Silk Road Trekker

If there is anyone who has a fresh perspective on the Middle East and Iran, it’s Professor Jerry Dekker. It was Jerry’s Globalization and the Middle East class that ignited my passion for the Middle East and Iran and inspired me to travel beyond Europe. Jerry continues to take students and independent travelers on incredible adventures through his project “SilkRoad Trek.” For this interview I’m going to focus on Jerry’s love affair with Iran. To my calculation Jerry has had a long-term relationship with Iran spanning the last 38 years.  I interviewed Jerry on his thoughts on the Islamic Republic of Iran last year.

FA: I know you first went to Iran to teach an International Baccalaureate program in Tehran and then spent the next 8 years on and off in Iran. The Islamic Revolution caused a break in your time in Iran. What year did you start traveling to Iran again, and what made you want to go back?

JD: I went back to Iran after the Revolution in 1997. I was invited by a travel company to take a familiarization trip of the country. This gave me the chance to see the country. From then on I knew I had to share Iran with my students so I began to organize study tours to Iran.

FA: Before I met you, I had never met anyone who spoke so passionately and positively about Iran and Islam. I’m sure you have countless positive experiences that inform these passionate feelings. Are there one or two in particular you can share with us?

JD: Maybe I can relate two experiences. I guess one experience that made me feel passionate about Iran is knowing the people of the country. The Iranian people are heirs to a rich culture and civilization that date back thousands of years. I believe that this continuous, unbroken historical timeline has created an absolutely fascinating people! The other thing is that I discovered that Iran through the centuries has made major contribution to the humanities, i.e. art, architecture, science, poetry, philosophy, etc. and being in Iran makes me feel in touch with some of the best of the essence of humanity.

FA: What made you decide to start taking students and independent travelers to Iran?

JD: By vocation I am a teacher and through the years I have developed a philosophy of education that emphasizes the integration of theoretical knowledge with experience in the field. I believe that we learn about the world by being in the world. The rich diversity of Iran provides the traveler with a profound learning experience about the human condition.

FA: As someone who has spent an extensive amount of time in Iran and with everyday Iranians, what can you tell us that may surprise people or disprove a common stereotype about Iranians?

JD: First of all, with all due respect to the Arab world, Iranians are for the most part Persians, Kurds, Baluchis and Turkic Azeris and not mainly Arab as many people in the USA think. There is, however, about a 3% ethnic Arab population in the southwest but they are Iranians as well. Thus the official language of Iran is Persian (Farsi), an Indo-European language like English or German, and not Arabic which is a Semitic language like Hebrew. Also, people in the USA are surprised when they travel in Iran and feel how safe a travel destination it is with people who are overwhelming most welcoming to Americans.

FA: What city still gets you excited every time you visit Iran?

JD: Isfahan, the cradle of the Persian Renaissance during the reign of Shah Abbas I (1587-1629), with its stunning Islamic architecture and beautiful bridges crossing the river.

FA: I remember when we were visiting the tomb of the poet Saadi we met some Iranian students from the University of Shiraz who were very excited by the writing of German philosopher Nietzsche. As someone who spent years teaching at a university level, how do you think Iranian students combine Western philosophy with the great Persian thinkers? Islamic philosophy?

JD: Well, first of all I do not make the sharp distinction between between Western and Islamic (Persian thought) because many ideas that we in the West claim as “Western” are actually ideas that are shared by common humanity and in the case of Iran ideas of human rights, social justice, criticism of oppression, faith in reason, etc. are found in the “East” as well in the writings of Sa’adi, Omar Khayyam and others. Also, one must remember that when Christianity was taking control of Europe and the West slid into the so-call “Dark Ages” many of the classics of Western philosophy were translated into Arabic and kept in Islamic libraries for centuries. As a result many Islamic thinkers had access to the writings of the ancient Greeks thus keeping the ideas of logic, reason and rationalism alive as the Catholic Church was trying to extinguish these schools of thought during centuries of intellectual oppression, the Inquisition, etc. Again what excites people about Iran (Persia) is perhaps a rediscovery of their own humanity.

