While there is certainly a lot of Western influence in Amman, there is still a good deal of tradition in the city too, especially in the more eastern parts; however, even when I have traveled to the poorer eastern areas that were consequently more religiously conservative I never really felt unsafe.  The areas of Amman’s east end possess of very high population of poor Palestinian refugees.  These areas evoke the pictures typical of Western media videos as every woman is covered by an abayah and as most men also dress themselves in traditional Arab garbs.



Losing their color, the buildings and street signs of the east end truly symbolize the poverty that dominates this area of Amman.  I want to reiterate again though, you do not feel unsafe in these areas.  Instead, the only feeling that really comes is a fish-out-of-water sensation.  Having told of the heavy modern influences of the city’s western parts in past entries and of the very conservative elements of the city’s eastern parts in this entry, I think that describing the much more typical fusion of modernity and traditionalism that permeates the vast majority of city as a more appropriate subject to discuss right now.

Visiting Mecca Mall and its five levels of Western influenced stores last night provided me with a perfect picture of how the West and tradition have combined to create a culture that is not only being globalized but also maintaining its distinctiveness too.  For example, women covered in abayahs bought lattes at Starbucks.  Seeing this fact revealed to me an important concept to me about conservative Muslims in the Middle East.  While I knew that being Arab did not make somebody automatically anti-globalization, I did not realize that being a conservative Muslim also did not make somebody necessarily anti-globalization.  Rather than indicating the products, food, and music that a person will buy, religious conservatism in the Arab world will instead shape the moral actions of a person in areas such as family honor and sexual relations.  More than anyone, the young people of Mecca Mall illustrated this point perfectly.




Throughout the Arab region, pre-marital celibacy is held in very high regard, especially for girls.  Courting by or hanging out with the opposite sex is simply not done in this region.  Males hang out with males and females hang out with females.  Unless you are in Beirut or Dubai do not expect to pick up an Arab girl if you are a a guy.  Following this Arab norm of gender relations while being dressed entirely in Western clothes, the teenagers of Mecca Mall showed that globalization and religious conservatism are not necessarily two incompatible forces.  As Mecca mall showed to me last night, an abayah and a latte and a pair low cut GAP jeans and a group of celibate Arab girls are pairs continuously produced by the Arab world.