A different kind of diversity

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Of cultural diversity in Beirut.

African and Asian migrant workers. Their children. And my child. 

 

So how is Beirut? It's hot, it's humid, it's busy, it's crowded ... full of people who could hardly be more different. If you know anything about Lebanon's capital, if you have only read one or two poorly researched articles you'll know that there are 18 different officially recognised sects in Lebanon, that there are Muslims, Christians, Druze who call this city home, that you have more Christian sects in this country than you could probably ever name from the top of your head ... even if you identify as a Christian yourself. There are Sunni Muslims, Shia Muslims, Syrian-Orthodox Christians, Catholic ones, Maronites ... to name just a few. There are different religious sects, different socio-economic classes, people who speak French fluently and others who hardly know a handful of words of English. There are those who live in London, Paris, Washington or Dubai for most of the year and those who have perhaps never left the city they were born in. And that's just the Lebanese. Add to that Syrians, many of whom recently sought refuge in the country, and Palestinians, the majority of whom have been here for much longer.

 

But that's not the only way in which Beirut is diverse. One stroll on one of the capital's streets, and you'd have to be blind not to notice all those African and Asian faces. Beirut is Eritrean, it's Nigerian, and Filipino. It's the African housemaid, the Asian nanny. Some of them in gingham uniforms, others in their regular clothes, they often accompany families of the upper middle class when they take their kids to the park or a walk by the seaside.

 

Doing research as a European in a country like Lebanon can be challenging. You don't really speak the language, you're not used to the heat, and things are different than at home. You are different.

 

Doing research with a child is even more difficult. Or so I thought. I didn't think I could just drag along ze baby to my interviews so I started looking for childcare. On a student budget. Ha ha, she's ambitious, that woman!

 

But I found something. In a centre run by an NGO providing all sorts of support services to Asian and African migrant workers living in Lebanon. They were kind enough to agree to let ze baby stay for whenever I needed someone to look after her for a couple of hours.

 

So that's how ze baby ended up spending a few hours every week with a group of little African and Asian kids. Originally from Sri Lanka, India, the Philippines, or half Asian, half Arab, most of them have been in Lebanon for the majority of their life. They speak Arabic, some English (which is the language of communication in the centre) and sometimes also the language of their parents, be it Hindi, Tamil, Tagalog or Filipino.

 

That's how ze baby ended up spending a few hours every week with all the other children, and that's how I ended up hearing all those stories.

 

About recent changes in the law that don't allow maids, cooks, cleaners and nanies from Africa or Asia to keep their children. They don't get the residence permit they'd need to stay, so eventually the kids are being sent "back home", a country many of them don't know, where a language is spoken many of them have never learnt, or at least not properly.

 

About how much the children love that they can run around, sing and shout in the centre. Because at home, in their parents' employers' home, they are told to be quiet, not to disturb the employers with their laughter and their shouting - noise, disruption, not wanted, stop it please, can you be quiet now?!

 

About how some parents before they found the centre just locked the children alone at home until they were back from work in the afternoon.

 

Because doing research with a child is difficult, and working with a child is difficult, too. Childcare is expensive and hard to find, the European researcher from the UK knows that as much as the Sri Lankan cook in Lebanon. Or maybe not as much. But she knows, too.

 

And so ze baby plays and sings and paints with the other little kids. And while I sit there and look at them I can't help but think how much they are the same, children, funny, laughing, quite adorable most of the time and simply annoying from time to time, and how much they differ. They are five, six, seven, eight now and all play together, but Lieschen, just because of the place she was born in, the family she grew up in, the country the nationality whose nationality she holds, has the opportunity to such a different life. All the same yet still so different. That's Beirut, that's also Beirut.

Wenn Muslime Christen in Pakistan schützen

"Habt Acht! Wer grausam und harsch gegenüber einer nicht-muslimischen Minderheit ist, ihre Rechte beschneidet, ihnen zu viel aufbürdet oder von ihnen stiehlt - ich [Muhammad] werde mich über diese Person [bei Gott] am Tage des Gerichts beschweren." [Hadith nach Abu Dawud]

Wir hören meistens nur die negativen Beispiele. Von Diskriminierung, Unterdrückung und Gewalt. Aber es gibt, immer, auch die andere Seite. Ganz unspektakulär das Zusammenleben im Alltag oder Aktionen, die aus dem Gleichgleich des Jedentags herausstechen. Christen in Pakistan sind vor allem eins - Pakistanis. Ihre Religion mögen sie nicht mit dem Großteil der Pakistanis, die Muslime sind, teilen, aber kulturell sind sie nichts anderes. Pakistanis. Umso schöner eine solche Geste, die (auch wenn von 2013, also nicht mehr ganz aktuell) genau das unterstreicht: Unsere Gemeinsamkeiten sind so viel größer als das, was uns trennt. Auch wenn ihr anders seid, stehen wir an eurer Seite und verteidigen auch eure Rechte. Davon bitte mehr, nicht nur in Pakistan! Hier geht's zum Link.

