Garden of Eden - The Middle East 101

(part 4 of 5, find image credits here)

So, where exactly is the Middle East? In 1902 it was said to be "the area between Arabia and India". I think the top 3 countries that would come to most minds in the United States would be Iraq, Iran, and Afghanistan. Wikipedia breaks down the history of the term and provides this map, which includes Saudi Arabia, northern Africa and parts of "the Stans" (Afghanistan, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, etc.). The modern term "the Greater Middle East" includes a lot more African countries but does not include Turkey, for example. For my purposes, I'm generally referring to all of the above. Although there is a broad range of cultures and religions that span such a huge area, I think they share characteristics (and sometimes politics) that put them under umbrella prejudices in the eyes of others. 

To give you a better idea of how broad this area is, here is a list of the main people groups in the Middle East: Arabs, Turks, Persians, Jews/Israelis, Kurds, Assyrians, Arameans - Syriacs, Egyptian Copts, Armenians, Azeri, Maltese, Circassians, Greeks, Turcomans, Shabaks, Yazidis, Mandeans, Georgians, Roma, Gagauz, Berbers, Mhallami and Samaritans. The most common languages are Arabic, Armenian, Azerbaijani, Balochi, Dar, French, Greek, Georgian, Hebrew, Kurdish, Pashto, Persian, Somali, Berber, Tigrinya, Turkish and Urdu, and religions include Islam (in its many forms), Judaism, Christianity, Baha'i, Yazdanism, Zoroastrianism, Mandeansim, Druze, Yarsan, Yazidism and Shabakism. Don't feel too bad if you haven't heard of half of the above terms - there are certainly many that I know nothing about. 

Although I don't think it's wrong to use a general term like "the Middle East" and even ascribe a certain image to it that wraps up some of the larger generalities, everyone knows that we get into trouble in any are of life when we assume that if one slice of the pie is bad (or good), that must mean the entire pie will follow suit. The way I see it, there are some common threads of attitudes that run through many Middle Eastern countries - to my relatively untrained eye, the peoples of this region are tough, fierce of spirit, and passionate (which often translates into quick to anger), but it would be wildly inappropriate to write them all off as terrorists or threatening in general because of it. In fact, as my mom described to me recently, many people in the areas near eastern Pakistan where my family was, had no idea who Osama bin Laden was or that there was a war going on, post 9-11. It's one of those places on Earth where there are pockets of people who live our their entire lives apart from the rest of this planet, and that should illustrate in a very small way why it would be unfair to throw all our anguish and despair at war and genuine injustices on the American people as a result of terrorism on "the Middle East" or even a country or even a village that harbored or bore a terrorist. Let alone individuals in the Middle East or immigrants to the United States from the Middle East. [below image from Ramadan 2012, by the Boston Globe]

At our church, Element, here in Santa Maria, California, we've been going through the book of Genesis and recently hit the beginning of the story of Ishmael. This story is very dear to me and gives huge insight into my views on the Middle East. I also believe it has very important historical roots when it comes to the Middle East. I'm going to summarize some of the most important points, in my eyes, but if you want to read the whole thing directly from the Bible yourself, the part concerning Ishmael begins in Genesis 16. For a little background at this point, God had already promised Abraham that he and his wife Sarah would have a son who would lead to descendants as numerous as the stars. But as Abraham and Sarah both got pretty far up there in years, they became restless, took things into their own hands, and long story short, Hagar, Sarah's servant, becomes pregnant with a son by Abraham. Needless to say, this doesn't end up making Hagar or Sarah very happy, since Sarah wanted to raise a son as her own, but this child is awkwardly not really hers. Sarah treats Hagar so harshly that Hagar runs away, where she is met by an angel of the Lord who tells her to return to her master's household and name her coming son "Ishmael", which means "God hears" [her pain]. The angel also promises that Ishmael's descendants will be more than can be numbered as well. Genesis 16:12 (NLT) says, "This son of yours will be a wild man, as untamed as a wild donkey! He will raise his fist against everyone, and everyone will be against him. Yes, he will live in open hostility against all his relatives." 

