muslim in a muslim land

native jordanians come in many forms.
from what i see
most women cover
but it’s not unusual to see women that don’t.
they are very fashionable as well.

most male jordanians that i see,
especially the young ones,
don’t “look” muslim at all.
tight pants and short jackets are the style.

but on the other hand
there’s this interesting community here in kharabsheh
– a small suburb, i guess, of amman –
following sheikh nur ha mim keller.
i’ve never seen or heard of such a thing
where people give beyah (allegiance) to a sheikh,
follow his advice or orders,
come visit him from all over the world
– i met a sister from australia who came here on her
break from school to visit this sheikh –
or attend his talks whenever he comes to visit their country.
the maureeds — sp? — following this sheikh in particular seem to be
very devout, scholarly, and friendly.
plus there are several institutions based here like
qasid, shukr clothing, and sunni path.

it seems like it is mostly in this bubble of a community
called kharabsheh
with these foreign muslims
– mostly from the US, canada, and UK –
visiting their sheik
that you will most likely find
women that cover their faces
(along with the rest of the get-up)
as well as muslim-looking men,
i.e. sporting beards, wearing kufis and thobes, and whatnot.

i thought i was going to have to come to jordan
and dress even more modestly than what i was in the states.
but, outside of kharabsheh
most folks wouldn’t give me a second look
except for the fact that i’m (obviously) black.
i get stares like i have a horn sticking out from the center of my head.
most who care to ask think i’m from sudan
or somewhere in east africa.