It started out really well.....

So my trip to Pakistan started out really well with seeing family and friends, general relaxation and the main event- my trip to Islamabad. I was in Pakistan on a dual purpose visit, a) to see my family and friends and attend my cousin’s wedding and b) to visit some development projects, hopefully seeing some of the regeneration work done after the recent mass floods that covered over a third of Pakistan.

When I arrived, most of my cousin’s wedding preparations had already been taken care of so on that front I was relatively unhelpful, however, there was the small matter of my own clothes for her wedding that were still non-existent. In fact the only clothes I had brought, which in my eyes were suitable for Pakistan were 8 year old Shalwar Kameezes that I had been given last time I was in Pakistan and alhumdulillah they still fit. I could not see myself wearing western clothing in Pakistan despite the fact that it is common now and I saw many young girls and older ladies walking around in jeans and tops. In fact, I also saw the hateful fashion of leggings and a simple top being modelled by many young girls around Malls in Karachi- not something I was a fan of in the UK and definitely not the modest clothing one would hope to find in Pakistan. I mean men here stare anyway, which is shameful, but why add to it? And anyway, the fashion is just so silly, a couple of years ago who would have thought we would have seen girls walking around in something which is basically equivalent to tights and a top? We would question whether her skirt had been stolen surely!

Moving on, my wedding shopping had to be delayed anyway due to visits to family and also my wonderful trip to Islamabad. So my trip started in Clifton, Karachi at my cousin’s family place from where I shifted after a few days to my Grandma’s sister’s place in Gulshan where my Khala (Aunt) from the UK was also staying.

But before this, my birthday was celebrated in true PK style with too much food at a local restaurant on Zamzama.... yum! It was different, not having my sister and dad around as they usually are, and I did miss my friends. My best friend and I usually celebrate together as her bday is a day after mine and it was a real shame she wasn't there too. But, these are the hazards of travelling away from home. It was still enjoyable and I got cake so that always makes me happy!

In Gulshan, we went round visiting more family which included my Grandma’s brothers, one of whom still resides in the flat that my father spent some of his childhood in and I had the pleasure of hearing about some of his naughty antics: Hanging off balconies to try and get his way and all sorts! It was nice trip down memory lane for everyone.

It was lovely seeing family again. There is just a different pleasure you get with having family around to see and hang out with. We don’t have as much family in the UK and so miss that atmosphere that Asian families tend to have- well actually I suppose that is true of Somali, North African and Arab families I can think of too. Regardless, we miss this sometimes, particularly when all the family is not in one place.

In and about all this chilling out with family we managed to make a plan to visit Islamabad. I had some contacts there, both from Islamic Relief and an organisation called the Khubaib Foundation which IHH had put me in touch with, and I wanted to try and fit in some project visits. It was planned to be a very short, not even 3 day, visit as my Khala had to be back in time to do a few more things and catch her flight. We left on Monday and were due to return on Wednesday.

We arrived in Islamabad on Monday afternoon at about 1pm. It was great to see family I hadn’t seen since I was about 6 or 7 and I even recognised them. Honestly, it was so strange and so lovely. I don’t know if any of you have had that kind of reunion. People you remember from your childhood, generally good memories of them looking after you and then you see them after so many years and there they are, just the same.... but older of course. At first it is just the same, but almost immediately the differences kick in, because you are older now of course and so view things differently, pick up on different things and so, the childhood flashback is shattered. You are after all, a different person now.

The plan was to spend that day with family and see projects the next day and then spend the last day with some family too. Things did not quite work out this way to say the least. On reaching Islamabad I called a Brother from Islamic Relief who immediately put me in touch with someone else who could help me locally as he was not currently available. This same person informed me that there was a WASH training session that very afternoon at about 3pm which would be great for me to see as it was funded by Charity Week for Orphans, a project that I have been involved with in the UK. However, we had just arrived. Seeking permission from our wonderful family and organising a pick-up we rushed off to the session in a little IR Jeep. Bless my family for being so nice to us!

