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Monday, September 15, 2008

We're Not In Kansas Anymore

My oldest son Theo is currently studying Arabic; so I do my best to keep him apprised on happenings in the Arabic-speaking world. In keeping with this goal, I showed him this article the other day; it discusses a ruling by a Saudi judiciary official concerning the owners of TV networks which broadcast what was deemed "immoral content." I must confess, I was a little surprised when Theo burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?" I asked.

"That," he said, pointing.

"That?"

"Yeah, where the guy says 'Those calling for corrupt beliefs, certainly it's permissible to kill them.'"

"That's funny?"

"Well, he's joking, right?"

"Actually, no."

"Oh."
on

30 comments:

  1. amySeptember 15, 2008

    It's too bad Theo will be way too old for my daughter. He sounds like such a great kid. Arabic--how cool is that? Does he want a career in certain segments of the government in which Arabic would be incredibly useful?

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  2. Muddlin' MotherSeptember 15, 2008

    El'Humdah allah!

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  3. AnonymousSeptember 15, 2008

    Culture shock can be ... difficult.

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  4. Jenn @ Juggling LifeSeptember 15, 2008

    Zealots of any faith really scare the h*ll out of me.

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  5. Mrs. G.September 15, 2008

    No field trips please.

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  6. Kalynne PudnerSeptember 16, 2008

    You homeschoolers - teaching your kids Arabic in high school, at the expense of our public-schooled offsprings' self-esteem as they stumble through 3rd-year attempts at "Hola, Senor! Como estas?" Honestly.

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  7. FaithSeptember 16, 2008

    I always thought you looked like Mary Tyler Moore!

    (Pardon the off topic remark, but I just noticed the little photo in the corner!)

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  8. Suburban CorrespondentSeptember 16, 2008

    Only, um, not so skinny...

    I've always adored Laura Petrie (even though she's not real).

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  9. KarenSeptember 16, 2008

    Maybe he should study the beliefs a bit more before tackling the language.

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  10. Angie @ KEEP BELIEVINGSeptember 16, 2008

    HOw do you homeschool Arabic? Surely you don't know Arabic, too??!!?? If you do, I think I just MAY develop a complex.

    KEEP BELIEVING

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  11. AnonymousSeptember 16, 2008

    I love MTM!

    I think the cultural study will be interesting for your son--and probably more difficult to master than the language.

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  12. JoSeptember 16, 2008

    We live in a different world, don't we?

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  13. carrhopSeptember 16, 2008

    It's what we call a cultural difference....

    Blessings~

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  14. Practically JoeSeptember 16, 2008

    He's better off learning Italian ... the language of love . He'll have much more luck with dating.

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  15. AnonymousSeptember 16, 2008

    I love the new pic! I adore Laure Petrie too.

    Um, WHY is he learning Arabic? Do you know the reason it's the language of heaven? Because it takes an eternity to learn. Do you know why there is no Arabic in heaven? Because there is no crying there. It's a horrible language to learn! I have personally learned the alphabet at least 5 times and it just won't stick--it's like my brain is coated in Teflon!

    Is he learning MSA? Probably. I hope you have a good tutor. Please e me and we'll chat.

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  16. Don Mills DivaSeptember 16, 2008

    Yikes - poor Theo - I guess that's a good illustartion of the fact that there's a lot more to learning a culture than learning a language.

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  17. the mama bird diariesSeptember 16, 2008

    Wait.. you are Mary Tyler Moore. I had no idea.

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  18. AbbySeptember 16, 2008

    Arabic WOW good for him!

    Thanks for stopping by my blog at Steals and deals!

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  19. Suburban CorrespondentSeptember 16, 2008

    mamabird - What? Couldn't you tell?

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  20. angela michelleSeptember 16, 2008

    I think he's right on--it should be just a joke. He's just showing us how ridiculous and terrible that type of thinking is.

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  21. AnonymousSeptember 16, 2008

    Isn't it heartbreaking when you have to point out that world is a lot more messed up than they think it is?

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  22. Maria (also Bia)September 16, 2008

    Hey! I was excited to see the photo near your profile...until I looked at it closely.

    I was hoodwinked.

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  23. TriciaSeptember 16, 2008

    Oh that just hurts. I want to live in Theo's world.

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  24. ElizabethSeptember 16, 2008

    Yup. Not a great thing to have to explain.

    You duped me, too, when I saw that you posted a photo. Very Cute.
    Pax, E

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  25. mommeeof10September 16, 2008

    My brother was an arabic linguist in the army for 9 years. He refuses to use the language now, though he could make enough in a year to allow him to just be a student afterward and not work. He doesn't want to do anything that reminds him of his time in the Army. He was stationed in Iraq and Bosnia.

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  26. MiriSeptember 16, 2008

    We are so blessed to raise our children where freedom of speech and freedom of ideology are core beliefs.

    Hurray for your son.

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  27. KirstenSeptember 16, 2008

    You have a smart kid!

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  28. AnonymousSeptember 17, 2008

    I wish I could be that innocent again.

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  29. ShellieSeptember 18, 2008

    Uh, we ran into that yesterday when I was reading the Old Testament to the kids. They KILLED the priests of BAAL! A whole discussion on cruel and unusual punishments ensued. My daughter commented-I would be so dead! Yeah, her and all her siblings.

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  30. Bonnie the BossSeptember 19, 2008

    I could almost feel the "Oh" at the end. It is sometimes sad to have them come face to face with reality!

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