Convert Conversations I

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Culturally German, religiously a Muslim. 

Or: Too much biryani.

Bismillah

In the beginning it was exciting

If I am being perfectly honest, in the beginning it was exciting. This new religion came not only with a testimony of faith, principles of belief, acts of worship and the building of a relation with God, but with a whole new, and at times exotic, culture. Cultures, I mean. There was Eritrean hospitality, Moroccon tea, Algerian music, Pakistani food, Turkish fashion, Bosnian sweets, Central Asian architecture. Learning how to be a Muslim, I also learned loads about the many cultures that Islam left its footprint on in one way or another, cultures that are hard to think of without the enormous influence the religion of Islam had on them. 

Turkish lentil soup, Arabic hiphop, South Asian tea

Now, more than ten, almost fifteen years later, I can make a mean Turkish lentil soup; know how to do small talk in Bosnian, Turkish and Arabic; could give a 30 minutes presentation about Arabic hiphop and a 60 minutes presentation about the role of the diaspora in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. I can tell a Moroccon hijabi from a Saudi, Pakistani, British-Pakistani, Turkish, Syrian or Malaysian one - from a 100 metres! (when I wear my glasses) - and I would happily explain to you the difference between aloo paneer, palak paneer and aloo keema ... if you asked. I can say the traditional Islamic greeting salam alaikum (may Peace be with you) the way it is pronounced in Turkey, Arabic countries and the Sub-continent. I prefer Fairouz over Umm Kulthum and Moroccon green tea with mint over South Asian red tea with milk; haggle like a pro (I am known to have made a taxi driver in Jericho complain, "she's worse than the locals!"); and it does not seem odd to me (any more) to keep on asking "how are you?", even after the person in question has already replied (twice).

Muslim habits, norms and values

With Islam, I got to know a long list of different countries, cultures, mentalities, lifestyles. Cultures which differ in many ways but which have in common that Islam is one of their main cultural reference points (not the only one, of course, after all, we don't want to fall into essentialist narratives of how all Muslims are the same, do we?). I have gotten to know many aspects of these cultures, I have gotten to love some of them, and many have become a part of me. I have not just become a Muslim but I also adopted quite a few habits, norms and values that are often regarded as essentially linked to Islam while in reality they are rooted in one of the many cultures, societies or communities which happen to be majority Muslim.

Culture and religion

Culture and religion are closely intertwined. That is not just an Islamic phenomenon but something that can be observed in all cultures and religions worldwide. Sometimes this intertwinement is pretty obvious, at times it happens more subtly and you need to look closely to spot it. Sometimes it is problematic, sometimes absolutely fine, or perhaps even of advantage - for example, when it brings out the best in a community of believers. Intertwinement can mean similarity, overlapping, contradiction; it is not positive or negative per se. In practise, the intertwinement of religion and culture means that it is often hard to tell where culture starts and religion ends.

"If you want to be a true believer..."

At first, I did not mind that too much. At first, it was exciting. And at first, I also lacked the knowledge to tell the difference between cultural practises and religious principles. Wrapped in mashaallah, alhamdulillah, bismillah, many things that were not Islamic in their own right (but, for example, Arabic or Turkish) or even not Islamic at all (as they contradicted the very basics of this religion) looked like they were the way to go - if you wanted to be a true believer. "Oh, you don't like abayahs? But that's what proper hijab looks like!" - "What do you mean, you are not happy to sit in the back? But you are a woman! We can't allow free mixing in our Islamic classes!" - "No, no, no, don't ask the speaker your question directly, let one of the brothers pass your question on!" - "Male friends? Astaghfirullah!!??" - "Western music? Filth! I only listen to Nancy Ajram..." - "No, I don't think we should start yet; yes, we are already 45 minutes behind schedule, but what if anyone is still on the way? Isn't it our duty to wait for our brothers and sisters in Islam who came here with the intention of listening to an Islamic talk and not prevent them from gaining knowledge? Gaining knowledge is so important in Islam!" - Ok, sorry, I might have gotten a bit carried away. Where was I?

