Diverse Hawaii: Islam Day

Aloha!

Welcome Back to

W A I K I K I

"To understand Barack, you have to understand the Hawaii he grew up in."

Michelle Obama

“To become truly great, one has to stand with people, not above them.”

Charles "the Great" de Montesquieu

“I believe in the brotherhood of all men, but I don't believe in wasting brotherhood on anyone who doesn't want to practice it with me. Brotherhood is a two-way street.”
Malcolm X

“Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence. Love others as well as you love yourself.”

Jesus

“I cannot lead you into battle. I do not give you laws or administer justice but I can do something else - I can give my heart and my devotion to these old islands and to all the peoples of our brotherhood of nations.”
Elizabeth II



“Brotherhood is not just a Bible word. Out of comradeship can come and will come the happy life for all.”
Heywood C. Broun

Hawaii people pride ourselves on our Aloha Spirit by which many cultures share these tiny islands amicably. We eat each others foods, use each others languages in our pidgin, observe each others holidays, and our island habit of intermarriage was a "problem" for some when Hawaii statehood was making it's way through the US Senate.



Yes, there is something alive here that turned me from a "get out of my way!" East Coast person into a much more patient driver and citizen. Tolerance is a nice, safe concept when living as a majority person. It is something else entirely when you have neighbors, co-workers, and even, perhaps, a boss from a very different culture from your own. Unexamined assumptions on both sides can cause very interesting issues to arise. I know that I am a better person for these sorts of life experiences.

And here we celebrate everything!


The Hawaii State Legislature has even provided official recognition to various days with religious connections:

Asian Lunar New Year Commemoration Week
Bodhi Day
Buddha Day
Baha'i New Year's Day
Christmas*
Confucius Day**
Father Damien De Veuster Day
Good Friday*
Islam Day**
Makahiki Commemoration Day

[* Official state holidays
** Recognized by resolution, not in Hawaii law]

And this doesn't include Mayoral and Gubernatorial proclamations honoring Israeli Independence Day and the like.

The coming weekend will find me celebrating Korean culture at a festival here in Waikiki, and this blog is full of my exploits enjoying Chinese New Year, Shinto ceremonies, and Makahiki Season (Hawaiian New Year).

Shall we all sing "Kumbayah" now?

Not yet!

If exclamation points appeared over your head when you read "Islam Day" you are not alone.

According to the Honolulu Star Bulletin of May 15:

"Muslims are a tiny minority in Hawaii, roughly 4,000 residents, but they feel welcome here, said Hakim Ouansafi, chairman of the Muslim Association of Hawaii, who asked (State Senator) Berg to introduce the (Islam Day) resolution.
"Fortunately for us, we're inundated with calls of support and encouragement, not just now, but after 9/11," he said. "This is the Aloha State. We live together, respect each other, love each other. We know that no people should be judged based on the actions of a few."
The terrorists behind the 9/11 attacks have continued bombing campaigns in Muslim countries, he noted. "It's a common enemy, and it's killing more Muslims than non-Muslims," Ouansafi said. "The Pakistan army is in full war against the terrorists on behalf of the world."
He said the Hawaii Legislature's move is helping build a bridge to Muslims, generating positive comments about America from viewers and readers of Al Jazeera and Al Arabiya, major Arabic-language news organizations.
"It's reaching the far, far corners of the world in a positive manner," he said. "The legislators have done in one resolution more to plant seeds of understanding than anyone could dream."

But leave it to 2 of our notorious republican senators to begin foaming at the mouth and spouting absurdities that show the very NEED for such a non-religious day to learn more about our neighbors' culture. Once Fox (Faux) News covered the story in their trademark "even & balanced" fashion there were calls to State tourism officials threatening to cancel travel plans. Lucky for us, I thought, that those folks are staying away. They should perhaps vacation in the colonial 19th Century, eh? All the "different" people here might upset their mind-set! LOL.

Though Good Friday is an official paid State holiday here, Islam Day (which mandated no official observance) was denied on the basis of the "wall of separation between church & state" that Jefferson wrote about.

Today I was at an early morning meeting where Mr. Ouansafi and a lawyer from the ACLU presented their points of view. The ACLU had testified against the senate resolution on the basis of the wall of separation while ignoring the Good Friday holiday as "before my time."

The law really IS an ass!

Hakim told us that Muslim media throughout the world carried the story of Hawaii's attempt to honor their culture and that it was very positive coverage despite the ultimate outcome. (No Islam Day) One writer in Saudi Arabia even proposed that his own country establish a "Christian Day!"

This is the power of Aloha.

Even when it is denied by misguided locals, it still permeates our culture here, thanks to our host Hawaiian culture.

