George Saunders’ “The New Mecca”: The Gap between Reality and Conceptuality

Nydell, Margaret K. (. K. Understanding Arabs: A Guide for Modern Times. Intercultural Press, Yarmouth, ME, 2006.

Driving along the highway, all eyes are drawn as a magnet to the unique building with its golden dome and unusual architecture. The Islamic Center is located at the base of a residential street in a small neighborhood. The center houses an Islamic school, a community center, an international school and the Mosque, which is the place of worship for Muslims.

Damascus is “highly honored” as many Muslims believe that Jesus and Mary sought refuge in Damascus. Which also helped the diffusion of the Islamic faith. Ibn Jubayr provides a sufficient observation, his opinions are masked by his occupation as a traveler and geographer. As a traveler, Ibn Jubayr was exposed to a lot of different environment both the good and the bad. Damascus could be seen as luxurious compared to many of the poorer countries Ibn Jubayr has been exposed

In the film ‘’Maquilapolis’’ it tells the story of the human cost of globalization; focusing on group of female factory workers in Tijuana, which is home to hundreds of factories. Over the course of several years, a group of factory workers were a part of the documentary to tell their stories. The workers faced issues that included human rights abuses, danger from toxic chemicals both in the factory and in the environments all around the factories. A group of ‘’maquiladoras’’ became community advocates, and actively pushed to improve their situation and attempt to make a change and let their voices be heard. Large corporations play a key role in widening this gap. These corporations/companies move there productions to places like Tijuana to and other foreign places to for tax breaks and for cheap labor. They also use their connections to ensure government policy works for them. There is a huge gap between the super-rich and the rest of the world population that traps millions in poverty, fracturing our societies and undermining our democracy. It leaves more people living in fear and fewer in hope. Migration is a complex process and has been a feature of human societies for many centuries. There are many reasons why people choose to migrate. Migration means merely the movement of humans from one place to another with the purpose to find better opportunities. Many migrate to the states in search for

The author published this collection of essays in 2004, when he was approximately at the developed age of 47 years old. The essay can be seen as a nostalgic reflection back to his past, to one of the many worthwhile, valuable, and subtle lessons taught to him by his mother. The author perhaps wrote this specific essay to act as a catalyst for the audience to realize the larger injustices that happen to people around the world like the level of severity in poverty that exists in both undeveloped countries around the world and the ignored corners of our own backyards as a result of the greed and imperialism of capitalist nations and their consumerist ideals. The publishing of this book roughly coincides with the opening of hostilities when the United States invaded Iraq in 2003.

B. Thesis- Today I would like to inform you about some of the amazing places and things Dubai’s city has, such as their main attractions, malls and astonishing hotels.

        In the article “The New Mecca” by author George Saunders, he states that before he visited Dubai, a country in the United Arab Emirates, he had many misinterpretations about the country. As he gets there, he discovers that Dubai is safe; also, the city has majorly grown over the past ten years. Dubai has become a tourist attraction, famous famous for being an extravagant destination in the Middle East. It is expected that Dubai will have the largest skyscraper in the world and many revolutionary architecture will expand throughout the country. If Saunders had not visited Dubai he would still have doubts about the city. He stayed at The Burj Al Arab a luxurious seven star hotel. As he enters he gets greeted with goodies

worker, they have to work really hard to maintain their life. However, in US, you may not a rich person, but you will never be afraid that you get hungry. Even though America is a developing country, they have an easy life to live. Therefore, you can imagine how hard for people who comes from a middle-class family to deal with corruption rules. They have to work really hard just to let their children get into school because they believe that just having a degree and knowledge can help their children’s life’s getting better than their life.

His description of the inclusion of sport, schools, public baths, markets, soup kitchens and places for travellers within the courtyard of the mosque to stay reveals that Istanbul was tolerant of outsiders and truly was the jewel of the Ottoman empire . This description of the Süleymaniye Mosque, while not outright describing the people of the main city of Istanbul, reveals the pride that Çelebi has for Istanbul.

A group that was primarily in the background and silent became the face of terrorism and fear in the United States. Unlike the black population in America, hate and fear for the unknown created rhetoric of despair in America. In a hostile environment, Arab Americans are trying to define who they are, what they stand for, and what they want in life. The story of Akram as a Palestine American creates an interesting dynamic in society. As a person that has pride in his culture and heritage, the media and society he always loved and believed in has turned a target and a problem that Islam should be feared. From a family that came form nothing, they created their own identity and the American Dream by owning a Food Center. However, Akram father had a new image of America post 9/11. Moustafa asked Abdel why he didn’t want to stay in America anymore and he answered,” What’s America to me (page 125)?” Sadly, this shows the turn of events in his view of America. Once a land of hope and aspiration was now turned into a dark vision. America that once loved and trusted his people have gone against every other Arab person due to the actions of a minority on September

1.     What would you advise Ellen to do and why? What should be her objectives? Are there objectives and actions consistent with what you would do if you were in her situation?

To my surprise, I left Somalia appreciating the little aspects of my trip. I’m thankful to have gotten to know family from both my mother and father’s side -we were able to bond pretty quickly, and I only wish that I could’ve gotten to know them earlier. I still remember every conversation I’ve had on the terrace with my family, whether it was silly or serious. The environment was calming and quiet, much different than the busy and crowded city I’ve grown up in. Everywhere I turned, there were goats and camels calmly walking alongside people. During my drives from one town to another, I saw such beautiful scenery postcards would do it no justice. Although I was surrounded by poverty, it was hard to tell by the people’s mindsets. There was always a strong sense of community visible through little traditions and rituals. Everyone was hardworking, optimistic, and prideful. This collective spirit made me let go of my pessimistic attitude towards visiting and helped me adopt their

To successfully navigate the Middle East, the new message must appeal to people of that region. I traveled to all the mosques in the city, and spoke with many imams and discovered that Muslims and people from the Middle East believe in this message, their praise is effusive and they say it’s beautiful, beloved by all Muslims as if it is the answer they have been waiting for.

In the novel Cities of Salt, Abdelrahman Munif illustrates the cultural and economic effects that increased foreign manipulation have on an undisclosed Persian Gulf Kingdom in the 1930’s. As the American influence in the country increases and they essentially colonize the oasis of Wadi al-Uyoun and the port city of Haraan, the discontent and unrest among the local population rises. There is an apparent loss of Arab identity and culture as the American imposition and manipulation increases. Throughout the entire novel it becomes evident that the American’s lack of understanding of the local culture and people creates problems for them, which ends in a strike. There are multiple themes from the unit that arise in this novel, the ambiguity of authority

The region of the Middle East and its inhabitants have always been a wonder to the Europeans, dating back to the years before the advent of Islam and the years following the Arab conquest. Today, the Islamic world spreads from the corners of the Philippines to the far edges of Spain and Central Africa. Various cultures have adopted the Islamic faith, and this blending of many different cultures has strengthened the universal Islamic culture. The religion of Islam has provided a new meaning to the lives of many people around the world. In the Islamic world, the religion defines and enriches culture and as a result the culture gives meaning to the individual. Islam is not only a religion, it is in its own way a culture. It may be this very