Well, not a diplomat, but rather, diplomatic. I find that when I talk to people here, I have to be "diplomatic", if you will. I have to tiptoe around things, negotiate my thoughts around the cultural values of this society. I can't just straight up disagree, I have to explain my thoughts in the context of being a westerner or something. I have to be an apologist with my opinions by qualifying them about where I am from or how I was raised.
Yesterday, I was having a conversation with one of the people I work with here about Iran and the Iranian revolution. He said how much he admired Khomeini and how he was deeply influenced by his thought. I couldn't just straight up disagree. I couldn't just say "What? Fuck that guy." I couldn't really come out and say that he turned Iran into an intolerant Islamic theocracy that tries to stifle and drown Iranian culture in the name of Islam. I had to be diplomatic about disagreeing. I asked why he liked Khomeini. He said that Khomeini took Islam from theory to true practice, creating a nation that melded Islam into its law and politics. I had to approach the matter carefully, so I said that he is a divisive figure. Many people love him and many people hate him. I told that I don't really like him all that much, but that is because several of my family members were involved in the revolution in 1979, and had to escape because the Islamic regime that took hold started to persecute leftists. I don't know, it was almost like apologizing for my opinion by explaining that because my family had this particular experience, I feel this way.
Which is not exactly truth. I also said that in general I think that religion and politics should stay separate. But, I said, that is because I am from the U.S. where (generally) we believe that religion and government should not be mixed. In this society, where the heavy majority are Muslim, and the prayer is called really loudly 5 times a day, religion is a more public thing and might be harder to separate from government. I mean, I do actually believe that, but I have to carefully tiptoe around every political or cultural statement I make here.
A few nights ago, I was having a conversation with a student in one of my English classes. He asked me if lots of people drink in the U.S. I said sure, most people drink. He said "as you know, alcohol is illegal here, but I think that is a good thing". I asked why, and he told me that having no alcohol around is better than people getting drink and running around screaming and causing problems. It is better that people not get really drink and cause a scene or bother people. I said that I have to disagree with him. I would say the majority of people have some drinks, or even get drunk, and then go home. He said that he knows some people can drink a little bit, but most people get drink and cause problems, and I politely disagreed again. I said that no, I would say most folks drink, or even get wasted, and go home, or are an annoyance to their friends who have to take them home. And he said "well here, most people who drink get too drunk and cause problems". I had to be diplomatic. I said that it's possible that that is because alcohol is illegal here, so that when people have the opportunity, they go overboard. A "what is forbidden is what is desired" kind of thing. And he said, "well, its part of our religion here. Part of our culture".
I said I know, and again, brought up secularism (as diplomatically as possible). I said that in America (generally), we believe that the government should not be religious. That the government is there to provide basic necessities, protect folks, but not to dictate or prescribe a way of life. Then I introduces the idea of 'pluralism'. That we believe that there are many kinds of people in the world, and that folks should be free to live how they want. In the U.S., we have lots of different kinds of folks, who have differing views on happiness, morality, life, etc, and that we can't necessarily tell others how to live. However, I said again, "But I am from America, and that is how we think there". He asked me what I meant. I searched for an example, finally saying that in Palestine, there aren't just Muslims, but a large minority of Christians as well. This maybe (key word I used here is maybe) means that Islamic culture and Palestinian culture aren't necessarily the same. That there are various people who all claim the Palestinian identity, and don't necessarily abide by the same beliefs. The conversation didn't really move from there. Like so many other conversations I've had here, we ended by chalking up our differences to different cultures and differing viewpoints.
Another thing I find myself tiptoeing around here is America. There are lots of people here who want to go to the U.S., and ask me what they have to do to be able to study or work in the states for a while. however, there are also some folks I've met here who shit on the U.S. I find myself being very diplomatic about repping America. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm the last person to argue that the U.S. hasn't done awful things around the world. The U.S. has supported awful leaders, installed dictators, and given arms to violent and autocratic groups in the name of its own self-interest. However, politics is not as simple as "The U.S. controls the world". I mean, it's not like without the U.S. Hosni Mubarak would have been a just, equitable leader that distributed wealth and resources to his people. He still would have been an oppressive crook that fucked Egypt over. You know? I don't deny that by giving Israel aid (lots of aid) the U.S. makes itself involved in the unjust mess that is the occupation, and the tornado that is the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. However, I am saying that waiting until the U.S. does something is a waste of time. No one but Palestinians can build their nation. No one but Israelis can create peace for themselves. However, I really have to tiptoe.
I find that the most interesting parts of being here are these types of conversations have with people here. I have the benefit of living with college students, and working with college students. I'm constantly meeting young folks eager to know about the U.S. and American culture, and equally ready to share information about their culture with me. Although we often disagree, I have found that everyone I have met here, and especially everyone I have talked to about the cultural differences between the U.S. and Palestine, is open to this cultural difference, and open minded about my way of thought. They know that I come from a different place, and are eager to know about it. This openness, this hunger to learn about other places and other people, has defined my time here so far, and this same openness on the part of the people in Palestine has made my experience extremely eye-opening.
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