I know this won't carry weight with people who don't believe in scripture, but to me, this story is the underlying reason for why Ishmael's descendants (who populate the Middle East, along with those of Isaac) continue to "raise their fists against everyone." By no means does being from this region make you ornery or militant, but I do think there is a heritage of wildness as the angel prophesied. It's not wrong or bad, but it is difficult to get along with. Later on (17:17-22), as God is telling Abraham again about how numerous his descendants will be, Abraham asks for God's special blessing on Ishmael. God responds that his plan is still for Sarah to have a son of her own, but that he will also honor Abraham's request and bless Ishmael as well, though the fulfillment of his covenant will be through Isaac.What I love about the story of Ishmael is that he is loved by both Abraham and God, despite the handful that he is. He too, is a son of Abraham and blessed by God, and other than the prophesy of his wildness, there is very little in the Bible about what kind of man he was. It does not say he was a terrorist or an evil person and I think that is imperative, historically, when it comes to looking at the Middle East with a tender heart. Yes, there is a bloodline of "living in hospitality against all [their] relatives" but that does NOT equal wickedness or suggest that they are less loved by God. 

To my knowledge, all the more you ever hear about Ishmael after chapters 16 and 17 (in which Ishmael is one of the first in history to be circumcised, as a mark of God's covenant with man) goes down in chapter 21 which is equally heartbreaking and redeemed as the previous debacle. When Isaac is born and hugely celebrated, Sarah is enraged that Hagar and Ishmael taunt him (fair enough) and demands that Abraham send them away. (21:11) "This upset Abraham very much because Ishmael was his son." But God tells Abraham to do as Sarah says, because Isaac is indeed the one "from whom his descendants will be counted" , but that he "will also make a nation of the descendants of Hagar's son because he is your son, too." Repeat the whole wilderness scene where Hagar and Ishmael are about to die, but God rescues them. (21:20) "And God was with the boy as he grew up in the wilderness. He became a skilled archer, and settled in the wilderness...." And that's about all you ever know about Ishmael, the father of the Middle East. At the risk of repeating myself, I'll say again how precious a story this is to me: although Ishmael was not "the chosen one", through no fault of his own, God was faithful to him and blessed him and cared for him as Abraham's son. If that isn't reason enough for you as to God's heart for the Middle East, I don't know what to tell you. 

There you have my version of the history of the Middle East, as well as what I'm referring to when I say "the Middle East." The next installment should be to most fun! I am going to give you a virtual tour of some things I love about the Middle East - food, traditions, landscapes, fashion, etc. Don't miss it! 

Garden of Eden - The Vision

(Part 2 of 5 - click here to jump to part 1. Images via here)

Now I want to write a bit more about why this is important to me, which I separate from the aforementioned events that put me on this road in the first place. In short, my vision and drive for this whole choice to continue my studies with the object of getting my bachelor's in Middle Eastern Studies. I think that especially at my age, it's hard to be certain of what a life calling looks like. I tend toward the mindset of "do what you're good at because you're good at it for a reason." I totally believe that God gifts different people differently and also puts different issues on different hearts. I'm surprised that this whole Middle Eastern thing didn't occur to me before, because it seems so obvious now. I can't say that I came to the conclusion that this is what I should be doing in a very spiritual way, but now that it's sort of panning out this way, it just feels like it fits perfectly, and to me, that's as much of a sign as any that it's the right way to go. I've changed my mind about what to study many times before and I suppose it's a possibility that I'll lose my fervor over this issue and think it wasn't meant to be after all, but after really struggling with thoughts of a career in art for a long time (I'll write more about that in the next post), Middle Eastern studies finally feels like the right thing at the right time that plays to my strengths and my passions. It's fabulous to be excited and have a direction to go in and not feel like I'm settling for something just for the sake of finishing a degree., because it sure felt like that's what I was going to end up doing, for a while.

Anyway, on to "the vision". By "vision", I mean less what I plan do with with this major (again, next post) but more why I feel like this choice finally clicked in all the right ways. Sometimes I'm afraid of how intensely I feel about this subject and I know I can be pulled toward an extreme in almost any situation just out of a desire to be provocative. I won't deny that part of studying the Middle East appeals to me for that reason, but I don't think it's unreasonable to say that I've also been prepared for this in the last few years and of course during my childhood, even if I didn't realize it until recently.

Seriously, if you want to make me angry, you need do nothing less than say something ignorant, irreverent or bigoted about anything having to do with Islam or the Middle East. I want to make it clear that as much as I adore this region, I don't condone all their customs, attitudes and/or behaviors and religion. What does boil my blood is people saying foolish, angry and unfair things about something they don't understand. Actually, I don't think there's an excuse for that behavior even if you do understand the reality of things. If I could heal all the rends between Western and Eastern cultures by sheer love of my subject, man, the world would be rainbows and butterflies all over. 


