The Land of Milk and Honey

 

Amani Abdelrahman

 

As a young person of Arab origin, I found it to be a very interesting and fascinating experience to interview another Arab who had immigrated to Canada in order to find out about the problems and obstacles encountered by newcomers. I was born in Canada, but my parents emigrated from Egypt, and Amani, the lady I was interviewing, was also born in Egypt.

 

At first, I was a bit nervous about the whole exercise, but as soon as Amani walked into the room my nervousness dissipated and I at once felt comfortable with her presence. Amani is a woman who is full of life and energy and it struck me to see how active and intelligent she was, and still is. Although I had not gone through the process of immigration, the stories she told me reminded me very much of what my parents went through when they first came to Canada.

 

Although she was born in Egypt, Amani lived a happy and comfortable life in one of the countries of the Middle East with her husband and two children. As fate would have it, her husband unfortunately passed away and she was left with two children to look after and provide for. She went back to Egypt, started working in order to provide for her family and this is where, for Amani, the problems started. Egypt is a fairly conservative country compared to Canada, and her community did not easily accept the fact that a veiled woman was living alone with her children, but without a husband and working to make ends meet. People started to talk and it made Amani feel uncomfortable since she felt that her every move was being watched and judged. That was when she realized that the best alternative for her and the children was to immigrate to North America.

 

In Egypt, as in everywhere in the Middle East, North America is viewed as the land of "milk and honey". Although Arabs do not agree with the politics of the United States, they still perceive the continent as being the land of opportunity and a place where their children can have a safe and prosperous future. Amani applied for immigration to both Canada and the United States. She received visas from both countries, however, since it was after 9/11, she decided to come to Canada since she felt that here, as a veiled woman, she would be accepted more easily. Even though at the time, there was a great deal of anti-Muslim sentiment in North America and Europe, Canada has always had a reputation in the Arab World of being a more tolerant, open, and just society.

 

Amani kept her plans of immigrating a secret from her extended family members. She knew that if she told them beforehand, they would be upset, start to worry about her and would try to convince her not to leave Egypt. When it was time to leave Egypt, she told her relatives, and they were saddened and shocked but could not do anything about it. All the travel arrangements had been made and Amani had chartered a new course for her life.

 

Amani arrived in Canada in 2003, a widow with two children, in an unknown country, a foreign culture where she hoped to settle down, establish a home and build a future for her two small dependants. At the beginning, she felt very lonely and out of place, since she did not have any friends nor did she know anyone from the Egyptian community. However, the fact that she was a science and languages graduate helped her to pursue her career almost immediately after her arrival since her knowledge of English was excellent.

 

Even though she was working at a job she liked, Amani still had a feeling of being isolated. She still remembers with regret having to break her fast in Ramadan in order to be able to work more efficiently. Fasting in Canada is not as easy as it is in a majority Muslim country. Here, everybody around you is eating, talking about food or watching food commercials on T.V. and most people do not even know it is Ramadan. In the Middle East, the act of fasting has a communal, festive air around it because at the end of the day people gather around in homes or in restaurants to celebrate the joy of being able to eat with family and friends and to thank the Creator for this privilege.

 

In spite of the hardship and sense of isolation that Amani experienced, especially during Muslim holidays, Amani still feels that her co-workers were very helpful and accepting. Among other things, she was given a private room in the office where she could perform her prayers. Everyone at work knew that she was an Egyptian of the Muslim faith and that she was very proud of her culture.

 

There are things about both Egypt and Canada that Amani likes and dislikes. For instance, she is not fond of the fact that girls in Egypt are not taught to be independent and to make their own decisions. It is as if girls always have to be protected or looked after by someone else and are not allowed as much freedom as boys. She still remembers her American boss in Egypt, Andrew Tazab, because he treated her as an equal professional. As far as Canada is concerned, she loves the fact that people treat one another with patience and respect.

 

Amani will always be grateful to the Arab Community Centre of Toronto since it helped her establish herself and meet others from a similar cultural background. At the end of the day Amani feels that she made the right decision in coming to Canada due to the fact that her children are receiving an excellent education and she can pursue her career without experiencing the cultural and personal pressures that she experienced in Egypt. For Amani, Canada is the "land of milk and honey".