I admit to being reflexively wary of Muslims and their culture. Visiting Chicago on business a few years back, I was involuntarily shocked that everyone from my taxi driver to the toll booth person was greeting with a Salam Alaikum. Did they look down on me as a woman? What would they think if they thought of me as Jewish? It's very uncomfortable supposing that others hate you without knowing you. I suppose that was Hakim's intention behind Islam Day: more mutual understanding here in the isles.

Today I listened to a leader of Hawaii's Muslim community and heard a brother speaking.

A L O H A ? Cloudia

Just Stop And Take A Breath

Aloha!

Thanks for stopping by

WAIKIKI

Today!

Stop for a moment...

Take a breath...
...Then take another...

"The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook."
- William James

"Progress is like walking on a rolling barrel."
- Robert Frost













"Sometimes the first duty of intelligent persons is the restatement of the obvious."

- George Orwell

As children we were pushed to perform; and so most of us have internalized the habit of over-riding our innate temperment. We are strangers to ourselves; never having learned to know, value, and work along with our natural inclinations. . . our GIFTS! That's why life can seem like a "to do" list instead of a pleasure. No wonder we're often exhausted. . . It is the very thing that we seek to be rid of, that thing we are ashamed of, that is calling us back to the path of healing, to our sweet, original selves. If we simply stop running. If we look at it and bear with it patiently. . . treasure will emerge. . . the treasure of your unique nature. . .

A L O H A ! cloudia

The Heart Knows the Way. . .

Aloha & Welcome to Summery

W A I K I K I !

"Your mind does not know the way. Your heart has already been there. And your soul has never left it. Welcome HOME."

- Emmanuel via Ram Dass

When you are looking with love. . . then you see lovely people everywhere. . .

"Uncertainty is the only certainty there is, and knowing how to live with insecurity is the only security."

- John Allen, Mathematician

A gruff person with a good heart is better to be around than a cold selfish person observing norms of politeness. . .

The road to hell is paved with false dichotomies. . .

A L O H A !

. . .

40 Year Summer Anniversary

Aloha!

Welcome to. . .

Waikiki?click on photos to enlarge

Can't believe I saved it all these years.

(Disclaimer: I was under age though somewhat emancipated)

"There is a way to look at the past. Don't hide from it. It will not catch you if you don't repeat it."

Pearl Bailey

Hawaiian Skies over me
today

“An inordinate passion for pleasure is the secret of remaining young.”
Oscar Wilde

First Filament BURSTING OUT

“There is a fountain of youth: it is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring to your life and the lives of people you love. When you learn to tap this source, you will truly have defeated age.”
Sophia Loren

Yes, that's a hotel room safe on the curb.
Make up your own caption ;-)

It seems to be a Summer of Anniversaries.


Fifty Years of Hawaii Statehood.

40 years since the Stonewall Uprising

Today.




Forty years since Woodstock.






40 ****ing years?!!!!!!!!!!!


I should post this in August but

40 ****ing Years?!

I remember selling macrame` belts to boutiques for my ticket money.
I remember the BUZZ that THIS was gonna be a "gathering of the tribes" and a do NOT miss event!

Arriving at the site late on Thursday night it was too dark to see much.
We slept on the ground.





But Friday morning was a bursting, bustling SEA of cars and humanity.









I'd never seen so many people in one place(OK, maybe Grand Central Station)
but certainly never so many freaks!




(Only Time magazine, and news people, and the 'out of it' called us hippies)






Bob Segar struck a chord that still resonates down the corridor of years:
"Always seem outnumbered, don't dare make a stand,
Same old cliches: 'Is that a woman or a man?"


It took real courage to let your freak flag fly.







But this was freak utopia.

The few cops looked surrendered and happy and just kept the cars safely flowing even as random people (like me) hitched rides on hoods and trunks along the slow moving line of cars. Joints were smoked freely under the open sky, even sincerely offered to cops who declined smiling. Some people were topless, others muddy, and/or nude. Everyone looked HAPPY!


The cops acted like real peace officers. Locals told the press: "They're good kids." The cops treated us like citizens (instead of prey) for once. What else could they do, but still.
It was a peaceful metropolis under the sky, no fights, no attitude, just unbelieving bliss.





The radios in the cars reported that the New York State Thruway was closed!




"We closed the highway, man!"




"Maybe they got us all together in one place to bomb us."







It looked like the end of the world as we knew it and it felt fine indeed!






The disorientation and sensory overload of being amidst so many folks in quasi-disaster conditions made me feel high,
plus we hadn't brought food in expectation of buying it.
But fences were flat, services overwhelmed and not set up.
We sucked on those English flavored cigarette papers popular back then.
Rizzla?





