Assalam aliakum, Chung shao lin whose meaning is along the lines of a bird who flies freely high in the skies he named me, the second honorary title bestowed upon me in China. It matters little that he is only ten years of age, or that he happened to be sitting on the table next to mine at a reportedly famous Chinese Muslim Restaurant in the heart of downtown Beijing. His joy at visiting England for the first time in August simply couldn't be contained, and his mother, dining with her sister and nephew saw no harm in her son approaching a stranger at the restaurant.
Sitting alongside the memorial at Tiananmen square, I was met flushed with a collage of emotions. I have visited the square a number of times previously but only now did I have time to sit and ponder. Were it not for the immense volume of people visiting the square, flying kites, playing games, simply having a pleasant time, you would feel an emptiness particularly given the squares history in its immense size. To the other end gathered hundreds if not thousands of people, mostly Chinese tourists but also a few foreigners, the blondes and redheads standing out amongst the crowd of the diverse ethnic Chinese, and me. Of course I always tend to be stared upon, not on account of suspicion or fear, more a look of curiosity. You would imagine that in Beijing a city familiar with the diverse cultures not to mention the influx of Arab tourists in the post 9/11 era who refuse to visit the US on account of being stereotyped having landed in the US, requiring to prove their innocence, their everyday humanity; you would imagine in such environment I wouldn't catch so many stares, but I did. Of course curiosity never bothers me, I too suffer from the odd excessive glance, can you blame me, beauty is to be found everywhere here for beyond the rather harsh exterior lays a culture of intrigue and adventure, all the way from strangers greeting you in the street down to your taxi rides, my short roué to Beijing airport this morning being a reflection of such adventure. Stepping out I informed the doorwoman that I was running late for my flight. She asked whether I would like a standard of express service, I chose the latter. In retrospect, perhaps not the most sensible of choices, but what an experience! Having spent 20 minutes stuck in Beijing traffic, as soon as we left the city the driver engaged in nothing short of stealth mode. He adjusted his seat upwards, then forwards, positioned his bottle of water to his right hand for easy access, then took his dated VW into the next generation. The series of motions reminded me of the spaceship in the movie 'flight of the navigator' which turns from a bubble like shape into this amazing super dynamic streamlined spaceship. Weaving in and out of traffic, the driver casually ignored the 80 mph speed limit travelling at speeds in excess of 160 mph, BMW X5s, MercedesS320s, Audi A6s, whizzing past every luxury car you could find in Bejing. No doubt, the driver spent far too much playing racing games on his Nintendo! This new found freedom, this rebellion of sorts, a near disregard for regulations, where did it come from? Back at the square there was a subtle hint of expression. Ethnic Chinese from across the country visiting the capital city on vacation, having their photos taken in what no doubt marked a revolution. The effect perhaps less evident in social terms though clear in terms of business; soon the world will be theirs, and there is little the existing super powers can do to stop them. As a foreigner and regular traveller it cannot be such a bad thing. I met Laura at the Nui Jei mosque in Beijing, she was accompanying her husband who was on business at a conference. Her sense of style was remarkably distinct, elegant, fashionable without being excessive, who else could she be other than a French lady? We decided to spend a short time together on our way to a shopping street. Her first trip to China, she was taken back by the rapid growth and the stereotyped impression much of the world has of China. Once you get past the typical scams, be it trips to the tea houses, art students pushing volume printed artwork etc you find a nation of friendly, open people. A nation where you are not stereotyped by your skin or faith certainly, thank God, I have yet to experience a negative attitude, a country where as a foreigner you are greeted with respect and more often than not greeted with a smile. True, you have to look beyond the façade of what I term the `smoking man': middle aged Chinese men who sit puffing cigarettes looking through you as if you do not exist and the world just passes by; but its there. I don't ever imagine a ten year old approaching me in a restaurant to have a friendly chat in the North America or Europe. It could very well be the wider exposure to different people which has suppressed such an urge in these regions. But being approached by the child who after discovering my name offered to give me a Chinese one brought about a feeling of comfort, one of being welcomed to their land. With all flights into Beijing being diverted to another airport to the south on account of poor traffic, standing to the rear of the plane as we sat on the runway waiting to return to Beijing, the stewardesses went out of their way to ensure that I was taken care of; who am I to reject the kindness of 5 beautiful Chinese girls dressed in their uniforms wiashing to look after my every need! Hospitality is a value we are all entitled to, to receive as well as to give, and from the airline crew to the friendly ten year old is a reminder of what we all have to gain as the current and future Chinese generations take a stronger position in the global playground. Chung shao lin, the bird who flies freely high in the sky, he named me, a title equally befitting him. May Allah Almighty have mercy on us all, ameen. Fi amanillah, wa salam, f ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Yahoo! Groups gets a make over. See the new email design. http://us.click.yahoo.com/XISQkA/lOaOAA/yQLSAA/TXWolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> *************************************************************************** {Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided.} (Holy Quran-16:125) {And who is better in speech than he who [says: "My Lord is Allah (believes in His Oneness)," and then stands straight (acts upon His Order), and] invites (men) to Allah's (Islamic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: "I am one of the Muslims."} (Holy Quran-41:33) The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "By Allah, if Allah guides one person by you, it is better for you than the best types of camels." [al-Bukhaaree, Muslim] The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also said, "Whoever calls to guidance will have a reward similar to the reward of the one who follows him, without the reward of either of them being lessened at all." [Muslim, Ahmad, Aboo Daawood, an-Nasaa'ee, at-Tirmidhee, Ibn Maajah] -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Recommended: http://www.islamonline.net http://www.islam-guide.com http://www.prophetmuhammadforall.org -------------------------------------------------------------------------- All views expressed herein belong to the individuals concerned and do not in any way reflect the official views of IslamCity unless sanctioned or approved otherwise. If your mailbox clogged with mails from IslamCity, you may wish to get a daily digest of emails by logging-on to http://www.yahoogroups.com to change your mail delivery settings or email the moderators at [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the title "change to daily digest". Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/islamcity/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