Ten, almost fifteen, years later...

Ten, almost fifteen years, later, the initial excitement has slowly worn off. Not completely, I still owe a lot to all the Muslims (and their respective cultures) that I have met on this journey in the last years, I love many things I have learned from them, things that have become part of me. But I have become a bit older, a bit (tiny bit!) more knowledgeable, a bit more confident and, sorry!, less accepting of nonsense. I have realised in the last years that people have been trying to sell me something as Islamic which is not. And I'm tired of it. I don't need to wear a Saudi abayah to be a Muslim; I don't need to have the same views on gender relations as many South Asian Muslims, for example, do; my Norah Jones is not less Islamic than your Nancy Ajram; and if you serve samosas and dates to non-Muslim visitors at an event organised by the local mosque that's not "typically Muslim food". Your culture is not representative of Islam. 

Losing out of sight how diverse our Muslim community is

Alhamdulillah for biryani, but do we really need to serve it at every event organised by our Islamic Student Societies? At every single event? If all members of said society are desi (see, how I have learned my cool cultural terms), that's, of course, absolutely fine. There is nothing wrong with biryani. This is not about biryani. This is about a majority acting as if the minority did not exist. This is about losing out of sight how diverse our Muslim community is. If all members of a mosque or student society or what-not are not Arabic but they keep on serving Arabic food, in my mind, there is something wrong. And I am not saying that this is being done on purpose, that the biryani fraction of my community have bad intentions or that they are to blame. If you are in the majority it is very easy to forget how those in the minority feel. I am not blaming you for that. But please, try to be a bit open-minded and don't start rolling your eyes and saying, "but it's Eid", when I suggest to order pizza instead of kebabs. 

An Islamic community in Germany

Last year, I spent Ramadan in Germany. My mosque there is very multicultural. The majority of the visitors are German-Moroccons, but  the mosque is also attended by German Muslims with a German background (like me) and by those whose families once came from Turkey, Syria, Eritrea, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bosnia, Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt, Southeast Asia, Poland, Slovakia, the US (many of whom have also become pretty German in the meantime). The only language we have in common is German so pretty much all activities are in German. In fact, a comparatively high number of young Muslims attend this mosque as they feel more at ease in a German-speaking (as opposed to Turkish- or Arabic-speaking etc.) environment. Here, they understand the language. And know how things are being done. 

German pasta salad for iftar

During Ramadan, free food is provided in the mosque every evening. Most of the time, it was Moroccon food. But that was fine. If 70% of your visitors are Moroccon, there is nothing wrong with serving Moroccon food 70% of the time. If, however, you serve Moroccon food only, I would say, there is a problem. At my mosque, they didn't do that. It was Moroccon food most of the time, with the odd Afghani or Pakistani meal inbetween. One day they made German pasta salad. German pasta salad. With mayonaise, cornichons, sweetcorn - exactly as we would do it at home. I was in food heaven, but I also realised this was the first time in over ten years of being a Muslim that I was eating European food in a European mosque.

It is easy to forget to look outside the box

As I explained above, in many cases, the majority of culturally (pretty) Turkish, Arabic or South Asian Muslims in Europe don't even realise how it can be for a German Muslim, for example, if Islam is made look, taste and feel foreign most of the time. They feel at ease, they know things to be that way, they expect things to be that way, so for most of them the thought that this might not be the same for those with a different cultural background does not even cross their minds. Again, I don't really want to blame them for it. I know myself how easy it is to see yourself only, to assume your preferences to be the norm, to forget to look outside of the box. I do it. You do it. We all do it. And as long as it happens unconsciously, unintendedly, I don't really want to blame anyone.

Muslims full of hared of "the West"

But there is something else, too. There are those who just don't question the predominance of Arabic / Turkish / South Asian / you name it! cultural practises in Islamic organisations and mosques in Europe - but who would, if you told them, agree that, yes, perhaps, one day we can have spaghetti napoli in the mosque for iftar and hmmm, why not get some potato salad, too?! And then there are those who are full of hatred of "the West" which they see as an antidote to "Islam". "Look at the West and how they treat their old people, sending them to care homes instead of looking after them, what a shame!" - "Look at how morally corrupted the West is!" - "You want to wear Western clothes?! Astaghfirullah, that would be imitating the kuffar!" 

