A really good guy, a very intelligent lad, always with the positive outlook, and always with a confident smile on his face, an African Muslim, told me today that he'd read an article where Gordon Brown wished all Muslims well during Ramadan. "He knows it's a big thing for us. We'd never get that from George Bush!" He said.
I was surprised that a few words from the British Prime Minister would mean so much to the Muslims. But by all accounts, the few words of recognition from Brown scored very high points with them.
Another Muslim echoed the sentiments of the first lad. "They equate Muslims with terrorists over here." He said. "They can't distinguish that there's good and bad in all people."

It's Ramadan, and the Muslims are on a holy fast for thirty days. During daylight hours they don't eat or drink, but when the sun goes down they can eat and drink all they want. One of them said it's like giving the body a tune up. Another one said that in their homeland they stay home during Ramadan, and it's kind of a retreat from the world, but in America they have to go out to so as to go to work.

And in my opinion, the fact that the social conditions have changed could mean that some day, over here, the conditions of the long fast might have to be changed. But in the meantime, the Muslims over here are fulifilling their religious obligations. Or so it seems.

Indonesia has a population of around 220 million, and it is 90 percent Muslim. As such, when I got talking to a lad from Indonesia I asked him how he was doing with Ramadan. He replied that he was Catholic. He got into the USA by winning an immigration lottery. He was forty years old when he won the lottery, and he's fifty years old now. So I asked him why he decided to leave his homeland at the age of forty. He replied that the crime in Indonesia is so bad that he was afraid to walk the streets at night. He feels much more secure in America. "If you dial 911 over here the police will arrive within five minutes, but in Indonesia they don't come at all. If they ever do show up, maybe a year later, you are already long dead. The people with money hire the army to protect them. The police can't cope with all the crime."
Then he looked around to make sure nobody was listening, and he said: "The Muslims don't eat at home during Ramadan, but they go to a different neighborhood and eat fast food like at McDonalds. It's a very sensitive thing with them, and if they know that I told you this they will kill me."
He is very happy in America. He said he went down to Mexico City and he was amazed that all the people looked the same. "The crime is very bad there. I will never go again" He had a travel bug when he was younger, but now, he says, "I don't want to go anywhere else." While watching his eyes, I asked him if he'd ever felt any racism in the United States. It was a non event. "Oh no, my skin is the same color..."

And I have to admit that he makes a good point. The United States, or at least Oregon, is a law and order kind of place. The cops don't take any crap at all, and people are spending years of time in prison, if they survive the arrest, for crimes that even in England they would only get a slap on the wrist for. And as for the so called Asians, more like, Orientals, they are so low key and humble; and as such no problem at all to most, or even any, Americans. He said that his country, after 350 years of Dutch rule, got independance, but things went downhill from there. The General that ruled until last year was so bad that everyone was afraid to talk. But, they have much more advanced cell phones in Indonesia. "Over here they give you the phones with the service, but over there we have to buy our own phones; we get competition, but you only get the old phones."

Ah yis, we might get the old phones, but we also get the old British tradition of being able to say what ever we want on them. Or so it seems. Yer right, but say no moah. This email is crossing borders: Snoop. :)

It's a whole new world, and it's a whole new game.

Freedom is an illusion.

Eh?

Your man in America: Walter