FA: I know you had the opportunity to have a private meeting with the former President of Iran, Mohammed Khatami in 2006. How was that? What did you discuss?

JD: Both the President and I are very interested in the study of languages as tools of communication between people. We also talked about how travel is one of the best ways to build bridges of citizen diplomacy.

FA: The Gallup poll recently released a book called Who Speaks for the Muslim World? The Gallup study found the majority of people in the Muslim world, including Iran, hoped to see democracy, freedom of speech, economic advancement/opportunity and equal rights for women in the near future. How do you see that development happening in Iran today?

JD: I think that there is always a gap between theory and practice. History is made by the struggle between the two. Iran has already enjoyed 2 important periods of exciting political and social activity such as the Constitutional Revolution of 1906 and during the time of Mohammed Mossadegh until he was ousted by the Americans and the British in 1953. Both of these progressive movements were undermined by foreign influence. It seems that whenever the Iranian people try to assert their sovereignty as a strong and independent nation it is seen as a threat by others. It is in my opinion only natural that humans want basic human rights. The main question is a political one. When and how?

FA: I recently watched a documentary from Link TV’s Series Bridge to Iran called The Birthday. It is the story of several transsexual men and women in Iran. I found it really interesting that Ayatollah Khomeini actually supported transsexuals and declared a transsexual as not haram/forbidden. There are charities that help fund sexual reassignment surgery and theological students in Qom spend time researching the jurisprudence issues that arise after a sexual reassignment surgery like inheritance rights. What do you think an issue like this says about the Iranian identity and the policies of the Islamic Republic?

JD: If I remember correctly Khomeini said that people who are unhappy with their sexual assignments have the right to sexual reassignment surgery. Sexuality is recognized by many Moslem scholars as a vital part of the human experience. Sexuality emerges in much of Persian poetry as well as philosophy. Maybe the gap between theory and practice in the realm of human sexuality will some day become a more expansive subject of study by the theological students.

FA: I think that is all for the questions for now. Thanks for you time and you are always welcome to give us an update from Iran next time you make a visit.

San Francisco Ramadan

This project started while driving home from my friends baby shower in Oakland.  I got a ride back to the city from a woman I used to see regularly 3-4 years ago.  ”So, you’re married now!”  She had overheard at the shower that my husband is Palestinian Muslim and she shared with me that her best friend is also Muslim from Palestine.  Eventually our conversation turned to Ramadan. She asked me if I ever fast with my husband (I don’t) and as we talked about it, I was impressed with how much she knew about Ramadan.  Palestinian best friend she reminded me.   We both agreed that before we had a become close to a Muslim, we had no idea what Ramadan is or what it’s about.  I’ve always wanted to do an photography project on Ramadan and share what I have learned and observed over the past several years.  This is not a comprehensive overview of Ramadan.  These are my reflections, observations, and experiences.  I welcome positive comments, clarifications, and experiences.

This project starts with my husband. There is no better point of departure because it is through him that I have the opportunity to experience Ramadan firsthand. It is he who opened my heart and mind to search for meaning in the obvious acts of fasting and praying. My husband is compassionate, generous, loving, and kind. He attributes these characteristics to Islam, and it is during Ramadan that his heart, mind, and soul are spiritually fortified.  For the first year, the only thing I could really see about Ramadan was fasting.  Perhaps I should say the lack of eating. I really couldn’t get past it to see the meaning of the act. Maybe it’s where I was spiritually that was blocking my ability to see the whole picture. Ramadan is the time people give thanks to Allah for the blessings in their lives. Daily life goes on while fasting, but slows, allowing the faithful to reconnect with and fortify the connection to personal, familial and communal values and traditions. They also say fasting softens the heart, weakening the blocks to spiritual enlightenment and connecting deeply with God.  The heart is softened to those less fortunate, the self, and those who seek forgiveness. Prayer and reading the Koran and Haddith (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hadith) provide spiritual nourishment, guidance, and inspiration.  Much like other faiths that fast, Muslims take the opportunity to reap the physical, spiritual, and psychological benefits that come with fasting and prayer.