I am not imitating "the kuffar" or "the West". I am of one them

I am sorry, I am not imitating "the kuffar" or "the West". I am of one them. Culturally, I am one of them; religiously, I am a Muslim. And before you start screaming now, "Oh my God, she declared herself an unbeliever" - I haven't. Not everything in Europe contradicts Islam. There are loads of cultural aspects that you can perfectly reconcile with Islam. In fact, some aspects of European cultures are even more Islamic than much that is found in many "Eastern" societies (talk about punctuality, bindingness of appointments or lower levels of corruption ... that is if you stay North of the Alps... :P ). 

Like the first Muslims back in the Prophet's time

By holding on to my German identity, I am really not doing anything different than the first Muslims back in the Prophet's time did. They were converts. And carried their (polytheistic) ancestors names, continued to eat their (type of) food and wearing their traditional clothes. They remained a part of society. What we consider essentially Islamic now (names such as Fatima, for example) used to be part of the culture of a polytheistic society. What did the Prophet (Peace be upon him) and his followers do? Did they start to scream, "don't imitate the unbelievers" and change their own ways completely? They didn't. They changed what needed changing and held on to what was acceptable to keep. Fatima stayed Fatima. She was not made change her name into a more "Islamically sounding" name when she converted. 

Islam is bigger than this, it is for everyone

And lastly, don't misunderstand me. I am not asking for big changes. I am not asking for German pasta salad everyday. Have your biryani. I'll share it with you. But don't pretend this was Islam. Don't make us, Muslims and non-Muslims, believe your Pakistani naans or Turkish pides were more appropriate to have in the mosque than my German rye bread. Islam is bigger than that. It is more than just biryani. Let's not belittle this grand religion, let's not veil the universal character it has. Islam is for everyone. Look outside your box, have some compassion and try to walk a bit in my shoes. Leave me some room and let me be who I am. That's all I'm asking for.

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LA is...

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Californian diary, part 4 (part 1, part 2, part 3)

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LA is the grandparents' house. House, garden, garage, four to five cars in the driveway. LA is four bedrooms, three bathrooms, two living rooms. LA is eating out, gifts for Lieschen, flying in the granddaughter from England.

LA is a huge suburb. House, garden, garage. House, garden, garage. House, garden... LA is hills, palm trees, multi-lane highways, traffic jams, green valleys to your left, I wish we could stop and take a walk in the fields...

LA is spending hours in the car. LA is taking the car to go to uni, taking the car to go to work, taking the car to visit a friend, taking the car to see your son, taking the car to get the groceries, taking the car to go to the mall, taking the car to get an icecream from the cornershop.

LA is leaving an airconditioned house, getting into an airconditioned car, going to an airconditioned mall before arriving in an airconditioned office.

LA is a tiny city centre, square kilometres of suburbs, endless highways.

LA is the Grandparents' neighbourhood. Doctors, lawyers, teachers. LA is La Puente or Santa Ana. Where per capita income is a third of the one in the Grandparents' city. Where you realise that just because you haven't seen any of the fat Americans everyone talks about in Europe in the city the Grandparents live in, doesn't exist mean they don't exist. They do. Perhaps not in the Grandparents' part of town, but there where it's not four bedrooms, three bathrooms, two living rooms, but a one-storey small house with a flat roof and loads of junk in the front yard and a fence that could really do with some mending.

LA is the mechanic who comes to your house to fix the car. Who is hardly older than you are, works seven hours in the burning afternoon sun and when you get him an icecold coke gives you a big smile revealing the huge gap in his front teeth. LA is the old woman with greyish-blonde hair, a face aged by the sun and rotten teeth who sells you an icecream in Disneyland. 

LA is the villa of a US South Asian family in one of the better parts of town you visit, six bedrooms, five bathrooms, three living rooms, where you sit in the midst of golden picture frames of the son who graduated with an-MBA-mashaallah, the parents years ago on their wedding day, the whole family posing and smiling to the camera, thick, fluffy carpets under your feet, where you are being served chilled apple juice, shami kebabs and green apple slices with red chilli sprinkled over them, while the daughter who is mentally handicapped and writes poetry makes chocolate-chip cookies for you.

LA is driving in the car with two young Desi Americans, who have only ever been to South Asia once or twice and discussing with them the differences between here and there, how we see them, how they see us, how others see us and them and everyone, talking about politics and culture and history and food.

LA is the Grandparents' house. Grandma, Grandpa and the uncles you love Lieschen and will miss her when she is going to leave again.

