Hospitality. The culture of hospitality in this region is unlike anything I've ever experienced. People from Gulf Coast countries (GCCs) are so gracious and kind, ensuring you have your needs met, and always willing to lend a hand. I think there is a lot we can learn from them and their servant-hearted culture. So when the United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced that they were going to have a year of religious tolerance, I was excited to see what they had in store and how the GCC culture of hospitality would make an appearance. My bar was high– few places are as truly tolerant as Oman, and boy, did the Emiratis deliver. They made history.
Pope Francis' visit to Abu Dhabi was the first papal visit to the Middle East. Ever. We might ask ourselves what that says about Middle Eastern culture, but on the other hand, what does that say about us and our culture? Why, in all these years, have we not extended a hand to our Muslim brothers and sisters?
Being able to attend Pope Francis' visit is an experience I will never forget. It was an incredible show of tolerance. Not tolerance that begrudgingly endures, but rather a tolerance that creates the potential for coexistence, for family, for shalom.
170,000 Christians, who were publicly gathered in a Muslim-majority country, united as the Pope entered, crying, "Viva el Papa"! ("Long live the Pope") I diverted my eyes from the stage for a single second and saw Muslims around me just as enthralled as I was. To say it was powerful is an understatement.
Holding different faiths does not mute our tongues or blind our eyes to the humanity of each other; it does not require us to decide who's right or wrong, convert, or convince. There is a time and a place to have meaningful and respectful discourse about our beliefs, or lack thereof, and how it impacts our lives, but this event was not it– nor was it trying to be. We were there in solidarity. That is, we were there in solidarity for each other and for the beautiful, heavenly possibility that there is hope for friendships, laughter, and life– for shalom– with our Muslim brothers and sisters.
Summary of Papal Visit:
6:00 am: Leave Al Amana
**beep beep** **beep beep** I swing my hand over my head and smack the snooze button, silencing the alarm before the annoying sound starts up again. Rolling over, I look my digital disturber of sleep in its face. It laughs at me, telling me it's 5:30, knowing I have to get up. I throw the covers off and drag myself out of bed. "It will be worth it", I remind myself. I change my clothes. "It will be worth it." I brush my teeth. "It will be worth it."
After breakfast, I'm wide-eyed and ready. We're going to see the Pope! I can hardly contain my excitement. Despite the burst of energy, I crash the second we leave Al Amana, waking only for occasional bathroom stops, and afterwards allowing the passing of mountains and sand dunes to lull me to sleep once more.
4:00 pm: Arrive in Abu Dhabi
I'm awake and intrigued. We've been close to the border for a while now, and I watch intensely as we approach no man's land between Oman and the UAE. The land here is flat, rocky, and brown, outlined with chain-link fences and barbed wire. Cones and road blocks weave between border patrol buildings, signaling the path we are to follow. Dutifully we follow, handing over our passports and visas when requested. However, despite our preparedness, we aren't spared from a brief mix-up at the border nor an hour of backtracking. I don't mind though. My interest is piqued during our wait inside one of the sand-colored buildings, when I saw new head coverings and pictures of the UAE sheikhs. As we left the border, questions were flooding my mind. How is their government run? Why are their head coverings different? How will Abu Dhabi compare to Oman? I was so excited to see more.
7:00 pm: Visit the Grand Mosque
The Grand Mosque. What an apt name. The building was hard to miss with massive gates, bright blue domes, and a flood of golden light pouring out the windows and archways. Excitedly, we wrapped our heads and made our way inside. The closer we got, the more clearly we could see the outlines of intricate carvings in the white marble, accentuated by the shimmering fountain and dark night. The beautiful call of the Muezzin (the person who recites the call to prayer) drew us inside, where we stood in awe of the elaborate architecture and depictions of nature crawling up the walls. Massive chandeliers hung from the prayer rooms' ceilings, defying the laws of gravity. How could so many crystals hang from one fixture? Everywhere we turned, we were greeted with amazement.
Despite the evident grandeur of the mosque, it wasn't our favorite. Many of us thought that the Emirati Grand Mosque was more distant and less welcoming than Oman's Grand Mosque; even though Oman's is smaller in stature, its beauty and culturally inclusive details create a sense of belonging that cannot be rivaled. Granted, we are a bit biased towards our country. But if you ever find yourself in the area, I would still definitely recommend paying a visit to Abu Dhabi's Grand Mosque.
9:00 pm: Dinner. FINALLY.
