Mocha, the Yemeni lost treasure

By Anis

When I wander in Europe’s streets, markets, malls and stations, I run across the word ‘Mocha’ in bars or coffee houses’ front illuminated signs. It is definitely a way to entice customers through the doors of these places; they use this word as a sign of the high quality of the coffee they serve. Honestly speaking, I am not a coffee addict. But when I see the word Mocha, I feel an overwhelming sense of pride. This is because Mocha is a Yemeni name of an ancient seaport in my country. Driven by this feeling, I ask people around me with a tone of pride: “Do you know the origin of this word?”  To my surprise, the answer is always “No!”Then, my sense of pride turns into an overwhelming sense of frustration.

What raises my anger is seeing that Yemen is very-well known for Qat; sadly, Yemeni people chew this damned green plant daily! Many of my western friends know about Qat and ask me about it! Regrettably, this is because Yemenis now waste their time and effort in planting and chewing this malignant plant and do not care any longer about planting and producing Coffee. There are no efforts to export this important product to the world as there used to be several centuries ago. As a normal result of this disregard, among the top 40 coffee exporting countries, Yemen is not even included!

According to Wikipedia, “Mocha is famous for being the major marketplace for coffee from the 15th century until the early 18th century. Even after other sources of coffee were found, Mocha beans continued to be prized for their distinctive flavor—and remain so even today.”

Yemen has been always described in the Media as “the poorest country in the region.” This is absolutely not true as Yemen is full of resources. Yemeni famous coffee Mocha is one of the valuable resources the country possesses. However, until Yemeni coffee regains its glory and re-invades global markets, I will keep telling the story of Mocha Coffee. Hopefully, one day Yemen will take care of its coffee and regain the global reputation of its missing treasure.

In Sweden: What you see is NOT what you get!

By Rasha

Fruits and vegetables are usually the first thing you see when you enter any supermarket in Europe. However, in Sweden,  it’s more than just seeing! You get fascinated by their beautiful appearances and eye catching colors. They are wrapped and packaged in a dazzling way. You find yourself driven to buy some or many! You think it’s healthy and irresistible! 

But when you return home carrying your wonderful botanic sculptures and then start preparing salad or soup or any other vegetarian dish, you come to know that what you see is definitely not what you get!

I’ve tried different recipes for cooking vegetables but each time I ended up having the same result; No taste and no smell!

Apparently, Vegetables and fruits in Sweden are not for human consumption but rather for decoration and taking pictures only.

Why Muslims fail in promoting themselves while others succeed

By Rasha

I have visited St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican City several times. In each time, I wandered there and took as many photos as I wanted. No one ever stopped me or asked me any questions, though I was wearing hijab. People from different countries visit the Cathedral which is open for charge-free tour everyday from 7 am until 7 pm. The working staff is courteous and enjoys a welcoming attitude. Before you enter the lovely Cathedral, you should stand in a line to pass through one checkpoint. All visitors are supposed to take off their jackets before passing through the inspecting machine.  In my first visit, when my turn came, I told the security:“I don’t want to take off my jacket”.  That was due to a decent dressing attitude I like to follow as a Muslim women when I’m in public. To my surprise, they smiled at me and said: “no problem! Go ahead!”

On the other side, when we visited the Mosque of Rome for the first time, the guard stopped us at the main gate and asked us, with no smile, about the “reason for the visit!” His question was weird and pointless as it was obvious that we were a Muslim family coming to the mosque a few minutes prior to the sunset prayer!

The mosque of Rome is an important Islamic landmark in Europe. However, it is run in a bureaucratic way as if it is a governmental facility in a third world country.  Before any cultural visit, there should be scheduling, emailing, filling applications, etc.!

Muslims are supposed to be smarter when it comes to introducing their culture to others. Some Muslims, who live in the west, think that distributing brochures, flyers, or free copies of the Holy Quran in the street can create the desired effect. But it cannot! The best introduction can only happen with lively and dynamic communication. Therefore, The Mosque of Rome should be open for visits everyday and without the need for former arrangements. The opening hours should be long enough. People should be able to wander freely in its courtyard and in the cultural center. 

Mosque of Rome is open for visits  on Wednesday and Saturday from 9.00-12.00

When I posted the photos that I took inside the mosque on Facebook, my Italian friend felt so happy to see them. She thanked me for sharing those photos and told me that she had never seen a mosque from inside! When I asked her why, she said she heard that non-Muslims were not allowed to enter mosques!  Now, do Muslims actually need to spread such confined notions which only lead to more misunderstanding and isolation? Or, they are in dire need of more open attitudes towards others. 

We have to bear in mind that the cultural promotion is like the commercial one; it is an art! It has tools and rules.  And those who master this art can outperform the market achieving high- sale success. But the success resulting from the exceptional cultural promotion is not measured by money. It’s measured by the good reputation which is indispensable to coexistence.