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Das andere Iran

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Fotos aus dem Iran ähneln sich oft: Frauen in langen, schwarzen Gewändern; Männer in wuchernden Bärten; Kopftücher; Hinrichtungen; Massen an Menschen. Das ist das eine Iran. Aber natürlich gibt es auch das andere Iran. Leute, die in oft widrigen Umständen versuchen, ihr Leben so leben, wie es für richtig halten; sich ein kleines Stück Freiheit erkämpfen; Moment finden, in denen sie ganz sie selbst sein können. 

Solche Momente sind es, die der iranische Fotograf Hossen Fatemi in seiner Serie An other view of Iran festgehalten hat. Schöne Bilder sind es, die er zeigt; intensive Bilder; Bilder vom Leben ... die hoffen lassen, dass der Iran eines Tages frei sein wird.

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Deutsch-iranischer Kulturdialog

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Vierter Hafis-Dialog

Podiumsdiskussion

Krieg und Frieden. Erinnerungskulturen 
und der Abbau von Feindbildern 

in Deutschland und im Iran

Weimar, Donnerstag, 10.Oktober, 18 - 20 Uhr

"25 Jahre nach dem Ende des iranisch-irakischen Krieges (1980-1988) gedenkt Iran 2013 den rund 1 Millionen Opfern. Riesige Märtyrerbilder sind traditionell Teil der offiziellen öffentlichen Erinnerungskultur.

Aber auch die moderne Kunstszene, die Literatur und der Film, greifen dieses Thema auf und verändern den ehemals stark ideologisch und religiös geprägten Blick auf den 1. Golfkrieg.

Dazu kommt, dass sich die geopolitischen Koordinaten in den letzten zehn Jahren stark gewandelt haben und die schiitische Führung im Irak heute engster Verbündeter Teherans ist. Was bedeutet dies für die Perzeption des Krieges im Iran?

Rund 100 Jahre nach dem Beginn des 1. Weltkrieges im Jahr 1914 und bald 75 Jahre nach dem Ausbruchdes 2.Weltkrieges im Jahr 1939 haben die blutigen Schlachten tiefe Narben hinterlassen, die bis heute kulturell, gesellschaftlich und politisch prägend sind.

Die „ästhetische Faszination“ von Zerstörung und Gewalt ist ein wichtiges, umsatzsteigerndes Leitmotiv in der multimedialen Kulturgesellschaft - einerseits.

Doch wenn es um „globale Sicherheit geht, ist Deutschland eine Nation von Vegetariern in einer Welt voller Fleischfresser“, wie Gideon Rachman am 9. September 2013 in der Financial Times schrieb. Der deutsche Militarismus erscheint als ein Klischee aus lange vergangenen Zeiten, militärische Interventionen sind heute unpopulär, aus Erzfeinden und Kriegsgegnern wurden unsere engsten Freunde. 

Welche Rolle spielt die Kultur bei der Entwicklung der so unterschiedlich geprägten deutschen und iranischen Nachkriegsgesellschaften und ihrer Wahrnehmung vom Krieg in Geschichte und Gegenwart?"

Mehr Infos, das vollständige Programm und den Link zur Anmeldung gibt es hier.

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Child rape in Pakistan

"It is a fact few are willing to face, but each year hundreds - perhaps thousands - of children under 18 in Pakistan are raped or sodomized, and the situation is either getting worse or being more widely reported."

"(...T)here is some evidence attitudes may be changing. Following the brutal rape of a five-year-old girl, Sumbal, in Lahore on 13 September, there have been widespread protests; arrests have been made; the matter has been taken up at the highest levels of government; and a campaign has started on social media seeking justice for the child."

This way to the full article on IRIN.

Indien als Global Player

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Mittwoch, 11. September 2013, 18:00 - 19:30 Uhr 

GIGA, Neuer Jungfernstieg 21, 20354 Hamburg, 

Raum 519 (5. Stock)

Referent(inn)en: Professor Dr. Joachim Betz (GIGA), Dr. Sandra Destradi (GIGA), Dr. Rajnish Tiwari (TU Hamburg-Harburg)

Moderation: Dr. Margot Schüller (GIGA)

"Indien erhält zunehmende Anerkennung als aufstrebende Großmacht. Zusammen mit China, Brasilien und Südafrika wird das Land immer stärker in internationale Entscheidungsprozesse eingebunden. In wichtigen Fragen des globalen Regierens ist Indien schon aufgrund seiner Einwohnerzahl nicht mehr zu ignorieren. Auch die indische Außen- und Wirtschaftspolitik ist immer globaler ausgerichtet. 

