On the first day of my “Seminar in the Study of Religion” course last semester, Dr. Michael Ostling, an assistant professor, made an interesting comment.

All of the theorists that we’d soon be discussing in the class, he stated flatly, are wrong. The course syllabus included readings from the likes of Freud, Marx and Weber. How could these accomplished intellectuals, I thought, be wrong? And if they are, then why are we bothering to read their work?

Of course, all of the theorists we analyzed had redeeming qualities and noteworthy insights that made them worthy of study. But they also had serious flaws that, at times, undermined their theories.

It turns out that, unlike the cold world of mathematics, or the formulaic certainties of chemistry, the study of religion is composed of large swaths of ambiguity.

Clearly, when endeavoring to fathom such a subject, learning by rote is not sufficient. It is also not possible to simply apply the standard paradigm of the field, because in the discipline of religion, no such paradigm exists!

How, then, is one to make sense of the subject?

One could say that, in this regard, the study of religion is quite comparable to political and civil affairs. In those arenas, the lines between right and wrong are often blurred.

There is no panacea, for example, to the daunting challenges facing the world today, and the solutions to those problems do not reside entirely in one ideology or political party. To think otherwise is akin to suggesting that Freud, and Freud alone, had entirely unearthed the secret to understanding religion. Such thinking is pure naiveté.

For that reason, “blind faith” in any one cause is dangerous and irresponsible. In my religion class, we learned not to trust any one theory, but to question all of them and retain the parts that are useful. Likewise, citizens should engage their world with diligence, questioning politicians, the media and even the academy.

My religion seminar class never did “solve” the phenomenon of religion, nor did we establish a ground-breaking paradigm that would fundamentally alter the discipline. We did, however, learn how to analyze material from various sources, synthesize across disciplines, and critically evaluate theories and arguments.

I may one day forget much of the information I learned in that class (e.g., Freud’s conjectures on the “primitive” nature). But the skills that I acquired from it — particularly the ability to think critically — will remain with me long after my four years at CMU.

Nicolas Persons

Bay City Senior

After an enjoyable time in Hama and Palmyra, we were set to move on to Aleppo, another ancient city. Before we arrived, though, we visited a couple destinations on the way. The best stop was Crack de Chevaliers, a castle perched on a hilltop over a modern city. The castle itself was quite magnificent, but the weather on the day of our visit made it even better.

It was cloudy and a bit cooler than the previous day, with a dense fog that engulfed the mountain-top outpost. It really gave it a medieval feel.

We then continued on to Aleppo. We arrived later in the afternoon and secured our hotel for the night before walking around town. Along our journey, we walked by a very large mosque, which is currently under construction, when we were approached by a man dressed like a car mechanic, who offered to take us to the top of one of the minarets. We quickly accepted, and after a long trek to the top, we had a tremendous view of the mosque below and of Aleppo, which rivals Damascus for the title of Syria’s largest city.

We then left for the Aleppo Citadel, another well-known ruin site, perched atop a hill overlooking the city. On the way, I was approached by a young man who, after learning I was from America, said, “You are welcome here, and enjoy your time in my country.” There were a few such interactions on our trip, and I valued every one. We arrived at the citadel just as the sun was beginning to set, which gave the ruins a unique look.

We then wandered around the city for over an hour before finally arriving at our dinner destination (This was a common trend throughout our trip: Rather than pay the often-exorbitant cab fees, we would try to find our destinations by foot. This strategy did save money, but also wasted quite a bit of time. We definitely could have used a Garmin).

We got up early and headed to Palmyra, known as one of the best archaeological sites in the Middle East. It was a long ride — about two-and-a-half hours each way from Hama— but it was definitely worth it. Palmyra is  considered a must-see for anyone visiting Syria, and after seeing it, I would definitely agree with that assessment.

Camels near Palmyra. (Nicolas Persons/Staff Blogger)

We had great weather all day, so I didn’t mind the excessive walking that is needed to cover the site.

The best part, without a doubt, was a large castle at the top of a hill overlooking the ancient city. It was a phenomenal structure that provided a great view of the ruins below it. Unfortunately, covering Palmyra is an all-day affair, since it’s quite a distance from the major cities in Syria. It was nice, though, seeing the “rural” side of the country during the drive there; it was a good reminder that not all Syrians are cosmopolitans from Damascus.

We got back to Hama and I had a huge, delicious dinner for just $2 dollars. That was one of the best parts of

Syria: The terrific food that costs about a third of what a similar meal would cost in the U.S.

