watching. The place was full of families with young children and the entertainment was geared for kids. Twenty foot high giraffes roamed through the crowd; jugglers threw balls high in the air; magicians did their tricks; and dancers encased in transparent balls rolled through the streets. It was great fun to watch the reactions of the children and the parents as a giraffe lowered its pointed head to the face of a youngster or a shiney robot stopped to pose for a picture.Last weekend, just prior to Eid, there was an exhibit at the Doha Exhibition Center organized by the Islamic Cultural Center. It was to inform the public, non-Islamic and Islamic alike, about the history, beliefs, cultural and scientific
contributions of Islam, as well as its place alongside the other monotheistic religions. I was most interested in seeing the replica of the Kaaba and learning more about the Haaj. I also had a very interesting conversation with an Islamic scholar and a covered and veiled Islamic woman about the merits of polygamy. The scholar quoted Billy Graham as saying that in Islam they have more than one legitimate wife, but in the western world (I hesitate to say Christian) they have one legitimate wife and many illegitimate relationships. Which is the worse? Everyone has their point of view.A few days ago I had an awakening that made me realize that I am in a very different culture. I was out of bread and decided to walk to Beteel Bakery-- get in my daily exercise and do my shopping at the same time. Walking through the neighbourhood, I became aware that outside of a villa across the street the wall and the pavement were smeared with blood. Then I noticed
a large dumpster that was filled to overflow with sheep skin, intestines and various other organs. There wasn't any smell and the flies hadn't gathered so I must have missed the action by just minutes. Eid al Adha--the Feast of the Sacrifice!