Doch inwieweit ist Indien tatsächlich zum Global Player herangewachsen? Inwieweit ist Neu Delhi bereit, in unterschiedlichen Politikbereichen Verantwortung zu übernehmen und mit internationalen Partnern zu kooperieren? Wie sieht Indien die Welt, und welche Rolle spielt die indische Wirtschaft in der globalen Positionierung des Landes? 

Diese und andere Fragen werden WissenschaftlerInnen des GIGA Instituts für Asien-Studien und der TU Hamburg-Harburg analysieren und mit den BesucherInnen diskutieren. (...) Im Anschluss besteht die Gelegenheit zum weiteren Gedankenaustausch bei einem Glas Wein. Der Eintritt ist frei. Eine Anmeldung ist nicht erforderlich."

Reise nach Iran

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Von Singapore über Dubai in den Iran

Außerdem bin ich diese Woche auf die Geschichte von Mandy gestoßen. Mandy Tay aus Singapore, die in Dubai lebt und sich eines Tages in den Flieger setzt und in den Iran reist. Dort erforscht sie alleine das Land, trifft wunderbare Menschen und erlebt eine Region, die offen, freundlich und wunderschön ist. 

Nicht nur Atombombe, Schleierzwang, Holocaustleugnung

Und natürlich ist das nicht der Iran, natürlich könnte man auch ein (oder eine ganze Menge) Videos drehen, in denen es um all die schrecklichen Dinge geht, die im Iran vor sich gehen, aber in einer Zeit, in der wer "Iran" hört an Atombomben, Schleierzwang und Holocaustleugnung denkt (und fertig!), braucht es auch solche Geschichten - Geschichten wie die von Mandy Tay.

Ein Abend mit Freunden

Mounir aus [Land in Südasien] ist zu Besuch. Er hat back home ein Business und überlegt, hier in Deutschland Handelspartner zu finden, eine Repräsentanz in Europa aufzubauen. Hier gewesen ist er noch nie, aber er hat gute Freunde und Verwandte, die enge Beziehungen zu Deutschland haben, selbst Jahre lang hier gelebt haben, die Sprache sprechen. 

Ein paar Sätze Deutsch

Vor Jahren hat Mounir sogar mal einen oder zwei Deutschkurse in [Land in Südasien] absolviert - und Deutsch ist in diesem Teil der Welt wirklich keine Fremdsprache, die es populär wäre, zu lernen. Ein paar Sätze und Phrasen sind hängen geblieben und die bringt Mounir mit einem Lachen immer mal wieder in die Konversation ein. Er ist wie so viele Südasiaten, die ich kenne - redet gerne und viel, lacht laut und ist eigentlich immer zu spät. 

Einladung zum Essen

Nachdem er einen Nachmittag bei uns eingeladen war, folgt bald die Rückeinladung. Wir sollen doch kommen - und die Freunde, die er an jenem Nachmittag bei uns kennen gelernt hat, auch mitbringen. So machen das Lieschen, meine Freundin Victoria, ihr Mann Soheil und die kleine Amina uns auf den Weg in den Vorort von [der Stadt, in der ich in Deutschland wohne].

Kuchen, Saft, Datteln und Brezeln

Mounir begrüßt uns herzlich, sein Cousin Ahmad, den sie Mo nennen - das Essen ist natürlich längst noch nicht fertig, aber wir werden mit Kuchen, Saft, Datteln und Brezeln versorgt. Als das Essen fast fertig ist, strömt ein Duft durch die Wohnung, der mich daran erinnert, wie sehr ich südasiatisches Essen vermisst habe, in der letzten Zeit in Deutschland. So ist das. Hier vermisse ich Chicken Karahi, Palak Paneer und Mango Lassi - und zurück in England sehne ich mich nach 'nem vernünftigem Döner, gescheitem Brot - und Cornichons. 

Chicken Karahi mit türkischem Fladenbrot

Das Essen ist vorzüglich, Chicken Karahi und ein vegetarisches Gericht mit Kartoffeln hat Mounir gezaubert - mangels südasiatischem Brot essen wir es mit türkischem Fladenbrot. Ich hatte viel erwartet, aber nicht, dass Mounir so verdammt gut kochen kann. Nach dem Essen gibt es meethai, noch mehr Marmorkuchen, Datteln und schließlich schneidet Mounir noch eine Wassermelone auf. Und Tee natürlich, English breakfast tea - ganz südasiatisch mit viel Zucker und Milch.