I was rather excited to see the project. I mean this is one of the projects that our fundraising in the UK had directly contributed too and I could see the results in person. I felt very privileged.

The session took place in a local house where the women had gathered on the roof. It was community group consisting of widows (the mothers but also sisters etc of the Orphans funded by Charity Week). They were learning about sanitation: how to ensure you wash your vegetables before eating/cooking, washing hands, disposing of waste, changing towels etc. It was quite informal but I think the women were quite shy in our presence, hesitant to answer questions asked. These were things they generally knew though but often didn’t stick to, due to habit or upbringing- the norms in the society in which they lived. They also discussed cured for upset stomachs and what they should do in cases of sickness or diarrhoea etc. A lot of it involved traditional cures using local produce and knowing how to create their own rehydration drinks for example.

It was quite in depth and very interesting. The facilitators were local and spoke in the local language/dialect which I am sure helped break down barriers and judgements. Afterwards, they were all taken to a distribution point where they received a pack containing soap, toothpaste, towels, washing up liquid, paper etc. These were used as source of encouragement to ensure that they kept to what was learnt and also to encourage the continuance of good habits.

It was brilliant. A great start to my journey in Pakistan. I felt so blessed. Truly! We were all blessed together. I continue to wonder why Allah blesses me so and insha’Allah I pray that I can live up to the task and make a difference with the blessings he gives me.

Al Jazeera Al Jazeera!

Just in case anyone thought I had forgotten, I hadn’t! And so this post is named for a very "special" cousin of mine who I know is secretly jealous! hehe.

Yes, whilst in Doha a very nice friend of mine, a Mr A, was kind enough to give us a tour of where he works as a producer. So, M and I had the chance to not only see the inner workings of Al-Jazeera English but also Al-Jazeera Arabic and boy were we excited! We got in the taxi expecting it to take us to one of those major high rise, elegant looking buildings that you find in the heart of the district where her father works- the Manhattan of Doha- but, instead we pulled up to a complex of what looked like warehouse type buildings. It looked more like an air force complex than what we expected of Al Jazeera. Not as exciting, but I guess that was our fault. The main gate had security though so yay!

Anyway, Mr A had hooked us up with passes at the front gate so we picked them up with our IDs and made our way inside. They were also not as exciting as first expected- just a simple paper document saying we were allowed to be there for the next 2 days. Yawn! We wanted badges or something. We were expecting a security pass or something resembling a back stage pass at Wembley. Again, not quite what we were expecting but still, we were at Al Jazeera!

Mr A gave us a full tour of Al- Jazeera with information about all the different stages that go into producing the final news we see on TV; The research, writing, editing, recording etc etc. It was very interesting though I think at moments he thought it might be boring us but really it was much more than we were expecting. We were just happy enough to be at AL-Jazeera and a simple look around would probably have satisfied us. Though I was hoping for a quick interview with one of the newsreaders or presenters or journalists or something...... but let’s not be picky. We were at Al-Jazeera. Sorry, did I tell you I was at Al-Jazeera. Haha!

It was like the first time I visited the BBC but better (Don’t tell the BBC I said that!). I guess I have grown used to the BBC now and this was just a bit of a novelty. After seeing it all the effect did wear of a little but we are allowed to feel all giddy and excited about certain things once in a while right? Although, I do think M was a lot more excited than myself. Bless!

I think the best part was just being able to see the news desk and watch them broadcasting live. It’s silly but you’re thinking, “I’m there whilst the news is being told, this is wicked!”. It was also funny to see the way the newscasters acted when the camera was not on them, relaxed, sat back, with a little bit of a sullen look of boredom. Funny considering at any moment they will be back on and into their role again. In many ways they are just much actors as those stars up on the big screen.

