On the outskirts of the Ummah

I spent last week in Dubai with my eldest daughter, along with a morning diversion in Amsterdam during a layover. One of those things in life that you don't really expect to do with your family. It's the great thing about my life with wife and our offspring, the best things are the surprises. I never expected to discover Pepsi biscuits with Caroline or drive from Savannah to Minneapolis with her and her best friend, or to see Mark McGwire set the MLB home run record with Rob, or to walk the Sydney Harbour Bridge with Robin, or to smoke a hookah with Rachel in the desert outside Dubai. You don't plan these things, they happen.

In the islamic world the term Ummah refers to the global community or family of muslims. We don't have a word like that in Christianity but I like the concept.

The UAE is both near the center and on the outskirts of the Ummah. It holds many of the dedicated faithful as well as many of its converts to capitalism. Running along the side streets in neighborhoods near our hotel and hearing the call to worship from a local mosque at dawn, you know this is a different world and culture. It has ancient roots that cross paths with Christianity and thus the Islamic view of God and his work in our world is at the same time easy and difficult to reconcile with my faith.
Sitting in the Skyview bar on the 27th floor of the Burj Al Arab it is difficult to guess where you are. It could be anywhere. There are no men in arab garments, no women with veiled faces, only good looking affluent people relaxing and enjoying the company of friends. I was there with friends and while it did not feel "normal", neither did I feel out of place. I probably felt more comfortable there than many of the residents of that country would have.

In Dubai it is very easy to grasp the frustration of the traditional Muslims with western ways. The explosive growth that is reflected in construction projects that are the envy of the world

In many ways this trip was a study in constrasts. Dubai showing how much can be achieved when vision and wealth collide. It is hard to be anything but optimistic about the future of man in this city. In Amsterdam there are signs everywhere of how far man can fall worshipping at the idol of "freedom".