Young and Arab in Land of Mosques and Bars
Great article in the NY Times, wonder if the sentiments expressed in the article are shared by people in Qatar. Follow the link for the full article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/22/world/middleeast/22dubai.html
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — In his old life in Cairo, Rami Galal knew his place and his fate: to become a maintenance man in a hotel, just like his father. But here, in glittering, manic Dubai, he is confronting the unsettling freedom to make his own choices.
Here Mr. Galal, 24, drinks beer almost every night and considers a young Russian prostitute his girlfriend. But he also makes it to work every morning, not something he could say when he lived back in Egypt. Everything is up to him, everything: what meals he eats, whether he goes to the mosque or a bar, who his friends are.
“I was more religious in Egypt,” Mr. Galal said, taking a drag from yet another of his ever-burning Marlboros. “It is moving too fast here. In Egypt there is more time, they have more control over you. It’s hard here. I hope to stop drinking beer; I know it’s wrong. In Egypt, people keep you in check. Here, no one keeps you in check.”
In Egypt, and across much of the Arab world, there is an Islamic revival being driven by young people, where faith and ritual are increasingly the cornerstone of identity. But that is not true amid the ethnic mix that is Dubai, where 80 percent of the people are expatriates, with 200 nationalities.
This economically vital, socially freewheeling yet unmistakably Muslim state has had a transforming effect on young men. Religion has become more of a personal choice and Islam less of a common bond than national identity.
Dubai is, in some ways, a vision of what the rest of the Arab world could become — if it offered comparable economic opportunity, insistence on following the law and tolerance for cultural diversity. In this environment, religion is not something young men turn to because it fills a void or because they are bowing to a collective demand. That, in turn, creates an atmosphere that is open not only to those inclined to a less observant way of life, but also to those who are more religious. In Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Algeria, a man with a long beard is often treated as an Islamist — and sometimes denied work. Not here in Dubai.
“Here, I can practice my religion in a natural and free way because it is a Muslim country and I can also achieve my ambition at work,” said Ahmed Kassab, 30, an electrical engineer from Zagazig Egypt, who wears a long dark beard and has a prayer mark on his forehead. “People here judge the person based on productivity more than what he looks like. It’s different in Egypt, of course.”
people who blame others and see no fault in themselves should be hung at dawn...its a vulgar trait in a person......
is a sickness...a habit if you will. these people seem to trick themselves into believing whatever choice made is not his/her fault. what a crock~
PS, Alexa, meant to tell you, I LOVE your avatar!
No, Alexa, I'm too a big fan of freedom of the press. And any publicity that fosters some understanding is not all bad. I just remember that old TV police drama that started with the words, "There are a million stories in the naked city ... this is one of them." I guess I wish the NY Times writer had chosen another. I read the piece in QL in the last few days about the First Women of the Gulf. If I were editor of the New York Times, I would have selected that one for the front page instead. Or printed both - hmmm, I like that! Depicting strong women and contrasting them with weak men. A good prediction of the future of the Gulf?
Well said.. Many of us go through this "phase".. The trick is to realise the "mistake" and do something about it..
They are young and experimenting, away from their parents strict rules they have the opportunity to do that. That is normal no matter where you are from. He just placing blame elsewhere to justify his actions because he feels guilty due to his upbringing.
Not an excuse really, more of an observation. It would be nice if everyone would grow up and learn to be a responsible adult. Some people NEVER do! But this is something that's learned by modeling. And speaking only from my own experience- of course I can't speak about every Egyptian- there's just not much of that kind of modeling going on in Egyptian families. Lots of controlling, not a lot of guidance.
The old excuse of the young guy from a hick town coming to New York eh ? Dazzled by the bright lights and freedom..
Sorry, in this case, the guy is totally to blame..
This is a typical Egyptian reaction, though. It's the culture. We in the West are taught from an early age to take responsibilty for our actions, but this isn't true in Egypt. The father is the patriarch, he makes the rules and has the final word. There's not a lot of emphasis on growing up and gradually learning to be a responsible adult. And on top of that, the extended family is always involved in what everyone else is doing, everyone is an expert, and all the uncles, aunts, cousins, etc. have to give their expert opinion. The young people are too smothered to ever get a chance to even try to make their own decisions.
So when these boys leave their villages and go off to places like Dubai, no doubt a lot of them are completely lost.
Yes, I read the full article in the NY Times yesterday and I was not impressed with either the writer or his subject matter. I thought the author displayed a rather condescending attitude toward young Muslim men whom he depicted as naive and shallow in the face of big city temptations. The story just wasn't edifying and I was rather embarrassed that once again the US/NY was going to have a skewed picture of the Middle East and the Gulf.
Rami/Alexa: I agree, it's makes me remember a reply i gave at forum and said that imposing wont take you no where, you must decide by yourself and take your own responsabilities.
Only God Can Judge Me
الله فقط يمكنه محاكمتي
I am you and you are me, if you love i love, if you suffer i suffer
أنا أنت, و أنت أنا, إذا أحببت نفسك أحببت نفسي, إذا عانيتَ عانيتُ
This is the curse of having to take personal responsibility for your own actions and choices.
And this cracker of a line:
"I hope to stop drinking beer; I know it’s wrong. In Egypt, people keep you in check. Here, no one keeps you in check.”
Geez dude. Grow a pair and stop blaming everyone else for the fact that you can't control yourself.
Ahhh... the curse of free choice.
He is blaming Dubai for his own failings.. Yes, in his home country , those around him may keep him in check, however, he is an adult and can make decisions for himself.
It is his own lack of faith and self discipline that is lacking..
No one forces him to live like that for heavens sake!