Ok, so to actually state my vision... what I want to do is essentially educate and re-educate Americans to understand and respect countries and cultures that are currently unjustly treated with prejudice because of political issues. The more I can show the divide between a handful of politicians and armies on both sides and the reality of day-to-day lives and culture of the people of each region, the more compassion available, in my thinking. I don't always know what to think of what goes on politically and don't often understand it, but I do think I am in a position to be an ambassador and a bridge between humans on each side. I'm actually not particularly interested in peace-rallying or things of that nature. I think the current wars/terrorism is the basis of fear and hatred between the East and West, but I'm less concerned with the politics of war and peace as I am with facilitating proper perceptions across cultural divides. Particularly in the America to Middle East direction. 

One thing that I'm already struggling with is my anger. I feel justified in being angry at people who say ridiculous and hurtful things about people and places they are conditioned to fear and mistrust, but I know that the whole situation is full of enough hatred and anger already and that people don't respond to being told what idiots they are. It's hard to walk the line between cultures - it's hard to talk about the Middle East with any compassion or understanding and not be branded a "sympathizer" with terrorists. Obviously, it's my goal to do away with that reaction in the first place - not just for my sake, but for what that attitude symbolizes. It's hard to be trustworthy in the eyes of someone who is against what my heart burns for. But that's really the whole point; to bridge the gap. Now what I need is the grace to be something other than a rabid chihuahua who is straining to be released on a land of "blind people". I know I need to stay away from the us vs. them scenario, especially when I want to put myself in the "them" category just to be gritty and poignant and different. Sometimes I also sit back and think I must be a naive fool to think that anyone will listen to me about any of these issues with the "credentials" that I do and will have. I wonder if people will consider a love and a heritage tied to the Middle East as having any authority in the face of war and politics. I get it, if you think that that won't cut it. But I still need to try. And I need to try not to do it out of my own strength alone.

Apart from modifying thinking toward the Middle East, I really want to advocate fair treatment of Middle Eastern refugees and immigrants in the United States. First of all, it's offensive and needless to lump everyone from the Eastern hemisphere into 3 main ethnicities; Chinese, Japanese and Korean are not remotely the same and they take great offense at being confused. Indians are not from the Middle East, and the Middle East is not just one country. "If you don't like it here or don't want to be like us, go back to your country," is not a valid argument either, sorry. Actually, I'm not sorry. That's just a rude attitude. I know it's not easy for everyone to distinguish between different nationalities, but it isn't polite to assume that they're all from the same country. Also, it's so important to remember that every American is an immigrant from somewhere or the descendant of immigrants (with the exception of Native Americans). It only makes sense to treat new people seeking refuge with dignity and respect like you would like to be treated if you uprooted your entire life to try and make a better go of things in a strange country. I hope I am not digressing into rants here. I really think it is of the most basic importance that immigrants be treated with respect.

One final thing I want to touch on in relation to my vision and my justifications for why I should be pouring myself into this is 9/11. I know that especially for my generation, 9/11 was some of the first exposure that American citizens had to the idea of Islam and the Middle East as a whole. Or more practically, it suddenly became a point on the radar that may not have been there before. I think it's entirely logical and understandable to be hurt on many levels by that tragedy and I think it's reasonable to be angry at the injustice of it. Obviously, I feel like things went awry when understandable hurt about terrorism turns to blind hatred of an entire school of nations and/or people of the same race as terrorists but with no affiliation whatsoever. Sometimes I wish I had been in the U.S. for 9/11 so that I could better identify with the feeling of nationalism and solidarity that arose afterward. I am, after all, from America, and contrary to what some of my opinions may seem to demonstrate, I love my country.

At the same time, I know there was a reason for me being on the other side of things at that time and witnessing a very different angle of 9/11. As my mom remembers it, many Muslims in areas of rural Pakistan and China around where we lived didn't even realize that a war was starting, nor who Osama bin Laden or Sadam Hussain was. That's kind of an illustration of the entire point I'm trying to convey.

