Three hours of interesting conversation with our Muslim landlord

Very nice man and his wife from Istanbul. According to them, nothing good is going to come of Saddam's execution, at least with regard to the attitudes towards America in the Middle East. And if Bush is stoopid enough to think he can attack Iran and win that pissing contest, we are all in serious trouble.

As much as Saddam was a heinous, brutal dictator, the US involvement in his hanging has damaged our cred in the Muslim world, as has this illegal war. Nothing we don't already know. Mr. S. thinks that Iraq will soon be ruled by another dictator more ruthless than Hussein. According to him, America used to be held up as a shining example of what a Democracy should be, for most people in Turkey. That of course, was B.B = Before Bush. You have no idea how this half-wit numbnut of a President has damaged us. It will take decades to repair.

And these people love the United States, their son is in graduate school in LA. They have an apt. in California, but they cannot understand what force has taken over the American government. Don't worry, I said -- neither can we.

It was quite interesting to hear another side to the story, and spend time with folks from a different culture. One thing I love about life across the pond. I just wish the bigoted Wingers could see that not all Muslims are fanatic terrorists (Islamofascists) but people like you and me who love our familes, our friends and wish for a peaceful life.

Happy 2007. Only two more years of this national nightmare called Bush.

-48

You scared me for a minute. I thought he somehow got another day. G-d forbid. :scared:

... has interviewed ex-pats who have nothing but glowing praise for the US and the invasion and of course all of the 'democracy' and 'schools' and 'roads' we're building in Iraq, while pooh-ing Saddam every way possible.

Nothing like dragging out the token former-Iraqi's to make ourselves feel better, huh? :eyes:

Even here on DU I encounter posters who have some very peculiar notions about Islam and Muslims, and it is fun to knock down their prejudices. But it is nice to have another poster come in and say that Muslims, in general, don't have horns or belts of bombs ready to blow up America.

I'm glad you posted their opinions about how this whole mess is playing in the Middle East. Bush has taken our reputation and drug it in the mud. We have lost our democracy at home and are no longer looked upon as an example to the world. I sincerely hope he is impeached or resigns before his term expires. I don't know if our nation can take much more of him and his disasterous policies.

I have enormous respect for the Muslim culture and greatly admire the beautiful things they have built during their long history. I told our neighbor of my trepidation re: traveling to some Muslim countries, and he said you really don't have anything to worry about, the media has made Americans fearful about traveling to ME countries. Although he advised no travel to Iraq, he said countries like Turkey, Morocco, the Gulf States would be safe, as long as you don't flaunt your American-ness needlessly (think of the typical obnoxious American vacationer)

I think the world agrees, that * has made us ALL less safe, less understanding and more prejudice toward our fellow life travelers. This administration needs to go. I thought it esp. interesting during our talk that we all agree the US is on a downward spiral, and the East is on the rise, from Russia to China. We had a wonderful time with them, and the upshot is, we are invited to Istanbul during the summer. I can't wait to go, as I studied so many mosques, churches in Turkey.

History repeats itself, that's what we kept saying.

Peace to everyone in 2007. -48

is going to be to try and imprison the whole gang of criminals: Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, Perle, Feith, and Rice. That's the only thing the world will take as proof that these criminals were an aberration and not just business as usual done more clumsily.

Sadly, I doubt the Democrats will have the will to do it.

and step up to the plate. It's no longer business as usual in Washington DC. Git 'er done!!

Would a trial be sufficient to improve the reputation of the USA? The trial would have to deal with strictly legal issues and the judge would have to be manifestly not affected by political bias. Perhaps the elite in both major parties would close ranks to prevent any trial that could threaten the careers or reputations of members of the elite.

Consider the history of the USSR. If I'm not mistaken, one of the first things that was done after Stalin died was to kill Beria. Beria got a trial after he was killed. Did they eliminate "political crimes" from Soviet law? Did they abolish the secret police? Did they put on trial Stalin's various accomplices? No, it seems that they merely removed what they saw as an immediate threat to the careers and lives of those close to the levers of power.