"Chicken or beef?" Such a harmless question to be asked in such a sultry tone. I looked at him, confused. I felt the eyes of everyone in my group darting between me and the server, trying to understand what he had just said. I didn't know how to respond. Are we eating here? Did people want to stay here? How had I become the spokesperson for the group? Oh well. I was so famished that I made the executive decision that we were going to stay at this random moroccan restaurant and just see how this experience went. I was sure that if I waited any longer to provide my body with sustenance it would implode.
It was good food. Really. And a hilarious experience. We ordered without menus (waiters are the menus, apparently) and ate whatever was placed in front of us. They started the meal with a plate of shortbread cookies (Dessert first– my kind of place!), which was chased with excellent moroccan mint tea. It turned out that we ordered chicken tangine, which was juicy and flavorful. At the end of our meal, the waiter sprinkled rose water on our hands. All of us were convinced the water sprinkler was some sort of pipe, but thank goodness none of us took it out of his hands and put it into our mouth. Instead, we left with good memories, full stomachs, and soft, sweetly perfumed mitts.
2:30 am: The Journey Begins
Once again my alarm taunts me with a schedule far too early for my liking. However, this time, I pay penance to the inner beast, providing it with libations of instant coffee and praying that will be enough to keep me awake through mass. In the beginning, I was easily one of the most awake people present, that is, aside from our group leaders, who were charged with the task of keeping 10 people relatively together amidst 170,000 others. That status would change in a couple of hours, but for now, I'm ready and excited as tickets are distributed and meeting points plotted. Our journey has begun.
4:30 am: Boarded Buses
We finally arrive at our bus stop after a ten minute jaunt down the streets of Abu Dhabi. The second we arrived we were ushered into a line that contained minimally five to eight hundred people representing a multitude of nationalities and ages. Who, despite it being 3:00 am, were having a good time talking, laughing, people watching, and enjoying moments of silence. We reached the front of the queue around 4:30 am, after a short hour and a half wait, and boarded our bus. Standing amongst such a wide representation of people and nationalities was a good reminder that this community is for people of ever tribe, nation, and tongue.
7:00 am: Find Seats and Sleep We made it to our gate, through security, and to our seats by roughly 7:00 am, which was 3.5 hours before mass. Really, the efficiency of the event was quite impressive. We were even provided complimentary breakfasts of apples, water, juice, and sandwiches. I tell you, this area of the world never skimps on hospitality.
Because we had been up for hours already, and many of us fell asleep in our seats, or even curled up outside against the stadium wall attempting to warm up in the sun. As we waited, we watched. We watched fellow worshippers around us. We watched the story of Pope Francis play on the screens. We listened to the songs of the people, their voices, their laughter. And we listened as those very same voices rose to a singular chant as the Pope entered the stadium.
10:15 am: Enter Pope Francis
"Viva el Papa!" cried voices from every tribe, nation, and tongue. Papal flags waved in the wind, babies were blessed, and history was made. The Pope was here.
10:30 am: Mass Commences
The homily was poetic, fearless, and exactly what was needed. It created a beautiful picture of what could be, what this visit was about, unity and tolerance.
1:30 pm: Buses and Mobs
Bach's ... rang out, signaling the dismissal of mass. The floodgates opened and 170,000 people took to the streets of Abu Dhabi, moving as one. The crowed thinned as people split off at their respective bus sites. When our group got to our bus site, we found chaos. The very people who had just proclaimed to be Christian were pushing each other onto the buses, taking the Emirati workers in stride. They were angry that they weren't being allowed on buses, yelling that it was their turn. The heat and lack of sleep got to people, made them mean. Yet, the Emiratis were so patient with the mob, and eventually created lines and order. I was embarrassed to be associated with the group who acted so rudely to someone who showed so much kindness towards us. Though we cannot remove the feelings from the actions of that group, we can create our own. We thanked one of the Emiratis as we got on to our bus, apologizing for the actions of the other people group. We can't all be the Pope, can we. But how was this okay? What did this signal to our friends about their Christian brothers and sisters? What were we contributing to the year of tolerance?
I was saddened by the lack of self-control shown by my Christian brothers and sisters at the bus stop, but the Emiratis gave me hope. We can do this. We can strive for shalom.
4:30 pm: Back to Muscat
After racing back to the hotel to make our check-out time, we loaded up the cars and headed back to Muscat. I sat in the backseat and watched the stars as we drove back through the desert, trying to commit every detail of the trip to my memory.
Thank you for tuning in for this short update! Now may you, my brothers and sisters, have eyes to see the good in others. May you recognize the humanity of those who surround you, and may you see and strive for the heavenly possibility of shalom.
Salaam,
Anna