The whole place was also a lot smaller than expected. One was left thinking, “This is the place that creates all that fuss?”, apparently nearer the start of Al-Jazeera a certain Egyptian president, I think, left feeling the same way.

We also got a quick tour around Al-Jazeera Arabic, although Mr A didn’t know as much about this side of the TV news network so it wasn’t quite the same. However, it was interesting to see the old Al-Jazeera newsroom and news desk where it all started- that was really really small. It is now wonder the President was so surprised. Also, their reception has artefacts from throughout the Al-Jazeera story including the jacket and belongings of the cameraman that was killed when the Al-Jazeera headquarters in Iraq was bombed within the first few days of the invasion. A rather grim reminder of the cost of being a journalist in a warzone, and sometimes the particular risks involved when working for one of the most hated news agencies around, hated those in power.

Anyway, it was overall thoroughly interesting and entertaining and then to top it all off Mr A managed to get us entry to the Doha Debates which we had been trying to do since before I arrived in Doha. So the next evening we were lucky enough to attend the live TV debate which won’t be aired until January- although the exact date I am not sure on. The topic of debate was rather interesting and it was good to see a face I recognised on the panel arguing the intricacies and often simply the variances in the meaning of the title itself- a certain professor Tariq Ramadan. The title: “Education is worthless without Freedom of speech”. What are your opinions I wonder on this rather heavy topic. I wouldn’t really have known which way to vote, to be honest, as I agreed with both arguments. Mainly because they were both looking at the statement and taking the meaning they wished to see and then arguing for that point, so both were correct in the arguments they made. I’ll leave it to you to watch the actual debate.

Overall then, a thoroughly enjoyable and educational trip to Doha- even if it still weirded me out a bit! ;o)

The Empty World

To me Doha seemed like such an empty place, from my very first journey from the airport to my friend M’s family apartment. But we will come to that.

The first silly little episode of mine in Doha began with the fact that I managed to miss the notice for me at the airport. M’s poor driver was holding up a piece of paper with my name on it and I totally missed it. Mostly because when I came out of the exit all I saw were men so I took a quick look around, didn’t see M and just carried on going thinking maybe she was waiting outside. No such luck. I waited about 10 minutes before starting to get very uncomfortable with all the men around me and everyone having been picked up but me. I had my friend’s number thankfully and gave her quick call only to find she had been there all along waiting in her car, as well as her poor driver who I still couldn’t find having gone back inside so Poor M had to come and find me and him!

Anyway on the trip to her place I just couldn’t get over how new everything was, the roads, the buildings, the restaurants, even the grass! It was all just so weird to me especially having just come from the historical overload that is Turkey. Anyway, this “Oh my God, it is so weird!” feeling would stay with me throughout my trip and the words would become a feature that I am sure M got pretty sick of. In fact, the very next day I was at it again except this time with regards to al the empty space, the empty plots of land and large empty spaces between one part of “town” and the other. It was all just so surreal. It not only looked like a brand new city but one that was still in the process of being created. I have never seen anything like it.

Most mornings in Doha we woke up pretty late and I think the general feel of my trip would be expressed in the word “chilling”. ;o)

M worked, I worked, we worked side by side on our laptops on her bed, we ate breakfast, we thought about going somewhere and sometimes actually made it out of the house by noon. We ate lots of desserts, ordered in and chatted. I saw a lot of new things whilst in Doha. The Corniche, the Movenpick hotel (....yes, that’s Movenpick people, the icecream company), the old souk, the new souk, restaurants, the Belagio mall and cinema, the football stadiums and the cultural village.

The cultural village really summed it up for me. It was pretty empty of culture at the time I must say. It was a new complex, mostly built up to look old- like lots of old traditional mud/daub buildings, a beautiful little mosque- all mosaic, a few restaurants, lots of empty space and a private beach. Although there was an art exhibition on at the time so you got to give them that for trying. M, don’t be angry at me but you know it is true!

