South Africa Update #1

Alhumdulilah, my first trip to South Africa began in Johannesburg where I was stopped at the Oliver Tambo International Airport for about five hours and almost deported because I had (and still have) a full passport. It is a violation of South African immigration law to enter the country without at least one full, empty page in ones passport to receive a South African visa.

As soon as I handed my passport to the immigration official issuing visas, she told me my passport was full and needed to speak to her boss. That's really not a good sign. I've heard that before, especially when trying to enter the occupied West Bank from Jordan. I was detained last year by the Israeli army for seven hours when trying to re-enter the West Bank. So ... I was a bit nervous. I was thereafter escorted to a back hallway in the airport that housed the immigration official offices and was told quite curtly that I would be deported immediately because of my noncompliance with South African law. After a few hours of waiting and nimble negotiating by my professor, I was finally released, but the airline I was flying on was charged a hefty fine for not catching my full passport in the U.S.

But, aside from my passport dilemma, which was of course my fault, I have had an amazing stay on the Eastern Cape. I was a bit worried about whom I would stay with when arriving into East London, because I wasn't sure how I was going to figure out a prayer schedule and decline host family meals because of zabiha issues, but, alhumdulilah, I was told I was staying with a Muslim family and they were absolutely amazing. And they owned a butcher shop! I haven't eaten so much meat, especially sausage and hot dogs, for quite some time. They took me to the local mosques and I was able to meet the small, but very tight-nit East London Muslim community that was affected quite interestingly by apartheid.

After being in East London for a week and Morgan Bay for a few days, which is rather close to East London and occurred in between my stay in East London, I am now in Port Elizabeth for a day and a half. After PE, we will head to Cape Town for a week and then back to Jo'burg to fly from there back to the U.S. insha'Allah.

More updates later isha'Allah.