Once again, thank you for reading and I do sincerely hope that I don't sound like a raving lunatic. Like I said, I'm very sensitive on all of these issues, but I also want to learn and grow and calm down when I need to. That said, if you disagree with me, have questions, or have suggestions on how I can be more relatable or  compassionate in my delivery, please do let me know. (Next up, specifics about the actual impending schooling).

Garden of Eden - In The Beginning

In her novel Crescent, Diana Abu-Jaber writes, "When we leave our home, we fall in love with our sadness." When I read that, my heart knew very much what it meant, and that was a resonating point in some life decisions that followed. // As most of you know, Jonas & I are having a son in October. This little bundle of joy was an unexpected blessing and we can't wait to meet him, but he also threw off some previous plans. I've been out of school for about a year and half now, and have decided to go back and finish a degree in Middle Eastern Studies. This is a choice full of history and meaning for me and one that I am already getting some questions about from friends and family, so I've decided to write a 5 part series (because I'm just that serious about it :)) explaining what I'm up to.

Again, most of you know that I grew up in Central Asia, where my parents were missionaries. We spent 13 years in Western China, in a province with a large Muslim culture and community. For several years, we lived a few miles from the border of China and Pakistan. Most people conjure up images of rice patties and pandas when they think of China (including me, at times), but I just wanted to explain that despite being in China, Middle Eastern culture actually played a huge role in my childhood and that can fairly be put as where this all started. It wasn't really until after I moved back to the United States at 16 that consuming sadness for "home" started to become dear to me and I began to focus on what I had left behind. I'll write more about my vision in all of this in the next installment, but for now I'm going to detail 3 specific incidents that strongly pointed me in direction I'm now headed. 

My husband (then-boyfriend) Jonas and I took a geology class together several years ago and went on a week-long field trip through the Californian desserts & Sierra mountains with our constantly high (?!) professor. Good times. But anyway, on the way home, we stopped by Camp Manzanar, which is now a museum which stands on the grounds of what was essentially an internment camp for Japanese-Americans during World War 2. I remember reading a story about this part of American history in grade school, but kind of forgot about it until this trip. Honestly, hardly anyone talks about this incident and it seems to me that very few people are even aware of it. Walking through the museum and seeing photos and hearing stories about how unfairly we treated our own citizens because of something people from their countries of heritage  did really struck me and it's been important to me ever since. Some of my extended family was involved in sending Japanese-Americans to camps, so it's extra tied up in my heart. I know this may not seem obviously related to the Middle East, but when I see some of what's going on in our country today as far as general sentiment toward people of Middle Eastern descent, this other piece of American comes quickly to the forefront of my mind.

A second thing that really motivated me dive into Middle Eastern Studies was a conversation with my husband, probably about travel. He said something to the affect of being interested or feeling excitement or inspiration from most parts of the globe, but had no real draw to the Middle East. There's nothing wrong with that, but it awakened something in me that now wants desperately to share all that I love and find fascinating and beautiful about that region of the world. Small, but powerful.

Finally, something some of you have probably heard about if you've spent any amount of face-to-face time with me in the past several months. I listen to a lot of podcast, including "the show for people who love to eat," The Splendid Table. Several months ago, the host interviewed a guy from this little project called Conflict Kitchen. Basically, this art professor (can you tell, I love this?) decided to open a little take-out stand that only serves cuisine from countries that the U.S. is in conflict with. Bloody brilliant, and I'm so bummed we don't have this on the West coast yet. In time, my chickadees, I may just open one myself. Anyway, they serve this delicious food, wrapped in custom paper printed with interviews with people of the country whose food they're serving. They cover a range of topics - not just politics that have to do with America and said country.

The reasons I go gaga for this are a) I love ethnic food and b) to me, this is what our culture needs in terms of international relations; grassroots re-education and evaluation of other cultures; a lens through which to realize that the people of countries that you may or may not agree with politically are  human, just like you and I. This is not a save-the-world approach, but something that's doable in our own home-towns, and frankly, I think that's where change should start. I realize that this sort of idea doesn't exactly affect foreign policy or bring down dictators or any number of very important things. But what I think it CAN begin to do is change the hearts and minds of every day people, who - I'll be darned - just may grow up to lead our nation and have great sway with other nations.

So, there you have the beginnings. I do hope you'll stick around for subsequent installments. I realize that these issues are ultra important to me because they're MY convictions, but I totally believe that some of the points I'm going to bring up are something YOU should be greatly concerned with as well. {all photos via here}