However they are trying and I think these places can be filled and be amazing once they are filled and there are things going on there. They just need culture. The whole city seemed to be lacking in it and I don’t know whether that is true of the whole country.....

However, there was one thing I loved about the cultural village and that was the amazing Amphitheatre they have created (see pics, although it really doesn’t get it across). It is an old concept and design meeting modern architecture and modern styling. It looks AMAZING! I could have spent a lot longer than the half hour or so we did there, maybe all night, or all holiday.... The stars would have been amazing if they only cut down the light pollution- it is a desert after all.

Doha to me just seemed a little superficial to be honest and that is saying nothing about the people there, in fact I am convinced there is a lot of good there, a lot of forward thinking people/leaders and in many ways a way forward for that part of the world.

They truly can be leaders and may be headed that way. But, right now it seemed like a bubble, a world existing within our world but separate from it. It seemed like a false luxury culture that I lived whilst there: desserts, good food, good service, air-con, nice apartments- money and relaxation and enjoyment. It just seemed a little fake and scary to me.

My visit to Pearl Qatar just crystallised much of this for me. The newest of complexes, luxury shops with top designer labels, the best restaurants, yachts pulled in to anchor, luxury cars....new money. These people from wherever had basically never had it so good, their parents had probably never had it so good and they were enjoying it all as much as they could. They were not from rich backgrounds and many of the ex-pats would probably never been able to live this life in their home countries and so were living it up in Qatar. Nothing wrong with that I suppose but linking it into my main reason for travelling it kind of left me desperately sad and frustrated and to a level disgusted with the wealth. Please understand I do not wish to judge them or their intentions or blame them, this is just how it made me feel.

I suppose to an extent. There would be nothing wrong with living there as long as you didn’t get pulled down into it, were doing things for the right reasons and kept your head above water. There are lots of great foundations in that part of the world which I think could really help those in the third world. Never mind all the money floating around with nothing better to do.

I was impressed by the Sheikha’s (Sheikha Mozah, whose name I kept hearing) work with the Qatar Foundation and Education City was very impressive, along with her drive to get Qatari’s educated. This was one of my reasons for thinking there was so much going for this small state. Not to forget that they just one the bid for the 2022 football World Cup and so have a great chance to impress the world and make themselves unforgettable. However, I do hope it is for all the right reasons and not the wrong ones. I do have a strong sense of foreboding though and I hope it is a false one. My main fears are that the culture of respect for women, lack of alcohol visible anywhere except in some 5 stars and the generally less Las Vegas feel to Doha when compared to Dubai might be lost. We all know that Football fans particularly from the West love their alcohol and their lewd behaviour and I just wonder how the Qataris are planning to “accommodate” this. It will interesting to see how they hold onto their culture. Here’s too hoping.

One thing that I am impressed at is their aim to make all the new stadiums etc, use renewable energy, be solar powered etc for the air-con and cooling systems wherever possible. This sounds like great news to me.

The one other place, other than the Amphitheatre and M’s home, that I loved was the Islamic Art Museum. We got audio tours for free and it was just incredible listening to all the history behind each object and its significance. We hardly got halfway round one floor in the 2 hours we were there before the museum closed at Maghrib time. The whole place was amazing. I was in love from the moment we started up the approach. I absolutely adore the architecture. It is designed by the same guy who did the Louvre and well, wow! Once again a mix of old and new. It looks kind of old, like the Agha Khan memorial, if anyone has seen it, from afar and also a bit like the Qaid-e-Azam memorial in Pakistan but with a more modern twist. Islamic Art is present always in the geometric and symmetrical designs. It is stunning, simply stunning inside and out. The inside just took my breath away, I was off taking photos whilst M tried to get us sorted. The staircase, the ceiling, the windows, the floor, the corners.... I loved it all. I took some pictures which are good but really you can’t quite capture it as usual- all angles and marble and geometric design. LOVE IT! I will definitely be going back to spend more time there and finish seeing the actual exhibit! ;o)