ISLAM means peas

"Just remember ALL CAPS when you spell the man name."

-Madvillain

My friend "Ahmed" is coming to visit tonight, and the title of this post comes from an email he sent me on 9/11 this year.  He's very conservative and ultimately thinks everyone should be Muslim, but he has a warm heart and was a good friend to me while I was in Syria.  I met him when I was studying in Damascus last year, and we've had an email correspondence since then, in which he always capitalizes ISLAM and MUHAMMAD.  There aren't many public spaces in Damascus, so I would often study in the mosques, including the Ummayyad Mosque, where I met an Imam, who introduced me to some of his students, including Ahmed.  Ahmed and his roommates are Tolab al-Fiqh, or students of Islamic Law, studying to become Imams.  Though we clashed on issues as diverse as adoption, women's rights, dating, and even smoking arghileh (he's opposed to all of the above), he and his roommates were so welcoming to me during my time there.  They have six roommates in a tiny apartment, but they always were inviting me over for dinner or tea, and they were always disappointed that I didn't want to sleep over.  For Thanksgiving (or Eid ash-Shukr), I made them an American meal, and they were very appreciative.

From their studies of the Qur'an, they speak fusha, the formal Arabic that I know better than Syrian or any other dialect.  They were very curious about American habits and customs along with my own beliefs about religion, politics, and whether the Jews were behind 9/11 (they weren't, FYI).  Through our discussions of Syrian history, Islam, and America, we developed an odd friendship.  I'm quite excited to see him and show him around Amman.

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After a several uncomfortable cab rides with pushy types trying to convert me in the last few weeks, I met a nice guy this morning.  I had to go to the U.S. Embassy because I've succeeded in filling up my passport, so I had to get some more pages.  As I got into the cab, I asked to go to the embassy.  In Arabic, the cabbie asked me if I was trying to get a visa to visit the U.S.  No, I told him, I'm an American.  Mashallah, an Amriki speaking Arabic?  I like this Hussein Obama.  You Americans have not enough children.  Only one per family, correct?  No No No, I have two brothers, I told him, and my mother has nine brothers and sisters.  I have fourteen, he said.  That's four better.

After the shocking revelation that I am unmarried ("I am very very sorry"), we had the feel-good moment when we agreed all religions are brothers and that peace is good.  We arrived at the embassy, and said goodbye.

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That's all for now, but here's a picture I took from Jabal Webdeh looking over Wast al-Balad, Amman's downtown into East Amman.