If I'm to be a true Renaissance Man, I must expose myself to all manner of thought and practice rather than limit myself to the familiar and known. At least that was what I thought as I drove this past Saturday night to attend the CAIR Banquet for the Seattle Chapter. CAIR - Council on American-Islamic Relations - is a group dedicated to the promotion of justice and mutual understanding (I got this from their website). For Muslims of Middle Eastern or African heritage living in the US, this can be a challenge in these times.
A good friend of mine - Yassin Idris, who comes from Eritrea - invited me to join him and his family at this event, thinking I would enjoy learning a bit more about his culture and how it fits - or doesn't - into mainstream America. It was a vastly diverse crowd of perhaps four hundred with more nationalities represented than I could name. There were folks in all manner of traditional dress with beautiful, flowing robes of dramtic colors and lots of beards and hats and women in all manner of hijab - which is a scarf over the head and under the chin. There were also plenty of Anglos like me, but it was still a very unfamiliar setting for me.
The evening was one of speeches and awards, and finally, pleas for financial support since much of the work this organization does is to provide legal support. There is a very diverse world out there that I usually don't consider. It's pretty easy to slip into the groove of my life and get very used to the way things are, forgetting how many different ways there are to view the world.
Sounds like a fascinating evening. Say 'hi' to Yassin for me...
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