If they see our system as self correcting, then we may be able to rejoin the world community. If they don't, we won't.

I don't relish being a world pariah. We don't make enough to support ourselves any more.

get out among people from other cultures and learn that not all Muslims want us dead, do not hate us, and want to live in peace.

The notion that all Muslims are fanatics/"Islamofascists" is as truthful as the notion that all Christians are fanatics/Fundamentalist wingnuts. Just because the fanatical people get all of the press doesn't mean they're the only ones in existence, it just means they're the only ones people notice.

the fact you can approach your minority/ethnic neighbor with object questions regarding their perpective on current events. Almost all conservatives would never, ever think about doing this.

I'm glad you took the time to get their opinion.

Thanks.

For those of you chuckling over any preconceived ideas about how Muslims might celebrate New Year's Eve, I'm here to set the record straight. More or less.

As many of you know, I've been working/living around Alexandria, Egypt for the past 18 months or so.

The New Year's Eve party took place in the ballroom of the hotel where I've lived for so long, some people think I work here. Unfortunately nobody is giving me tips. Yet.

Full disclosure: as many of you who read my rantings also know, I'm a hardcore atheist, so I don't have a god in that fight.

Still, I'm often appalled by some of the things I see posted about Muslims in DU.

As I've posted before, I literally trust my life to Muslims every day. I also spent 2 years working in Saudi Arabia. In both countries, the biggest threat to my life has been the insane traffic.

OK, back on topic. The New Year's Eve Party!!! Oh, and how do I know the partygoers were Muslim? Because many of the women attending wore the hijab (headscarf). And many did not.

1. There was a full bar, open all night, and a DJ blasting dance tunes. The DJ's female sidekick did a lot of dancing. The party started at 10 PM and went on until about 3:30 AM. The partygoers included kids with their families, ranging from toddlers to about 9 years old.

Several young Egyptian women, wearing skintight jeans and skimpy tops, danced with each other when they couldn't get guys onto the dance floor. Nobody batted an eye.

2. Sort of off-topic, but Bill O'Reilly would have had a long-overdue stroke if he had been sitting at my table. I was not only seated with an Egyptian administrator of a FRENCH!!! lycee in Cairo, but a Genuine French Couple from France, of all places. They were almost as exotic as another Egyptian man, who worked for an export company located in exotic Hackensack, NJ.

Another person at our table was a gorgeous Egyptian woman who spoke Arabic, English and French equally well. She wore the classic little black dress, nicely accessorized with cleavage. She was kind enough to ask me to dance, so I can almost forgive her for breaking my heart just by sitting there.

3. Entertainment included a trio of male dancers in suits and ties, and a female belly dancer, not in a suit and tie. In the case of her cleavage, she was very well accessorized.

The belly dancer started performing about 1 AM. She wore the usual belly-dancer getup, going thru 4 different costume changes, and had a small butterfly tattooed on her right shoulder. Some of the younger kids wanted their pictures taken with her. That didn't bother anybody, either.

The belly dancer's band included a very good female singer who wore a traditional Muslim all-black floor-length garment with her head (but not her face) fully covered. Here in Egypt, that form of dress usually indicates that the woman is either a widow, or religiously very conservative. As it turns out, the singer was the belly dancer's Mom.

4. Did everybody kiss at midnight? Some people did, but mostly on-the-cheek air kisses. Unlike America, over here guys don't grab any woman standing nearby and kiss her at the stroke of midnight. For various cultural reasons, suddenly kissing strange women in the Middle East can have unintended consequences for the guy. Like death.

Travel Tip: if you ever find yourself in Egypt on New Year's Eve, do not go out for a stroll around midnight. In what I am told is an ancient custom, Egyptians celebrate New Year's Eve by throwing dishes, plates, glasses, etc. out their windows.

Alternate perspectives are invaluable. onager, you should write a book about your experiences in Egypt.