanne, as well as our very well-informed guide, filled us in on every necessary commentary about every place we visited.
As it happened, both our guide in Israel as well as our guide in Jordan, were Arabic. Both were also Christian, as befits the leader of a Christian tour. Sometimes it seemed a little strange to me to be in Israel and not have a Jewish-Israeli guide, but there are an awful lot of Palestinians in Israel. I think most of us appreciated his point of view. They did actually try very hard not to share personal viewpoints with us, concentrating instead on history.
And what was that history? Jews entered the land some 3200 years ago, escaping the slavery of Egypt. They have inhabited the land for most of the rest of time, battling everyone, including Samarians, Philistines, Romans, and mis-guided Crusaders. While dwelling in Europe, they faced the fascists with their holocaust. Today they have a violent and unstable relationship with the neighboring Arabic countries, not to mention the Palestinians living within the boundaries of the present State of Israel. History, intensive border controls, and barbed wire pretty much speak for themselves.
In the course of the trip I soaked up sights of the people of the area. I took pictures. I bought knick-knacks with Jewish motifs as well as Arabic ones. I even facebook friended our guide in Jordan.
The question now is, if Big Brother is watching--and I'm fairly certain he is-- where does that put me? If you review our Jordanian guide's facebook page, you will see Arabic messages--hopefully innocuous ones--written in Arabic script and showing people in traditional kafiyas (head scarves) and robes.
On another front, another son is traveling through Tanzania, Kenya, and Ethiopia presently. In light of the recent murder of non-muslim passengers on a bus in that very same region only one day before his own planned trip of the same nature, I jokingly reminded the son to review his Koran. Does this make me look like an extremist Muslim?
For all you Homeland Security people out there: I am not a threat! I do not follow the Islamic faith. I may have bought a piece of ceramic art adorned with Arabic writings from the Koran. It was pretty,; what can I say. I am not a Muslim.
And what if I were? Should that matter to you?
Why did I go? (Most of you will feel this is an unnecessary question.) As a person who was raised in the Presbyterian church and is now steeped in the Jewish culture from the school where I have worked for ten years, the allure of being in many of the sites integral to Bible history was very compelling. Add to that the opportunity to travel for two weeks with Sue, the best friend of my childhood, as well as her dear sister Joanne, who has made her profession as a pastor, made the trip a not-to-be-missed adventure.
I was not disappointed. The "Holy Land" was rich in cultural experience. My reconnection with Sue and Joanne was fun. My son refers to Joanne as "The Irreverent Reverend." As such, she, Sue and I never let some slightly wacky comment slip by us. At the same time, Joanne, as well as our very well-informed guide, filled us in on every necessary commentary about every place we visited.
As it happened, both our guide in Israel as well as our guide in Jordan, were Arabic. Both were also Christian, as befits the leader of a Christian tour. Sometimes it seemed a little strange to me to be in Israel and not have a Jewish-Israeli guide, but there are an awful lot of Palestinians in Israel. I think most of us appreciated his point of view. They did actually try very hard not to share personal viewpoints with us, concentrating instead on history.
And what was that history? Jews entered the land some 3200 years ago, escaping the slavery of Egypt. They have inhabited the land for most of the rest of time, battling everyone, including Samarians, Philistines, Romans, and mis-guided Crusaders. While dwelling in Europe, they faced the fascists with their holocaust. Today they have a violent and unstable relationship with the neighboring Arabic countries, not to mention the Palestinians living within the boundaries of the present State of Israel. History, intensive border controls, and barbed wire pretty much speak for themselves.
In the course of the trip I soaked up sights of the people of the area. I took pictures. I bought knick-knacks with Jewish motifs as well as Arabic ones. I even facebook friended our guide in Jordan.
The question now is, if Big Brother is watching--and I'm fairly certain he is-- where does that put me? If you review our Jordanian guide's facebook page, you will see Arabic messages--hopefully innocuous ones--written in Arabic script and showing people in traditional kafiyas (head scarves) and robes.
On another front, another son is traveling through Tanzania, Kenya, and Ethiopia presently. In light of the recent murder of non-muslim passengers on a bus in that very same region only one day before his own planned trip of the same nature, I jokingly reminded the son to review his Koran. Does this make me look like an extremist Muslim?
For all you Homeland Security people out there: I am not a threat! I do not follow the Islamic faith. I may have bought a piece of ceramic art adorned with Arabic writings from the Koran. It was pretty,; what can I say. I am not a Muslim.
And what if I were? Should that matter to you?
