There are a lot of traps that Westerners can fall into when traveling to Arab countries. Some of them almost seem unavoidable. I’m not talking about scams at the hotel or the airport, or even paying too much for a scroll of ‘ancient papyrus.’ The traps I’m referring to are the ones that we, as tourists or visitors, help to perpetuate. Many of us expect the handwoven rugs to be rolled out in front of us for our inspection, and so they often are. We expect Arabs to don so-called traditional outfits so, in tourist hotspots, they often do. We expect the Middle East to conform to the image provided by Hollywood and we’ll pay to see it or, better yet, experience it ourselves. While we pass the time in an Orientalist Disney Land, we miss the opportunities to experience real life in the Arab world, with all its complexities and difficulties.
With this in mind, I’m building a list of promises I hope to keep to myself and anyone who reads my blog:
-I will not view fully-veiled women as adding to the exoticism of any scene/photograph.
-I will not assume that smoking hookah somehow validates my Middle East experience.
-I will do my best to learn and respect the difference between wearing the kufiya as a fashion statement vs. wearing it as a symbol of the Palestinian resistance.
-Just as Chinese tourists look dumb dressed as cowboys, Americans look dumb riding camels. If I ever participate in this travesty, I will spare you the photographs.
In researching the 'Bedouin' that cater to tourists in Jordan, I found this little gem:
http://www.beznessalert.com/beznessblog/?p=933
I'm looking at you, Johnny Depp.