We then went back to the hotel for some sleep. Unfortunately, the five or so mosques within earshot of the hotel provided a much-too-early wake-up call during the (approximately) 4 a.m. call-to-prayer. As one of my friends from the trip likes to say, in a sarcastic voice, “Welcome to the Sharq al-Awsat (the Middle East).”

Indeed.

We did a little more shopping in the main Damascus souk before leaving for Hama. We had planned to spend the full day in Damascus, but we thought we covered enough the day before to justify leaving earlier.

We arrived in Hama around dinner-time and had a terrific dinner that was quite cheap. We then walked around town before sitting down for some cards, backgammon and checkers.

Dinner at Hama. (Nicolas Persons/Staff Blogger)

Finally, we retired to our “room” for the night. In reality, it was a “terrace” — an open-air space near the hotel’s top floor. They set up some mattresses and blankets for us, and let us use a nearby bathroom.

(Really, it wasn’t bad for $10 a night.) From there we played some more cards and opened a bottle of wine. It got a bit chilly at night, but it was a cheap alternative to a traditional room and the view was beautiful.

Our first full day was spent in Damascus, perhaps the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world. We checked out the city’s famous Souk al-Hamidiyeh (market), but it was a Friday, the Muslim day of prayer, so the souk wasn’t as bustling as usual.

After walking through a part of the souk, we arrived at the entrance of the Umayyad Mosque, perhaps the biggest attraction in Damascus.

After admiring the mosque from outside its fortress-like walls, we were hoping to get a
peek at the courtyard area. We did, and it was one of the highlights of the trip.

After that, we wandered around a bit before bumping into a Jewish man, who just happened to approach the only Jewish guy in our group. (Don’t ask me how that happened.) The man asked us if we wanted a tour of the
nearby Jewish Quarter, an invitation we eagerly accepted. He then led us through the narrow streets  the small community.

Afterward, we got a similar tour of the Christian Quarter, and were able to witness a band procession at a local church, which was a special moment for me.

As night rolled around, we stopped by a café for Turkish coffee. Since had some playing cards and some spare time, I taught a few of the guys how to play Euchre. We then walked through another souk for a couple hours. (One of my friends bought a shirt that said “Obama” in English and in Arabic — أباما; it was definitely the best purchase of the night.)

But while I’m in the Middle East, I thought it would be a good idea to see what else is in the region, outside of Jordan and Israel (which I visited in 2008). So a couple weeks ago, I went on a ten-day trip to Syria and Lebanon with five other study abroad students in my program.

I kept a daily journal of my experiences, which I hope you will enjoy as they’re posted to this blog.

(Nicolas Persons/Staff Blogger)

Day 1 (Thursday, March 25)-Getting into Syria — easier than it sounds

I got out of class at 4 p.m. and we departed from Amman at around 7:30 p.m. Our group of six (five guys, one girl) took two separate cabs north to the Syrian border. The name of our driver’s name was Saddam Hussein (I’m not joking; he showed us his ID). We arrived a few hours later and began what we anticipated to be a long wait. Why? Because the Syrians are infamous for making Americans wait an exorbitant amount of time — often several hours — to receive a simple, one-entry visa at their borders.

We intentionally arrived late in the evening, as we’d been told that the wait is sometimes less when arriving at night. Our visa applications were approved in about three hours, which is actually a short wait for a group of Americans. My friend’s group, by contrast, arrived at the border at 3:30 p.m. and waited nearly eight hours before receiving their visas. They had roughly the same amount of people as our group; they were the same age and from the same program.

But for some reason, their wait was considerably longer.

As for me, I was just glad to get in. After visiting Israel in 2008, I needed a second passport — without an Israeli visa stamp — to get into Syria. (Many countries, including Syria and Lebanon, do not recognize the state of Israel and do not permit entry for Israelis or for people who have Israeli stamps in their passports. Jordan and Egypt, two of Israel’s neighbors, have made peace with them and are thus exceptions.)

Unfortunately, a second passport doesn’t guarantee entry, because Syrians can sometimes refuse persons who are even suspected of visiting the Jewish state, and the second passport is a dead giveaway to any scrutinizing eye: it has a two-year expiration date, instead of the normal 10 years, and my Jordanian entry stamp says it’s been moved (i.e., moved from the original passport).

