Through the Looking Glass

By TAD BARTIMUS

This morning I awoke to find a travel advisory in my e-mail. The U.S. State Department suggests all Americans leave the United Arab Emirates because of "heightened tensions and increased security concerns." I probably wouldn't have given the press release another look if it weren't sent by my friends Becky and Murphy Turner, who have lived in the UAE since 2000.

"The drumbeat of war is disturbing and real here, as it is every place in the world," writes Becky, 56, who taught at the University of Alaska-Anchorage for 30 years and holds a doctorate in English. While Mrs. Turner teaches a full load of classes at Al Ain Women's College, her husband navigates the bureaucracy. He keeps their modern apartment running, takes cooking and golf classes, and arranges camping trips into the desert.

With 200,000 American soldiers massing on Iraq's borders, the Turners are just as uneasy about the future as their fellow citizens back home, but insist they don't fear for their own safety and are leading a productive and happy life in the heart of the Arab world. Still, many friends have asked why Becky recently signed on for a fourth year.

"It could be the old, rich culture," she considers. "Maybe it's the wonderful, exotic food. Maybe it's my students, who generally are the first generation of women to be college-educated in their country and who have invited us into their hearts and lives.

"We're staying because we love the rolling red sand dunes and the stars out in the desert where we camp overnight. We love the rugged Hajar Mountains that seem to reach to the heavens. We walk through canyons that feel like cathedrals. We swim in deep wadi pools. We feel at home."

Her husband adds: "When we visit the small farms and oases we are greeted with friendly smiles and wonderful hospitality. We enjoy learning about the natural history -- archeological sites date back more than 5,000 years. The geology is fascinating. Combine all this with wonderful people and we have had a great three years in the Middle East."

The majority of people in the United Arab Emirates want the same things we all do -- to make a living, raise a family, practice their religion and lead a peaceful life, Murphy explains.

He knows there is "a minority out there" who want to impose their will on other people, but adds, "I have not met any of these people."

A close ally of the United States, the UAE is providing American forces with access to its airfields. Its president, Sheik Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahayan, was the first Arab leader to publicly call on Saddam Hussein to resign, saying it was "a way out of this complicated and dangerous crisis." His proposal was offered at a recent Arab League meeting in Cairo, but ignored by the Iraqi president.

The Turners are baffled by what they view as President George W. Bush's hostility toward the Arab world.

"When I told one student how discouraged I was about some new threat President Bush was making, she told me to be patient, because what I love about my country she also loves about my country -- its people," Becky writes. "It took an Arab woman student to remind me of the energy, generosity and enthusiasm of the American people -- the same generosity and warmth of the people in the United Arab Emirates."

After receiving the travel advisory, Murphy admits to having some concerns. "We have not felt threatened, but we are aware that things could change when war actually breaks out and people start getting killed.
"I went about my business this morning, doing volunteer work for our Emirate History Group building a garden for the Al Ain Flower Festival, which opens this evening," he continues. "The area I was working is filled with Afghans, Pakistan, Iranians and Iraqis. I at no time felt intimidated or threatened. I feel I should be scared, but I am not."

Becky concludes: "Almost everyone differentiates between American government actions and Americans. American people are treated well even if people don't like what our government is doing. Terrorists, of course, make no such distinctions and they exist everywhere. We're alert, apprehensive about why the U.S. Embassy is sending out alarms for this country, but not ready to get on a plane. Sadly, I feel safer here than I would in the U.S. right now."

© 2003 The Women Syndicate

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