But we not only enjoyed a great meal; we also became privy to an event common in this country. In the Arab world, Friday is the holy day of the week. Mid-day prayer and a special service, in particular, constitute the 'high tide' of this day's rituals. Around one o'clock, men come to the nearest mosque to worship and participate in the service. A large section of the city shuts down so that men are able to participate. From our second floor window in McDonalds we had a unique vantage point to see this world.
Traffic was stopped as thousands of people spilled over into the courtyard in front of the mosque and then into the street. These men sit on prayer rugs facing the mosque, waiting for the sermon to begin.
After the sermon, these men pray formally by bowing, rising, bending over, and then standing, all while a particular prayer is recited outloud.
Viewing this 'through the looking-glass', to borrow from Lewis Carroll, was an opportunity to see a whole new world. It is, of course, a challenging experience to encounter a world that is so different from our own. Yet in this encounter, we're trying to avoid what Edward Said called the "inane vagueness" of simply and tritely "learning about other cultures." Viewing another world--even if from the safety of a removed 'looking glass' like our second floor window in McDonalds--should be 'about' more than realizing that a world surrounds us (although this, too, is vital). Differences don't exist so we can tritely observe, "Hey, you're different from me. That's cool." Furthermore, it's crucial, even essential, to reject the temptation to see this 'other' world as if it were inferior or a nuisance and, as a result, to expect it to conform to my image. In other words, instead of (1) tritely and merely recognizing diversity, (2) responding to this world by wanting it to change and conform to my preferences, or (3) becoming isolated and acting as if the world didn't exist, there has to be another option.
How do we respond to this bustling, beautiful, strange, and vast world? By isolating ourselves? By attempting to solve all of its problems with our answers? Should we only seek to be informed by it? Or do we even have a response at all? Should we just be apathetic?
Hopefully I can pick this thread up again. But until then, I hope this post provides a little insight into the thoughts and questions wafting around in our thoughts.