After paying $75 and going twice to the American Embassy in Amman and once to a Jordanian government office, I still wasn’t assured clearance. But I got in, and we quickly hopped on a bus that took us from the border to Damascus. We arrived at our hotel at 3 a.m. and called it a night.

Thus far, I’ve found it to be a balance of both: They’ve adjusted some, but not all, of their meals, while I’ve eaten a bit more meat than I would prefer.

Here’s a breakdown of a typical day of eating here:

Breakfast

In the U.S.: A couple of pieces of whole-grain toast, with a huge bowl of Kashi cereal with soymilk.

In Jordan: Lots of pita bread (certainly not whole grain) that may be dipped in any variety of options, the most popular and prevalent of which (at least in my house) is hummus. Outside of that, there’s fool, which is kind of like a bean paste (it doesn’t sound great, but it’s actually quite tasty); a grape salsa/dish (once again, it sounds odd, but it has a somewhat sweet taste); eggplant; a dairy product similar to cream cheese; and a tomato sauce that would look perfectly normal on spaghetti. Of these, the only real staple is hummus; the rest, and others that I haven’t mentioned, come and go infrequently.

Advantage: U.S.
I do enjoy the breakfasts here, as well, but it’s really just a health preference.

Lunch

In the U.S.: A P.B.J and some fruit.

In Jordan: Usually rice, some kind of vegetable soup and pita at the school cafeteria. Also, sometimes just a fruit smoothie, some pita and a snack bar.

Advantage: Even.
I like the (somewhat) healthy soups that are available here, and it’s quite easy to eat vegan for lunch. I do miss that peanut butter, though.

Dinner

In the U.S.: Spinach salad and usually some sort of pasta or rice dish, either fresh or frozen depending on where I’m living.

In Jordan: Almost all meals my family prepares involve (once again) pita bread and/or rice. Other than that, though, it could be anything. Vegetables are often a major part of the meal, which is wonderful.

Sometimes it’s with some meat, and I usually eat it (though usually as little as I can). Still, it’s not that bad and the family seems to respect my preferences. The variety and quality of my dinners here has been outstanding. (When I spoke with my host parent’s kids — all four of whom now live in the U.S. — they all say they miss their family’s cooking.)

Advantage: Definitely Jordan.
Maybe I was just fortunate to get placed with this particular family, but in any case, I’m very lucky. This will be quite an adjustment when I return to America.

Facts and Myths in Jordan
Middle Eastern and Mediterranean food has more flavor than American food: FACT

I heard this a few times before I came, and I had high expectations. Needless to say, I haven’t been disappointed. The food itself has some similarities to U.S. food, but it just seems to have more flavor.

Of course, I have had to adjust a little bit. I’ve been sickened by the food a couple times already, because there are certain things in the food here that the locals are accustomed to, but foreigners are not. I was told I would definitely get sick at some point on this trip, and I have. But the illnesses have been very brief and manageable, and it sure hasn’t deterred me from eating and experimenting.

I’m convinced that trying the local food is one of the best parts of traveling abroad, especially in the Middle East.

Because my family is Christian, it has given me the chance to have meaningful discussions with their friends and acquaintances, many of whom are Christian. This is a good opportunity, since the Christian population here is estimated at 6 percent (source: CIA World Factbook). Here are a few of the conversations I’ve had in my first month here. (I’m not sure if my interlocutors would give me permission to use their real names, so I won’t.)

— In my first or second week here, I was shown around Amman by the son of a family friend, “Khalid.” Khalid studied in the U.S. for a time and is thus somewhat familiar with America. He talked about how much he liked the states, but how he would always feel that Jordan is home. I was able to discuss politics candidly with Khalid, which is something that must be done both selectively and carefully here.

He said he is mostly OK with how Christians are treated in Jordan. He said he is somewhat reserved in expressing his faith, though, because friendly conversations can quickly become heated when religion is mentioned. (This isn’t much different in the states, though.) When we talked about his views on the government here, he said he was mostly satisfied with King Abdullah.

In fact, he said he was somewhat glad that Jordan isn’t a true democracy. If it was, he said, the people might vote in a conservative Islamist group that would make life harder on Christians. This is because the general population is more conservative than the king, he said.

—The other conversation I’d like to mention is with a local pastor, “Ahmed,” who I happened to meet a couple weeks ago. He dropped off my friend and I at the university the other day, and I used the transit time to discuss religion with him. The man was very nice and I thoroughly enjoyed our discussion.

