Lessons from pre-history to the Hashemites
On Sunday we had a lesson colloquial Arabic. Mar haba- hello and es salam'alaikom - peace to you and all.
We had a lecture on Ancient Jordan by Dr. Kafafi. Since Jordan was a crossroads from Africa to Europe and Asia some of the original people came through the region at early period in human history, maybe 1.5 million years ago. There are many digs going on in Jordan, and Dr. Kafafi had many pictures of sites and artifacts.
We then had a lecture from Dr. Najjar on religious history. He traced the linkages from Abraham to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
We had a break to visit the bank, a grocery store, and a very hip and modern restaurant called Whispers that was European in atmosphere.
We finished the day with a descendant of the prophet Mohammed, the Royal Hashemite tribe,
and the Royal family, Al-Sharif Nasser Bin Nasser. He gave a brief historical presentation about the family and then engaged in a very candid and open discussion. He is a very genuine, authentic, and warm individual. Like the former King Hussein he was modest, humble, and very likeable. He is very well informed about global issues. He has Master's degree in Middle Eastern studies from Princeton. The Hashemites have been very open to change and forward looking to serve the people. We discussed what writers like Friedman have referred to as the "curse of oil." Many Arab nations have let their economies be poisoned by oil, not letting them develop people as a resource. Al Sharif Nasser Bin Nasser asserted that people were Jordan's most prized resource. They have promoted education as evidenced by their openness to education of their family in England and the United States. Al Sharif has a global perspective and sees himself as a citizen of the world. He sees that water is a more important natural resource to the region than oil. He also believe that if you empower people extremists don't have a chance. When asked what the United States could do, he related that he made recommendations for students to attend Princeton, but that they had denied visas. We should endeavor to change these policies which are fostered by fear and negative stereotypes. As he noted, Friedman's idea that the soft power of the United States is more important than military power. Jordan has a history of taking in refugees. He was very humane in his approach to them. The kingdom's acceptance of millions of people is a moral choice that is taken with no questions asked which results in a stronger country because people bring their strengths. American has benefited by its acceptance of immigrants who bring their talents and energies. Jordan seems to be following a similar course.
It was a very informative day to say the least.
We had a lecture on Ancient Jordan by Dr. Kafafi. Since Jordan was a crossroads from Africa to Europe and Asia some of the original people came through the region at early period in human history, maybe 1.5 million years ago. There are many digs going on in Jordan, and Dr. Kafafi had many pictures of sites and artifacts.
We then had a lecture from Dr. Najjar on religious history. He traced the linkages from Abraham to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
We had a break to visit the bank, a grocery store, and a very hip and modern restaurant called Whispers that was European in atmosphere.
We finished the day with a descendant of the prophet Mohammed, the Royal Hashemite tribe,
and the Royal family, Al-Sharif Nasser Bin Nasser. He gave a brief historical presentation about the family and then engaged in a very candid and open discussion. He is a very genuine, authentic, and warm individual. Like the former King Hussein he was modest, humble, and very likeable. He is very well informed about global issues. He has Master's degree in Middle Eastern studies from Princeton. The Hashemites have been very open to change and forward looking to serve the people. We discussed what writers like Friedman have referred to as the "curse of oil." Many Arab nations have let their economies be poisoned by oil, not letting them develop people as a resource. Al Sharif Nasser Bin Nasser asserted that people were Jordan's most prized resource. They have promoted education as evidenced by their openness to education of their family in England and the United States. Al Sharif has a global perspective and sees himself as a citizen of the world. He sees that water is a more important natural resource to the region than oil. He also believe that if you empower people extremists don't have a chance. When asked what the United States could do, he related that he made recommendations for students to attend Princeton, but that they had denied visas. We should endeavor to change these policies which are fostered by fear and negative stereotypes. As he noted, Friedman's idea that the soft power of the United States is more important than military power. Jordan has a history of taking in refugees. He was very humane in his approach to them. The kingdom's acceptance of millions of people is a moral choice that is taken with no questions asked which results in a stronger country because people bring their strengths. American has benefited by its acceptance of immigrants who bring their talents and energies. Jordan seems to be following a similar course. It was a very informative day to say the least.
posted by Craig Campbell | 3:35 PM
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