Bye-bye Dubai :)

saturday 2:45 pm Dubai

you know you would use the same post title :)

Bask in Dubai

saturday 9:15 am Dubai

so i decided to go to Jerusalem, inshaAllah.

first stop has been Dubai, and i am in the middle of a 9-hour layover.
time for a baskin-robbins induced nap, if i can manage it in a "quiet"
airport lounge -- the word quiet loses its meaning though when parents
bring their kids here and treat the airport like it's a den or worse,
a playpen.

yeah, i am behind on my sleep. :P

It's chili in Karachi

No, eating chili in Karachi will only make sense to you if you grew up in America and decided to stick to Zabiha (or at least Kosher) meat some time after you became an adult. There are no Zabiha chili places that I know of anywhere in the US.

So, I am willing to try almost any food I can find in a Muslim country that reminds me of the foods I used to eat.

But don't ask me if I am going to give this chili a second shot...

Eating peacefully

Seen in the stairwell at the ever-popular Barbecue Tonight in Karachi/Clifton. They have very good chicken and surprisingly good lamb. None of the food was shot on the premises...

did someone say sweet?

Alhamdolillah, some dishes are sweeter depending on how they are served. Take kheer, for example. Kheer is a desi rice pudding, and it's always good, alhamdolillah (at least when it's well made).

But somehow, if kheer is served at a wedding in Pakistan in these clay bowls, something happens. I'm not talking about how the bowls are stacked -- with one upside-down over the other so as to keep out flies and kids' fingers. Nor how the hang-time of these dishes approaches infinity -- none of the contents of the up-ended dishes will spill out!

No, it's the fact that nothing will taste better that night than the kheer in that dish. Alhamdolillah.

choice

monday 1 am Karachi

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keep my current plans to please Allah subhanahu wata
ala by praying in Masjid al Aqsa, or drop my plans in order to
please my parents?

my parents watch the news. so they assume that every
muslim who visits jerusalem will face extreme
harrassment if not outright torture by the israelis. now
factor in my beard, literally, and my parents act like the
world could come to an end.

they are certain i should not go, and that if i do go that i
would be safer in the company of Americans
(read non- Muslims or at least with an interfaith group).

there was a time when thoughts of their discomfort,
anxiety, or paranoia would never deter me.

but Allah subhanahu wata ala is not pleased by disobedient
children who cause their parents pain, anger, or anguish.

so now the only argument sustaining my drive to go to
al Aqsa is that my parents' suggestions may be
unreasonable enough that i do not have to obey them.

after all, my parents were certain that i would be badly
treated throughout my trip because of my appearance.
and they've been so wrong.

it's been a fantastic trip, alhamdolillah. and i have no complaints
of harrassment of any kind.

sure, israelis have no love for Muslims. but they love
tourists (and tourists' money) and Americans --
and that's me: American tourist... with a long beard :)

the idea of traveling with an interfaith group seems
bad for me on three grounds:

(1) those groups are not going to spend much time at
Masjid al Aqsa. and that's the only place i want to go!
(2) those groups will be mixed men and women, and the
dress code will definitely not be hijab.
(3) i am not going to offer any prayer outside of
Islam, period.

i've got nothing against people exchanging ideas, trialogue, etc.

but i don't think such a group is suitable for me.

i'm still searching for the best decision. inshaAllah,
make dua for me that Allah subhanahu wata ala will
be pleased with me and will guide me accordingly.