Campers shared food. We got by somehow.
I still have my ticket because no one needed one. Free show, Man!
Free was a big concept then: bartering,
Whole Earth Catalogue self-sufficiency, communes....
A shop in West Philly at the time was called "The Free People's Store" which had a " free shelf" to challenge the whole idea of consumerism. Those folks were interesting and later morphed into Urban Outfitters, right Richard?





I can still see that ocean of people, and "feel" that ride on the snaking line of cars as the cops directed traffic good-naturedly.





I remember meeting people from all over the country.





I remember seeing my first Hawaii License plate. (Hawaii!)





I remember the music way way WAY over the sea of people,
and the helicoptered bands landing.





I remember me and my friends being overwhelmed by the throng and leaving on Saturday...but I never tell that part.....

I Never Did This Before. . . Really!

Aloha!

Welcome to

Virtual Waikiki A lens masterpiece by Ted Trimmer (c)

Right here in Waikiki

"Reality is nothing but a collective hunch."

Lily Tomlin

Love that rustic door pull!

King Street, Honolulu

"To love for the sake of being loved is human, But to love for the sake of loving is angelic."

Alphonse Marie Louis de Lamartine

Ah, A shower at the end of the day!

Yes, that's my actual shower.

"We all leave footprints in the sand, the question is, will we be a big heel, or a great soul."

Source Unknown

Poet, blogger, and urban rude-boy, Walking Man at:

http://themanwhowalksalonewalksfaster.blogspot.com/

Tagged me with a meme.

And though I have never participated in those sorts of goings-on before, it seems a lazy, hazy time of relaxation and gimcrackery like today might be just the time to take a break for some fun.

So here's "Times Four"

Four Movies You Can See Over and Over

"Once Upon a Time In America" Sergio Leone

"The Trouble With Angels" Hailey Mills

"Avalon" Barry Levinson

"Public Enemy" St. Jimmy Cagney

Four Places You Have Lived

Books

Philadelphia

Honolulu

Mostly in my head

Four TV Shows You Love(d) to Watch

Bill Mawr

TCM Movies all day & night/Sporanos

The Avengers / Honey West

30 Rock/NYPD Blue

Four Places You Have Been on a Vacation

Books

Movies

Magazines

Jamaica

Four of your favorite foods

Dim Sum

Pizza

Lomi Salmon wit da rice / Hawaii "Plate Lunch"

AUTHENTIC Deli / New Jersey Diner

I'm sure that I'm forgetting important items...glad this is just a game.

;-)

TAG

You're IT!

Aloha Cloudia

Slaying Dragons

A l o h a !

Come relax a spell

here in

WAIKIKI "Put something silly in the world

That ain't been there before."

Shel Silverstein

Hometown Hero

Here Be Dragons

I found a poem,

translated from the Chinese by fellow blogger Teresa, http://wwwwhitechinese.blogspot.com/

that really spoke to me after this week's spectacle of frail human beings being confronted by seemingly over-mastering forces like their governments or the economic situation.

There is, I have learned, something stronger than mere apparent worldly power. That when a final accounting occurs, slain heroes will be honored, even as bullies are at last shamed and punished.

And somehow, that "final accounting" is not far off, but very real and alive even here & now. The Kingdom is indeed at hand. When we reach out we can feel it:

Handshake


By Jiang Pinchao


Translated by Teresa Zimmerman-Liu


Edited by Brian E. HansenPublished in June Fourth Tiananmen Massacre Twentieth Anniversary Memorial Booklet




In the tree-breaking storm
you cared for the flowers
among the thistles in my path.
You did not avoid the thorns but
threw petals before me.
In my difficulties
I was lonely,
I needed understanding and support.
Your handshakegave me what I lacked.
We did not speak at our solemn parting but
your eyes brimmed with pity, love, sorrow.









High walls, electric fences, guard towers,
blocked the desolate road ahead,
machine guns aimed at my thoughts, but
I know my responsibility.

When I am lost
I will remember your eyes.
When I feel lazy,

I will recall your hand’s touch.
Friendless,

I will remember.
Suffering,
I will rejoice.
Lonely,
I will ponder.
Terrified,
I will fight.












In this desolate wilderness
when life gave me a bitter drink
you allowed me to taste sweetness.
On this precipitous mountain roadwhere some would cut off my freedom
you whispered, “They are evil.”
On a freezing winter night
when history would lock me in a cold prison
you gave me a flame for warmth.








At the end of my life
I will have a rich harvest.
On this glorious journey
history will see a new dawn.
My fatherland will see
a day of democracy, a day of freedom,
a day of prosperity, and
I know this new day

will come because of you
because of your handshake.
As a zealous patriot for my fatherland
I etch your name
into the corner of our memorial.

