Saturday, March 27th, 2010

“Some good signs”

Dubai, U.A.E

Dharmendra, a member of the local community, took me to Jumeirah Beach, a really clean place off the Arabian Sea. It’s a haven for walkers and joggers. From there we scooted back to the guest house for a change to devotional clothes and a drive to the local Nathaji Temple. Apparently the country donated a hall to the Pusti Marg Society, a Hindu organization hailing from West India. It’s the only temple in the country that’s approved apart from the next door Shiva Mandira, which is situated next to a Sikh Gurudvara. So there is some level of tolerance demonstrated by the Islamic dominated area.

By spending two brief days in Dubai I got the sense that there is law and order in this rather modern city, which recently declared bankruptcy due to the current recession. I had asked Dharmendra at the beach about the sign that read, “No cameras allowed.” His response was that it’s a safeguard for someone who might photograph a woman. There are people who take advantage. It’s to protect women. I thought that was not a bad restriction. I went to a flashback…on my second cross Canada walk, a young woman walked next to me in Victoria. She asked, “Are you a monk or something?” My brother who was just in front turned around and flashed a photograph of me and the pretty young woman. She became highly defensive. She explained that she was photographed some time in public and before she knew it her face was all over the internet with a digitally affixed torso (in the nude). Needless to say she was upset with my brother’s flash. He apologized and expressed he had no such intention.

Now, a little more about the tolerance level in Dubai. On our sixth floor guest house facility, the Arabic neighbour has a five year old autistic boy who comes to our door clapping hands in response to the kirtan. We met her in the elevator where she wore her traditional Islamic garb, and she referred to her boy as, ‘my Krsna.” She had heard of Krsna’s childhood antics and she has become totally charmed. It appears she has no qualms with exploring outside her own culture. This was a good sign.