On the morning of our first Ramadan, I had no idea what to expect; only a vague inkling around “fasting for 30 days.” My husband told me that fasting lasts from sunrise to sunset, which seemed more reasonable than what I assumed would be not eating at all for 30 days. To be exact, no eating, drinking, smoking, or sexual activity from sunrise to sunset.  Prayer five times a day to give thanks to God, with extra time for reading the Quran and spiritual reflection on how its message can be integrated into everyday life, to break bad habits and set goals for the coming year. There is a sunrise meal, Suhur, and Iftar at sunset when the fast is broken with the Dua prayer and a date. I love watching my husband preparation for Iftar. A pot of coffee is brewed, a bowl of fresh fruit, a plate of dates, juices, water, and a cigarette are all laid out, ready for the call to prayer to alert him the time has come to end the day’s fast. At sundown, the melodic adhan starts. “Allah Akbar, Allah Akbar….” There are adhan from all over the world available on the internet. My favorite is the adhan from Egypt. I never tire of hearing it. To hear the adhan and learn more about it, follow this link to a beautifully shot video project on the changing of the traditional adhan in Egypt, Voices and Faces of the Adhan: Cairo http://media.gfem.org/node/11237.

When we are not having Iftar at home, we are either at a neighborhood halal restaurant or taking up a friend or family member’s invitation to share a meal.  In the late afternoon, the local shops become busy with shoppers picking up items to enjoy after the sun goes down. Dates, juices, fresh fruits and traditional sweets are savored with the soups, salads, rice, meats, cheeses, coffee and tea that are enjoyed after a long day of fasting. Meals are usually quiet at first, then everyone perks up with food, drink, caffeine and sometimes nicotine.  As someone who has difficulty imagining skipping even one meal, it surprises me how the majority of Muslims enjoy fasting and don’t look for excuses to get out of it. If one does miss the fast (for illness or during travel) it can be made up. Children, elderly, pregnant and nursing women are also exempt from fasting.  We always spend one Iftar at Noor al Islam Mosque’s Ramadan open house. I’ve meet and talked to the most interesting people each year; Muslims and non-Muslims visiting to quench their curiosity about Islam and Ramadan.

I spent one Sunday of Ramadan with a group called Project FEED that is coordinated by a small group of young, Muslim women.  They take donations of both food and money to make meals for the less fortunate. Everyone is a volunteer, and the location is usually someone’s apartment. The location on the Sunday I volunteered was a small, student apartment filled wall-to-wall with food, boxes, and young volunteers. I made peanut butter sandwiches, snapped photos, and did a lot of talking with the other volunteers. 750+ lunches were prepared, packaged, moved down 2 flights of stairs and loaded into volunteers’ cars, then the meals were distributed in the Tenderloin and Civic Center areas. It was especially amazing to me that people spent the day laboring to make and distribute food for others while fasting.  As a non-Muslim, Ramadan feels like Christmas. Or the way it used to when I was a child. People are nicer, charity and kindness are emphasized. There are always donations of food and money taken at the mosque for the less fortunate. It’s a requirement of Ramadan to donate food and a percentage of income to the less fortunate.

The holiday that marks the end of Ramadan is called Eid-ul Fitr, or Eid. It is a three day festival of breaking the fast. On Eid morning, families give a special Eid prayer, fulfill the Zakat-al Fitr, a small donation for each member of the family to charity, and then break the fast for the last time. Then the celebration begins. Many people attend a mosque sponsored morning prayer to see friends and family, and then spend the day out with loved ones to celebrate the Eid holiday. This year we attended the Eid celebration sponsored by the Yemeni mosque in our neighborhood.  As people came in, they wished us Eid Mubarak on their way into make their prayers.  Children were running around like crazy, wearing new outfits, trading candies, some stopping for a moment to pose for a quick picture.  Friends embraced, many cheeks were kissed.  It was a very good day.

For more images of Ramadan from around the world: http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2009/08/ramadan_2009.html

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