Deutschland, Südasien, Golf ... Deutschland

Wir sind eine bunte Runde. Mounirs Cousin Mo hat seine Schulzeit in Deutschland verbracht, in [Südasien] studiert und dort auch einige Jahre gearbeitet, bis er in die Arabischen Emirate gegangen ist, wo er jahrelang im Finanzsektor gearbeitet hat. Seit einiger Zeit ist er wieder in Deutschland - auch nach über zehn Jahren im Ausland ist Deutschland Heimat geblieben. Meine Freundin Victoria ist Deutsche, vor Jahren zum Islam übergetreten. 

Deutschland, Syrien, Ägypten, Belgien, Irland ... Deutschland

Ihr Mann Soheil stammt aus Lybien, ist in Deutschland geboren und hier aufgewachsen. Auch die beiden haben die letzten fünf Jahre im Ausland verbracht - zum Arabisch Lernen in Syrien und Ägypten, zum Studium in Belgien und Irland - und sind erst seit Kurzem wieder in Deutschland. Mo ist auf Jobsuche, er will wieder bei einer Bank arbeiten, Victoria ist Lehrerin, Soheil promoviert. Nur Mounir hat den größten Teil seines Lebens in Südasien verbracht.

Politik, Bildung, Gesellschaft, Kultur

Über Essen, Nachtisch und Tee diskutieren wir. Politische Lage in Syrien, Ägypten, Tunesien, Südasien; Bildung, Kultur und Werteerziehung in Deutschland, der arabischen Welt und Osteuropa; Dankbarkeit; humanitäre Hilfe in Südostasien; Mechanismen der Medienberichterstattung; über Christen in Südasien und Muslime in Europa; wie es ist, dazuzugehören und doch außen vorzustehen; wer die Verantwortung (und Möglichkeit) hat, für Minderheiten einzutreten und einen positiven Beitrag für ein friedliches Miteinander zu leisten - der Staat, die Zivilgesellschaft oder die Minderheiten selbst? Mos Bericht über eine Begegnung mit der Grenzpolizei am Flughhafen von [einer deutschen Stadt] ("Sind Sie Muslim? Beten Sie? Können Sie ein Flugzeug steuern?") ruft Kopfschütteln und lautes Gelächter aus.

"Noch ein Wort und - "

Wir warten bis alle fertig sind mit wudu, dann beten wir zusammen im Wohnzimmer. Vorher räumt Victoria noch die Spülmaschine ein und ich helfe ihr ein bisschen - als unsere Gastgeber das mitbekommen, folgt ein höflich-insistierendes "Aber nein das muss doch nicht sein ihr seid doch unsere Gäste bitte lasst das". Einer der Männer, ich glaube Mounir, scherzt: "Ach, die machen doch nur ihren Job" - worauf er die Antwort bekommt: "Noch ein Wort, mein Freundchen, und wir räumen alles wieder aus!" Gelächter. Wir beten. Und machen uns zweieinhalb Stunden später auf den Weg als es eigentlich geplant war. Ein Stück Fahrt durch die Nacht, und bald sind wir wieder zu Hause.

Gay Pakistan

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What is it like to be gay in Pakistan, a country that is unfamous for headlines on increasing levels of extremism and intolerance, a country that has been dubbed "the world's most dangerous country" in the past? In a recent article on BBC World, Mobeen Azhar writes about gay life in the country's biggest city, Karachi, exposing social norms, societal hypocrisy and surprising alliances. 

Iranian rap: Salome MC

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Not only Afghanistan and Palestine have their female rappers - Iran does, too. Salome MC is a German-Persian rapper and raps in both languages.

You`ll find her songs both on Youtube and on her website. Here is one example.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2e8l1yrqKQ

Afghan and Palestinian rap: Soosan Firooz and Shadia Mansour

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It's by coincidence that I came across a music video by Afghani female rapper Soosan Firooz (for some reason I'm having difficulties embedding the video into the blog post, but you'll find it - with English subtitles - under the link above).

Somehow, Soosan Firooz reminds me of Palestinian rapper Shadia Mansour:

Ramadan global

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 - 6. Ramadan - 
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Bilder, die zeigen, wie Muslime auf der ganzen Welt Ramadan begehen, beten, fasten und feiern findet man jedes Jahr wieder in "westlichen" Zeitungen. Und jedes Mal bin ich wieder fasziniert. Wie oft wird doch davon ausgegangen, dass Muslime weltweit doch irgendwie alle gleich seien - schließlich teilen sie die Religion.

