Picturing the diversity of MENA

For the last several years, Fulbright has sponsored an annual enrichment seminar for the grantees based in the Middle East/North Africa (MENA) region. In early May I was fortunate enough to travel to Amman for this year's seminar, as well as to extend my plane ticket on either end and do some tromping around Beirut, Damascus and the Petra ruins in Jordan.

Enrichment seminar? you may be asking yourself. Where is it that my hard-earned tax money is going now? A fair question.

The seminar was a three-day gathering, packed morning until evening with speakers (on politics, the status of women, language, research methods...), grantee project presentations (Hebrew/Arabic linguistics, health in Palestinian refugee camps in Jordan, printmaking in Egypt, nutrition in the UAE...), organized discussions and informal conversations. Turns out that the other Fulbrighters are pretty cool folks. Chatting with them was a lot of fun, even as it facilitated the goal of the seminar, that is, to enrich our country-specific experiences by comparing notes with people living in other Arabic-speaking, Islamically-dominant places.

For Fulbright, that means the relatively stable and friendly nations of: Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE. Annnnd Israel. Seems like the seminar organizers are still searching for the best way to incorporate the group of grantees based in Israel into the program. What does it mean to consider Israel a part of the MENA region? For that matter, what does it mean to talk about a "MENA" region at all? If there was any theme to the seminar -- and especially to my travels before and after it -- it was that the demographics, politics, religions, cuisines, atmospheres and so on of these countries are much more diverse than is suggested by lumping them all together under the MENA umbrella. Take a look...

A view of the astroturf playing field at the American University in Beirut, Lebanon.
It's not hard to tell why Beirut was known for a time as the Paris of the Middle East. Replete with Starbucks, recycling bins, a vibrant nightlife and a bustling Mediterranean corniche filled with walkers and joggers in various states of dress or undress, the city feels as cosmpolitan as any in Europe or North America. Everyone and their uncle speaks English, and American dollars are accepted as widely as Lebanese pounds. That being said, the western influence is far from cut and dry. Middle East weekends, for example, comprise Friday and Saturday, in observance of the Muslim holy day on Friday; the big going-out nights are Thursday and Saturday. Now let's consider Morocco, where the population adheres to the western Saturday-Sunday schedule, and the popular nights to hit up the bars and clubs are... never. Because there are approximately zero bars and clubs that "nice" Moroccans would want to be seen at.

Urbanity aside, Beirut's scars are still highly visible. Bullet holes riddle the sides of elegant, French-style mansions and downtown, the concrete shell of the unfinished Holiday Inn looms tomb-like over upscale shops and restaurants. From 1975-1990, this city was a battleground in one of the longest running civil wars in history, and despite the determination of the local population to lead normal lives, the situation in Lebanon remains fragile. Development issues that were apparent to us during our short stay included the lousy internet -- way worse than Morocco -- and the daily three-hour electrical blackouts.

Minaret peeking out over the roof of a church. Roman columns in the foreground.
Even though the MENA countries are all majority Muslim (with the exception of Israel), there is still a certain amount of diversity within the religious sphere. What this diversity looks like varies from place to place, however. In Lebanon, governmental power is constitutionally divided amongst Shia, Sunni and Maronite Christians. Some 15 million Coptic Christians make up a sizable minority group in Egypt. A small population of approximately 5,000 Jews still live in Casablanca, Morocco, but Moroccans are prohibited from becoming Christian.

We heard some pretty discouraging stories about crossing the Syrian border -- everything from nine-hour waits to split-second rejections -- but our entry from Lebanon was painless. There was even a Duty Free store to keep us entertained during the four hours it (theoretically) took to process our information. One of the first things to greet us upon our admittance was a string of Syrian and Palestinian flags, highlighting the centrality of the Palestinian issue in this region. It seemed like every other Fulbrighter we met based in Jordan was working on something to do with the Palestinian refugees there, who make up some 60-70% of the country's population. In the Middle East, the Fulbrighters reported, all problems lead back to Palestine, if only in rhetoric. Over in our Moroccan neck of the MENA woods, however, the issue doesn't seem to be raised with any great frequency or passion.

One thing Morocco does have in common with Syria and Jordan is a plethora of photos of their beloved leaders: King Mohammed VI in Morocco, President Bashar al-Assad of Syria and King Abdullah II of Jordan. Apparently they all have the same photographer working for them. Guy can't take a flattering portrait to save his life.
On a more serious note, though, each of these countries has a distinct political system, whether it's a monarchy, a president-for-life or the Lebanese confessional system. Israel stands as the most free and democratic government. As for the other end of the spectrum, we were all pretty impressed with the reports from the Fulbrighters in Tunisia. Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, president of Tunisia since 1987, apparently shut down the internet for a full month during the last elections and will be discontinuing the Fulbright program as of next year. Not that we're the hallmark of all things capital-F Free. But. You know.

Courtyard of a traditional house in Damascus.
Not surprisingly, the architecture as well varies from place to place. Whereas Syria is thoroughly striped, Morocco is covered in Andalusian-influenced ceramics and plasterwork. Some features do stay the same: fountains, for example, seem to be a fairly constant fixture. Maybe because one thing these countries do have in common is that they are hot, hot, hot in the summertime.

Then there's Amman. Although the site of the city was home to several urban centers of yore (we're talking Byzantines here), the current metropolis really only developed during the second half of the nineteenth century. It seems liveable enough, but in terms of culture and beauty, let's just say that even Lonely Planet struggles to talk it up.

What is really -- but, like, really really -- cool in Jordan is the ancient city of Petra, where I spent two days with Sam and Megan on the back end of the trip. Pictured here is the Treasury (you may recognize it from Indiana Jones).

Looking down from the top of the amphitheater.
All these structures once comprised the capital city of the Nabataeans in the fifth century BC. Cra-zy.

From the top of the tomb of Aaron, brother of Moses. Petra is truly one of the most amazing places I've ever been.