March 23, 1990, Hanyang, China

Chai's Island Bistro

Aloha!

Welcome to Honolulu Harbor at Sunset!

Aloha Tower, courtesy of Chuck Painter (c)



“A tree trunk the size of a man grows from a blade as thin as a hair. A tower nine stories high is built from a small heap of earth.”
Lao Tzu


Women Warriors of WWII. Note the camouflaged Aloha Tower!

Contemporary Clouds;
like Me!

Morning Ladies!

"The worst sin towards our fellow creatures is not to hate them,

but to be indifferent to them. That's the essence of humanity."

George Bernard Shaw

No, I don't know what these birds are called.

I call them Oahu Woody Woodpeckers ;-)

"Cloudia, I loved your little book (Aloha Where You Like Go?);

I laughed, I cried, I got 'chicken skin.'" (Goose bumps)

Robert Cazimero

Tomorrow evening there will be a White House first: a Hawaiian Luau on da lawn!

My sincere admiration to Cha Thompson of Tihati productions for keeping secret this engagement of her dancers and fire knife masters until the official announcement. She looked like she won't need a plane to fly to DC.

The "Coconut wireless" has it that planners wanted to use East Coast hula dancers, but that a Local Guy (In Chief) nixed that idea in favor of bringing in the real, local performers. He can handle 16 crises AND chew gum at the same time. Our President well exemplifies the local Hawaii saying: "Cool head main thing." Yay Barack!

My luau was last night,

as Favourite Husband and those California Cattermoles took me to Chai's Island Bistro at the Aloha Tower Marketplace for a belated birthday dinner.

The Aloha Tower, a local icon, was the tallest thing in Honolulu till after WWII. Once upon a time, she greeted the Matson Liners on "Boat Day" while bands played, lei sellers displayed their fragrant wares, and kids (some of whom I met as senior citizens) dove for coins tossed into Honolulu Harbor.

The tower, though still Harbor Control Headquarters, and the docking site for the QEII and her sister cruise ships, is now home to a mixed-use "festival marketplace" like San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf.

Chai is a nice Thai guy who brought his palate to Honolulu some years ago and launched a successful restaurant career. His eponymous bistro is known for great food and as a place to hear world-class local talent.

Wednesdays feature the famous Cazimero Brothers, holding court and playing Hawaiian Classics as they do at their periodic Carnegie Hall concerts. But on Tuesdays the room belongs to Robert Cazimero: songwriter, vocalist, and respected Kumu Hula (hula master) who transfixes the room with his brilliant contemporary interpretations of the great Hawaii Songbook.

Alone at the piano, he effortlessly conjures a magic atmosphere. Deftly his melodious voice moves from one unique vocal interpretation to the next. "My Hawaiian Souvenirs" once recorded by beloved auntie Genoa Keawe on the old 49th State record label, is one such almost-forgotten Hapa Haole masterpiece that Robert breathes charming, fresh life into.

A single Hula dancer joins him from time to time, her expressive hands, feet, face, & body as supple and salutary as Robert's voice. During breaks, the sound system plays Hawaiian classics - including the evening's featured performer.

Can you tell I had a good time?

The food? Oh yes! I had a Pu Pu (appetizer) platter to myself (greedy girl) consisting of seared, crusted ahi (red tuna) sashimi, a diminutive crab cake (very different from the working class, Philly crab cakes of my youth) and two towering prawns wearing Summer-weight robes of spun tempura batter.

"These prawns are almost Hifumi sized!" I thought, comparing them to my favorite budget Japanese Restaurant, located (only-in-Hawaii style) at the Chinese Cultural Center. They are famous for giant shrimp tempura (and honorably stand up to the fleet of excellent Chinese eateries surrounding them).

At the end of the evening, Robert sang "Happy Birthday" to me from behind the keys. An artist I admire so much!

You know, Robert's exemplary Aloha is very much at home everywhere, at classy Chai's or blue collar Hifumi. His graciousness to the upscale patrons last night was EXACTLY the same as I've seen him lavish on near destitute patrons at a favorite Hotel Street dive around the corner from the Hawaii Theatre. The governor, an ancient, homeless drunk, or me: Robert shares his simple, profound kindness with each one.

THAT is the definition of Aloha.

He permits each one of us to be Ali`i (chiefly) for a charmed hour. The world-recognized artist treats each like a peer, spreading his kingly feathered cloak over our shoulders too. . .

Last evening will always remain one of my cherished Hawaiian Souvenirs.

I hope YOUR visits here make you feel a little of that tropical

magic too!

A L O H A! Cloudia