He said there is a larger Christian presence in the Middle East than Americans realize. When I asked if he had a family, he said he had an Iraqi wife. I used this disclosure to ask him how he viewed America and Americans.

He said he does not fault the American people for the government’s decisions. “Politics are dirty,” he said. Rather than perpetuate animosity, it’s better to love and seek peace, he said.

This is a somewhat common theme here: Most people know the difference between Americans and American foreign policy.

Facts and Myths in Jordan
All Arabs are Muslims: FALSE

I’m actually stealing this one from “Ahmed.” He made a very good point in our discussion when he said that many Americans view all Arabs as Muslims. While the vast majority of Arabs are Muslims, there are still Christian communities in this part of the world, he was happy to point out. And after all, he said, the Middle East is the birthplace of Christianity.

I was reminded of this on a biblical sites tour Saturday, sponsored by my study abroad program, that highlighted some places such as Mt. Nebo, where Moses overlooked the Promised Land, and the traditional baptism site of Jesus along the Jordan River.

Though it takes some digging, there is a Christian presence — both current and historical — in Jordan.

I’ve encountered very few problems and “cultural hurdles” thus far. Rather, my biggest difficulty has been learning Arabic, a language that is rated as one of the most difficult to learn, along with a few Asian languages, such as Mandarin or Japanese.

I came here knowing little more than the alphabet, some basic greetings and a bit of vocabulary. I learned most of this through Rosetta Stone; I didn’t take an Arabic class before I came here. I was placed in a second-level Arabic course, which is a perfect fit for me.

But learning the language casually — a couple words a day, at my own leisure — is quite different from the truly “immersed” effect of living in an Arab country. It can be a bit overwhelming at times. When I hit the town with my peer mentor and his friends a couple nights ago, we tried to communicate in Arabic about four-fifths of the time.

Most of the night was fine, but there were times when the “translation” mechanism in my head would seemingly switch off from overuse. This is both frustrating and exhausting. But to be honest, I couldn’t imagine, after a month of this style of learning, ever going back to the “casual” days. This is the only way to do it.

Facts and Myths in Jordan
There is only one language in Jordan: FALSE

And no, the “other language” isn’t English — it’s Arabic. Confused? So am I. For those unfamiliar with Arabic, here’s the scoop: There is the “spoken” Arabic (aamiya), which is used in everyday situations and varies by region and country, and the “official” Arabic (foos-ha),
which is used in the media and in other official settings.

Anyone setting out on the difficult endeavor of learning Arabic should have their final goal in mind: Is it to learn the official language, or is it to communicate with the locals in a certain Arabic-speaking community? I’m mainly aiming for the former, though I’m hoping to learn some of the local dialect, as well. I’m taking classes in both (six credits in Modern Standard, and three in Jordanian Colloquial).

Of course, there is significant overlap in these. But there’s enough of a difference that it does at times feel as though I’m learning two languages.

After we entered the mosque, my peer mentor, A’la, began reciting what he later explained to me were passages from the Quran. He did this quite beautifully, and before long, he has leading a group of about eight men (including my friend’s peer mentor) who were standing in a line a few feet behind him. Although I couldn’t understand much of what A’la said – except “Allahu Akbar,” God is greater – it was almost sublime just listening to him and taking in my surroundings.

It was later in the day, after the last of the five daily prayers, but there were still a decent amount of worshipers there. They would quietly take off their shoes, exchange brief pleasantries with their fellow brothers, and then prostrate themselves, performing a ritual that some of them have been doing since their childhood. Both my friend and I really valued the experience.

Before the mosque visit, the four of us checked out Hashem restaurant. There’s nothing fancy about the place, but it’s still well-known for its most royal clientele: the king stopped by the restaurant a couple years ago. The standard dish is pita bread, hummus, fool and falafel.

Aside from the good food, the service was quick (we started eating about three minutes after we sat down) and cheap (you’ll spend more at
McDonald’s).

Facts and Myths in Jordan
It’s taboo for non-Muslims to enter a mosque: MYTH

It should be obvious from this post, but this one is somewhat of a myth. I’ve been to a few mosques now— both in Jordan and in the states — and not once have I felt unwelcome. Now, it is important to note that the visitor should almost always be invited and escorted by a Muslim friend, and should abide by the mosque’s norms (turn off your cell phone!). If you know a friend who is Muslim, it might be worth asking him/her if it would be OK to visit the local mosque sometime.

It’s a great opportunity to view another culture and religion first-hand.