It's all politics

I had a fantastic one-hour coffee meeting with the vice-chair of the club with which I volunteer (KIK). The club is on the third floor of a building near Norrebro where I live. It is a place for Somali children to go and study and receive tutoring help.

Anyways, Artan and I enjoyed a great conversation. I believe it was my first real conversation with a practicing Muslim. We talked about everything: Islam, the war, Palestine, Israel, politics, Danish politics, welfare, politics of religion, and everything else. My view of Islam has always been an outsider's view, but now that I have been exposed to Muslims and I can interact with them, my outlook is better. He potrayed a peaceful, cooperate, civic-minded Muslim, contrary to most of what I see on television. Granted, one meeting with a moderate Muslim does not mean I am an expert on the religion, but I left Artan feeling good about myself and the hundred of Muslims I live amongst in Copenhagen.

Artan's view of religion is straightforward. He believes Islam is the truth and the way for world peace. The way to spread Islam is through peaceful teaching and preaching, and convincing others to follow. For Artan, it's all politics. It's about who gets to lead in society, or who's idea of religion wins out. For him, he wants Islam to win. It's a fascinating look at the role of religion in society. He rejects all violence to spread the faith, but instead wants thoughtful preaching and reflecting, and whoever chooses to follow can follow. He believes Muslims can live side by side with Jews and Christians because although they have different faiths, they are all humans. His outlook is positive. While he wants worldwide sharia (Islamic law) he is not willing to kill to achieve it. Religion is about politics and who is more convincing.

Miles away

It's been a while since I have posted, so I think one is due. I had a good week with my first full week of classes. They are reading intensive, which isn't bad, but sometimes the reading can be so long and dense. I especially like my Danish Politics and International Economics course. For DP, my professor is a former Member of Parliament (MP). He is smart, funny, and is a decent lecturer; although Powerpoints every class can be tedious. My Econ professor is an adviser to the Danish National Bank. He is bright and his description of the work he does for the bank is mind boggling. So things are looking good academically.

On Thursday, I started my volunteer work with Kobenhavn International Klub (KIK). It did not start out well. My partner Emily and I arrived at 5, and waited around until 5:30 when the chairman of the group told us we had to leave. Ok what's going on I thought. We had to leave for the library nearby where students would come for help. Okay....Apparently Said (the chair) had a meeting scheduled, although it had nothing to do with KIK, it was "for something else we are working on" (paraphrase). I don't know about this group. I like the mission--assisting Somali children by tutoring, playing games, English-language, etc.--but the leaders of this club are questionable. The organization seems dysfunctional and unorganized. It's still early for me though, so I should reserve further judgment. I did get 10 minutes with a 12-year old boy named Supeer (pronounced Super). He read a story by Roald Dahl out loud while I helped with any problems. Then we talked for a few minutes about his life: he has three sisters, he was born in Denmark, his parents are from Somali, he enjoys football. His English was fair/poor but he did okay with the story. I am going back to KIK on Tuesday, and I have been assured by Said that more students will come. Let's hope.

On Saturday, I traveled with my friend Alex and his friend Diane to Helsingor. It's in Northeast Denmark and just 2.5 miles from the coast of Sweden!! What a view! We ate lunch at a nice cafe. I ate Danish food finally! I had three small smorrebroad (open-faced sandwiches): fish, roast beef, and ham. They were on dark bread with tomatoes, a sauce, and some spices. They were terrific. We toured Kronborg Slot, an old castle used for regulating trading to and from Denmark. It is huge! I decided that I support monarchy as long as I could be king. Imagine sitting in a castle all day, eating and drinking, my servants waiting on me, watching ships pass. I could do it. It was nice to get out of Copenhagen for once.

I explored my neighborhood, Norrebro, on Sunday. It has a lot of character although much of it seems the same. There are countless kebab/shawarma restaurants, kiosks, and fruit stands along the main road, Norrebrogade. The neighborhood is an ethnic enclave, and I found few stores run by native Danes. I found a store with some kitchen/house goods. I bought a cezve, a Turkish pot used to make coffee. The Iraqi owner, Fadhil, was very nice and I spoke with him for a few minutes. He even charged me less than the marked price. I bought some turkish coffee across the street. So far, I have made three cups and it certainly is a different taste! I like it though as I missed drinking coffee, even if this is different than normal.

I also went to Mass at Sakramentskirken, the church in Norrebro close to me. It was a wonderful experience. The church was packed, almost predominantly Filipino. Participation seemed universal, with all praying and singing. The priest, Father Carroll Parker delivered a great sermon. I met a young woman from CBS (Copenhagen Business School) who is here for the semester. She is from El Salvador. I imagine I will see her often. Overall, I am glad I found a church with an English mass. The community is wonderful there.

This weekend, I am traveling to Hamburg and Kiel, Germany on my short study tour. Wohoo! I can't wait! I have today and Wednesday off; only classes on Tuesday. I need to get going with studying.

Thought for the week:
"Love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another."
- John 13:34, my favorite verse.

- TAD