Gulf | Oman
Misconceptions fade in the Oman desert
Total strangers with diverse cultures and different religious beliefs turned into close friends when they spent five days together in the Oman desert as part of an inter-cultural expedition.
- By Sunil K. Vaidya, Bureau Chief
- Published: 23:47 March 21, 2008
- Mark Evans, a British geography teacher based in Oman, was responsible for putting together the expedition.
- Image Credit: Supplied picture
Muscat: Total strangers with diverse cultures and different religious beliefs turned into close friends when they spent five days together in the Oman desert as part of an inter-cultural expedition.
An "incredible and rewarding experience", was the unanimous verdict of 17 young girls who attended the DHL Connecting Culture Expedition under the open skies in the vast expanse of Wahiba Sands, a desert in the east of Oman. A teacher from Muscat organised the expedition.
The girls came from different countries.
Most of them felt the willingness to listen and engage in dialogue was the best way to remove misconceptions in these times of global conflicts.
"Generally, everyone wants to be heard, but after staying with girls of different cultures, I learnt that sometimes we need to just step back and listen," Hafren Jones, one of the participants, told Gulf News.
Hafren represented the UK. She lives in Muscat. Her mother is from New Zealand and her father is Welsh. The soft-spoken girl was born in Zambia and raised in Tanzania.
"All 17 of us were complete strangers when we first met," she pointed out. However, she added, by sharing tents, working together in team games, debating and simply spending time together, all the girls became more than just friends.
"During the expedition, I learnt that when you connect and get along with someone, you are more willing to listen and to try and understand their point of view," Hafren said.
One important lesson they all learnt was to understand one another, she said. "We were all so different in the way we behaved, dressed and talked, yet all of us came together for one universal cause: to be understood."
Briton Anne-Marie Piper told Gulf News that staying with the girls from the Middle East round the clock helped her develop a better understanding of Islam. "We all have similar issues and moral values," she said. She also understood that people should not judge one another before gaining in-depth knowledge of different cultures or faith. "I realised after staying with these girls from the region that we really did not know enough about other cultures to even begin judging."
She suggested that leaders of different countries, especially ones in conflict, should get together on a similar expedition and sort out their difference. "Only if they meet and engage in dialogue will they understand each other," she believed.
Omani teenager Alia Al Lawati was educated in the West and had a bit of understanding of Western culture, but she said her whole perspective broadened after the expedition. "The expedition helped open the minds of every participant," she said.
Noor Al Wahaibi, who wants to study genetic engineering, believed misconceptions induced by the media about the Western world were removed during the expedition when she came into direct contact with girls from Europe. "We learnt a lot about our cultures and religions and removed all misconception, this was fruitful."
She added that the girls from the West had learnt from the media that Islam and the Middle East was only about terrorism. "After meeting us and talking to us they realised how wrong the propaganda was. We youngsters have opened a door and hopefully leaders of the world will learn from us and bring peace through dialogue," she hoped.
Jordanian Bushra Al Halaybeh said she learnt that humanity was the most important thing on earth. "Allow us to love life and other human beings," was her appeal to world leaders.
Kate Muir-Jones, who came from Britain to participate in the expedition, went home with deep respect for Islam.
"I now strongly believe if the core principles and practices of all faiths could be discussed and taught at school then misunderstandings would be reduced," she wrote in her comments at the end of the six-day expedition.
Wide interest
The expedition was put together by a Muscat-based British geography teacher, Mark Evans.
Evans said publicity about the expedition on the internet stimulated interest from different parts of the world. "I have had inquiries from as far as Australia and Brazil to start something similar there, but for me the Middle East is the right place and I would love to make Oman the permanent base," Evans said. He told Gulf News conferences about the youth often simply end with endless lists of recommendations.
His idea with the expedition was to bring together youth from different countries to really learn from one another.
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