I had a great chance this past week to visit Yemen, a country rich in history and Islamic tradition. If you don’t know where that is, its located on the south-west corner of the Arabian Peninsula. It is not quite Africa, and not quite Arab in its culture. It is the poorest of the Arab countries, and is the only one that is considered 3rd world. We had a great opportunity to visit with some friends there and were able to get to know the culture a little. It is a beautiful country that is hardly traveled by Westerners. It’s tourism industry is not developed, allowing for an outsider to truly see into the culture. It is virtually 100% Muslim, making it one of the least reached areas of the planet. This is actually the country that Bin Ladin’s family holds it’s origin. He is considered as a hero, and the war in Iraq and the Israel/Palestinian conflict are considered Jihad. Although they live in an extremely conservative Muslim environment, the people are very friendly and genuinely kind.
We were able to visit a few major cities, Sana’a, and Taizz. Sana’a is the capital of Yemen, and is nestled nicely around several mountains. One of the oldest and major Islamic teaching centers is located there, which reportedly had links to terrorist organizations. We spent much of our time in the beautiful old city, where blacksmiths and open markets are abundant. The traditional way of life there is abundant, even amidst a city that is attempting to move forward in development.
The majority of the trip was spent in Taizz. It is a city of about 500,000 people, located at the base of a mountain. To be quite honest, the scenery makes this one of the more beautiful cities I’ve ever seen. Originally the capital of the country, it was home to the countries ruler, an Imam that lived atop a castle overlooking the city. During one of the failed revolts, he would watch the public executions from the local Futbol stadium, where literally thousands were slaughtered.
While we were there, the friend we were staying with invited us to go with him to a wedding. It was great. In a Yemeni wedding, the parties are completely segregated. Men never see women, and visa versa. The only time the groom sees the bride is when he goes to sign the marriage contract. He then returns to his guests. We went to the wedding around 1pm. We left around 11:30 pm that night, however it was still going strong.
During that time, the men sat… and sat… and sat. They chew cott, which is similar to a tea leaf. It acts as a cultural tradition. Like many of the cultural traditions in the Middle East, it is built around socializing and conversation. The conversations deal with jobs, religion, and politics. The idea of merely “being” with one another is foreign to us as Americans. We would consider it boring, and pointless. The need for entertainment seems to emerge rather quickly whenever Americans get together. Later that evening a ude player showed up, which definitely broke the monotony. When we left, the party had moved outside, where the many were dancing. It was a great chance to get to know the culture.
One of the things that I couldn’t get out of my head was one simple fact. Every one we met, saw and came in contact with during those 8 days were going to hell. Although it is similar here in Jordan, it is not as chilling. We have churches, and I know Arab believers here. In Yemen, the darkness prevails. This fact is true of all Arabian Peninsula Countries. The darkness prevails. The desire of others to go to such areas and take news that is foreign and forbidden. The amazing thing is that the job laid out before us is impossible. But is not the idea of God becoming a man impossible? Is not the virgin birth impossible? Is not making 5 loaves and 2 fish more than enough for 5,000 hungry people impossible? Is not the idea of a man dying on a cross and rising form the dead impossible?
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