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veiledsentiments
Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA
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 Posted: Thu Nov 10, 2011 2:57 am Post subject: |
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If you choose to go live in another country which doesn't share your beliefs, you live by their rules if you expect them to give you a nice big pay check. Outside of Saudi, they do allow churches to function as long as they don't play the "evangelist" game. If one doesn't like it, one can stay in one's own country where one get to set the rules.
Their ball... their court... their rules...
VS |
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justcolleen
Joined: 07 Jan 2004
Posts: 654
Location: Egypt, baby!
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| Posted: Thu Nov 10, 2011 3:17 am Post subject: |
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| veiledsentiments wrote: |
If you choose to go live in another country which doesn't share your beliefs, you live by their rules if you expect them to give you a nice big pay check. Outside of Saudi, they do allow churches to function as long as they don't play the "evangelist" game. If one doesn't like it, one can stay in one's own country where one get to set the rules.
Their ball... their court... their rules...
VS |
Exactly. And their rule book says.... |
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veiledsentiments
Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA
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| Posted: Thu Nov 10, 2011 4:39 am Post subject: |
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... that there are only Islamic holidays given...
VS |
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It's Scary!
Joined: 17 Apr 2011
Posts: 823
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| Posted: Thu Nov 10, 2011 11:51 am Post subject: |
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| veiledsentiments wrote: |
... that there are only Islamic holidays given...
VS |
Well, it's not their fault that our parents took us away from the one true religion, is it?!? 
It's a asinine point-of-view! |
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justcolleen
Joined: 07 Jan 2004
Posts: 654
Location: Egypt, baby!
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| Posted: Sat Nov 12, 2011 6:03 pm Post subject: |
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Are we, or are we not, having this conversation in the "Middle East" forum?
There are probably as many rule books in Middle East as there are souks. When there's a question, they all go back to the Books - the trilogy of The Big Three with The Last being "the best" - and look for the answer.
Sure you can't knock on doors to spread the good word (although I saw it on the street in Egypt, a Protestant Christian passing out pamphlets), but anyone who ascribes to any of The Only Three is free to practice, without disturbing others ... which can quickly be deemed "threatening security" and, in that case, severe consequences.
Honestly, in my experience, it was easy to be Christian in Egypt and Turkey. Others may have different experiences other places. Like, they may have tried to sneak a Bible into Saudi or something. I simply noticed the mistake in my contract, which didn't include paid time off for my religious observation, and didn't see it as a point of negotiation. I got it.  |
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justcolleen
Joined: 07 Jan 2004
Posts: 654
Location: Egypt, baby!
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| Posted: Sat Nov 12, 2011 10:21 pm Post subject: |
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| It's Scary! wrote: |
| veiledsentiments wrote: |
... that there are only Islamic holidays given...
VS |
Well, it's not their fault that our parents took us away from the one true religion, is it?!?
It's a asinine point-of-view! |
Not necessarily!
Really, living in IBMland does have its advantages, especially when your answer to everything can indeed be one of three words: Insh'Allah ("God willing" or "God's will"), bookra ("tomorrow"), or mumkin ("maybe" or "I can't").
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johnslat
Joined: 21 Jan 2003
Posts: 13859
Location: Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
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| Posted: Sat Nov 12, 2011 10:36 pm Post subject: |
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Dear justcolleen,
Or all three words together: Inshallah, bookra, mumpkin
which I heard probably a few thousand times.
Regards,
John |
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justcolleen
Joined: 07 Jan 2004
Posts: 654
Location: Egypt, baby!
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| Posted: Sat Nov 12, 2011 11:37 pm Post subject: |
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| johnslat wrote: |
Dear justcolleen,
Or all three words together: Inshallah, bookra, mumpkin
which I heard probably a few thousand times.
Regards,
John |
Was that during the course of one taxi ride? |
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johnslat
Joined: 21 Jan 2003
Posts: 13859
Location: Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
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| Posted: Sun Nov 13, 2011 1:00 am Post subject: |
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Dear justcolleen,
Yup, one VERY short taxi ride.
Regards,
John |
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veiledsentiments
Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA
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| Posted: Sun Nov 13, 2011 2:45 am Post subject: |
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Except that in Egypt, IBM is Insha'Allah, Bukra, & Ma'alish. Mumkin actually means 'possible' and in Egypt one of the first phrases that you learn is "mish mumkin" ... "impossible."
justcolleen... this is the big difference between teaching in the Levant or North Africa where there are indigenous Christians and the Gulf where there are none but us expats. I started out in Egypt where we got two Christmases, 2 Easters, and 2 Eids... and then went to Oman where many of my students had never even met a Christian until they arrived at the university from their village.
It was a shock to many to learn that Christmas was just a regular workday. It was the same in the Emirates. My students thought it was terrible that we had to work on our major religious days.
VS |
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justcolleen
Joined: 07 Jan 2004
Posts: 654
Location: Egypt, baby!
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| Posted: Sun Nov 13, 2011 10:52 am Post subject: |
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| veiledsentiments wrote: |
Except that in Egypt, IBM is Insha'Allah, Bukra, & Ma'alish. Mumkin actually means 'possible' and in Egypt one of the first phrases that you learn is "mish mumkin" ... "impossible."
VS |
Or "maybe" or "I can't".
Then there's always fil mish-mish, right? |
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justcolleen
Joined: 07 Jan 2004
Posts: 654
Location: Egypt, baby!
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| Posted: Sun Nov 13, 2011 11:25 am Post subject: |
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| veiledsentiments wrote: |
justcolleen... this is the big difference between teaching in the Levant or North Africa where there are indigenous Christians and the Gulf where there are none but us expats. I started out in Egypt where we got two Christmases, 2 Easters, and 2 Eids... and then went to Oman where many of my students had never even met a Christian until they arrived at the university from their village.
It was a shock to many to learn that Christmas was just a regular workday. It was the same in the Emirates. My students thought it was terrible that we had to work on our major religious days.
VS |
That's all? I got two Christmases and two Christmas Eves, two Easters one Ash Wednesday and one Good Friday, two New Years, one Ramadan and two Eids, one Prophet Mohamed's Birthday, and my birthday as paid holidays every year. Thanksgiving was a non-religious event, much to the locals' surprise (and as it should have been), and included a traditional meal, music, games, and belly dancing in my office. |
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veiledsentiments
Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA
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| Posted: Sun Nov 13, 2011 1:59 pm Post subject: |
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And people wonder why I loved Egypt.
VS |
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Badar Bin Bada Boom
Joined: 01 Jun 2011
Posts: 192
Location: Fifth dimension beyond that which is known to man
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| Posted: Mon Nov 14, 2011 10:50 am Post subject: |
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| Uhm...I still wonder, VS. And you're the one who'd rather vacation in Cairo or the hills of Iran than Tahiti/Firenze/San Fran! |
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veiledsentiments
Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA
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| Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2011 12:53 am Post subject: |
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There is just no accounting for taste, is there... 
VS |
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