Virtuelle Reise um die Welt

Wie oft vergessen wir, dass der Islam keineswegs nur in der Türkei, dem Iran und arabischen Staaten verbreitet ist, sondern fast überall auf der Welt Muslime leben und ihre Religion praktizieren - auf oft ganz unterschiedliche Art und Weise. Indonesien, Pakistan, Dubai, Frankreich, Serbien, Jemen, Palästina, Türkei - diese Bilderserie nimmt mit auf eine Reise um die Welt.

Vertraute Bilder

Beim Durchsehen der Bilder kam mir vieles vertraut vor, hatte ich doch in einigen der gezeigten Länder selbst schon Ramadan verbracht. Ein Text ist mir wieder eingefallen, den ich vor zwei Jahren für Muslime Helfen geschrieben habe - zu genau dem Thema, nämlich wie in Ländern rund um die Welt, all den Ländern, in denen ich in den letzten Jahren Ramadan verbracht habe, gefastet und gefeiert wird.

Ramadan in Paris, Bulgarien, London, Palästina, Indien...

Wie also feiert man Ramadan in ... Westdeutschland, Bulgarien, Ostdeutschland, Paris, Palästina, Indien, Pakistan, London? Hier geht es zu meinem in drei (eins, zwei, drei) Teilen veröffentlichten Text auf der Webseite von Muslime Helfen!

Religion, Counterextremism, Diplomacy

The International Center for Religion and Diplomacy presents

"Back from the Brink: Combating Violent Extremism"

Tuesday, June 25; 6:30 - 8:30 pm

Union Theological Seminary - James Chapel

3041 Broadway

 New York City, USA

What modern issue affects the global family of humanity more than the rise of violent extremism and the roots and outlets of its ideologies? After the Boston Marathon bombing we find ourselves asking again, "what can we do to prevent it?" You are invited to a free screening of a documentary and panel discussion that delves deeply into the efforts and experiences of three dissimilar communities around the world who are working to combat violent extremism.

The panel will include Dr. Douglas Johnston, President of ICRD, and Azi Hussein, who will discuss our de-radicalization work with imams in the madrasas of Pakistan.

About the International Center for Religion and Diplomacy:

Since its inception in 1999, ICRD has been using commonly-shared religious values to bridge differences between adversaries. Among its accomplishments, it (1) helped end the 21-year civil war in Sudan, (2) eased religious tensions between the Muslim, Hindu, and Buddhist regions of Kashmir, (3) opened back-channel communications to promote improved relations with Iran, (4) played an instrumental role in securing the release of 21 Korean missionaries held hostage by the Afghan Taliban in 2007, and (5) over the past 7 years, has engaged more than 2,700 Pakistani madrasa leaders in reforming the curriculums and pedagogy of their religious schools to develop critical thinking skills among the students and to inspire greater adherence to the principles of religious tolerance and human rights. The Center is also working with Syrian opposition leaders (at their request) to help them resolve their differences through a process of faith-based reconciliation.

Flügel

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"Vous êtes nés avec un potentiel. 

Vous êtes nés pour la bonté et la confiance. 

Vous êtes nés avec des idéaux et des rêves. 

Vous êtes nés pour accomplir de grandes choses. 

Vous êtes nés avec des ailes. 

Vous n'êtes pas faits pour ramper, 

alors ne le faites pas. 

Vous avez des ailes. 

Apprenez à les utiliser et envolez-vous."

Rumi

Mode aus Mittelost

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Wie?, die machen auch Mode? In Pakistan? Ich dachte, die können nur Terrorismus!? Bilder von der Karachi Fashion Week.

Muslimisation à la Bollywood

Photo: Achut Kanya

 Muslim characters in Bollywood. Oh boy.

The Veiled Beauty. The Dancing Girl. The Emperor. The Loyal Didekick. The Poet. The Intolerant Muslim. The Gangster. The Pakistani. The Terrorist. And yes, unbelievable but true: the Modern Muslim.

SOAS professor Rachel Dwyer explains it all.

The dark side of Dubai

"Most people know Dubai for its massive skyscrapers and luxurious hotels, but few know that the city was built by modern-day slaves."

Speak your mind

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"Many people, especially ignorant ones, want to punish you for speaking the truth, for being correct, for being you. Never apologise for being correct or for being years ahead of your time. If you're right and you know it, speak your mind. Even if you are a minority of one, the truth is still the truth."

Gandhi