I realize I am a guest in the UAE and will respect the rules of living here, as I would expect those who chose to move to my home country to do the same. I have no problem with abiding by the sensibiliites of my host country just as I would think that Muslim immigrants in the USA should not assume the majority Christian population there would unconditionally accept Muslim rules and practices.
That was the point behind my taxi driver story. In the USA, I should be able to get a ride to my hotel from an airport, alcohol or not. Taxi companies are regulated by the local governments and there are laws to assure equal access to all. If a Muslim taxi driver sees a problem with that, then he/she is in the wrong business because a lot of travelers have alcohol on or in them. The refusal of Muslim taxi drivers to transport alcohol became a big issue in the US media and the misunderstood Fatwa from the local Mullah was finally rescinded. Ironically.in the UAE, I have never had a problem. I expect to be sensitive to religious ideals here in the UAE, but back in the US I shouldn't need the same diligence.
I am willing to be flexible here but Muslims living in my home country need to be the same. That's only fair.
Again, I apologize if I offended anyone, that was not my intention. Live and Let Live!
Posts
6 comments:
Taxi companies are regulated by the local governments and there are laws to assure equal access to all.
Yes, but in the US most taxi companies (and just any other company) have the RIGHT to refuse service to anyone. I lived there for a while, I saw the signs. lol.
I am willing to be flexible here but Muslims living in my home country need to be the same.
BUt see here, a non-muslim citizen isnt a reality. This is a 100% muslim country. However, in the US, you DO have Muslim citizens, in fact, by 2050 there will be around 50 million muslim American citizens.
That argument would make sense if the US said oh, a muslim cant be a citizen. But the US didnt do that. It decided that anyone can be a citizen... and so those citizens also have the same rights as you.
Do you feel that maybe the US is too lax with its naturalization laws?
As a muslim I have NO issue with the US saying you cant be a US citizen if you're muslim. It almost makes sense, Islam goes against some (not all) of mainstream american culture. That is one main reason that only a Muslim Arab can become a UAE citizen. Less of a culture clash.
Anyways, I found your last post and this one well thought out. Not that my opinion matters to you, it really shouldnt. But at least you said what you wanted to and stuck to it. You didnt say anything offensive. And you were using your brain, MUCH more than 98% of the bloggers in this country.
Im a GNR fan, so for me its live and let die. Anyways, I will add your blog to my real list.
Thanks for the understanding, ABIT.
I will continue to post about my experiences here through my own eyes.
I try to balance my comments because so many of my fellow countrymen back in the USA have a false negative view of the citizens in the Gulf States due to government and mass media bias and I would like to change that somehow from relating my experiences here.
I will add your blog to my list also so maybe we can get a better understanding of each others cultures.
That doesn't mean I won't say something that pisses you off from time to time though!
I debated on whether or not to comment on the "deleted" post, and before I could decide, it had been retracted. Probably a wise move overall, given the diversity of potential readership. I understand why you wrote the first, and respect those sentiments. The second post, however, took some chutzpah to write. Hear, hear!
Sir, My own family pisses me off 23 hours of the day. So it doesnt take much.
One can choose their friends but not their family.....for better or worse.
Ah, BUT one can choose to not socialize with his family except for the minimum... Eid, twice a year, 40 minutes each.
Simple.
Maybe you're lucky enough to have a sane family. I am not.
Post a Comment