Israel Reflections 2013–Too Muslim or Not Muslim Enough?
Easily the worst part of the trip for me was at the beginning when one of my students was detained by Israeli immigration upon our entry to the country. Although it was an experience that we had discussed as a possibility (she had visited grandparents in Pakistan and had the stamp in her passport), it still came as a scary surprise as it was occurring. To then be bookended by her visit to the Dome of the Rock (where she was forced to prove her religion and fully cover herself in additional clothing) was a learning experience for all. In the words of Nida Shakir:
In 2007, I was detained for eight hours at an Israeli-Egyptian checkpoint for merely wanting to tour Jerusalem, and because I was Muslim. The tour group I was with left early in the morning so that we could pack in as many touristy things in the single day we had in the city. However, upon entering from the southern checkpoint at the Sinai Peninsula, we were held at the border for eight hours. By the time we were allowed in, we were only able to see a few sites in Jerusalem. I left disappointed, disconcerted, and vowed that I would never return.
Who would have thought that five years later I would travel to Israel again.