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Managua's New Mosque
Submitted by fyl on Mon, 2009/11/09 - 12:26.
While it is not clear why the WSJ decided this is "hot news", it offers up an article about the the new mosque that opened in Managua in September. The article offers little in the way of what is really happening there but do offer some local rumors including:
"All the Taliban," declares William Martinez, a 24-year-old barber at Le Moustache, a hair salon across the street. Natalie Melendez, a clerk at the Veo Veo video-rental store on the corner, offers a different account. "There are two types of people who use the mosque," she says, matter-of-factly. "The Arabs and the Iranians."
It actually make one wonder if a Nicaraguan 24-year-old barber even knows what the Taliban is. Maybe Mullah Mohammed Omar stops by for a shave when he is in town. (Yes, that's a joke—it doesn't seem like he shaves.)
you need to get off the
mountain fyl, who in the planet doesn't know? especially in managua! the question is do they know it as you know it "The evil Taliban". may be we have a different opinion of it. we (the mayority of nicaraguans) used to think the same way about you smelly gringos (some). generalizing is a problem. truth be told i'm a little scare of them because i don't know them enough to trust them (muslims) so i keep my distance. i bet he won't have a bomb put in his shop because of that coment though. Question: Do you Shave? if not why you make fun of their profet. its just a question, i find it offensive. i think you look down on Nicas. at least the ones that don't work for you of course. Chaq
The Mosque
I also read that article, it made little sense. Someone starting a story and realizing that there was no story, but continuing on anyway. A Gringa in San Juan del Sur sent me the article with a question "What do you think?".
I think that it was built as a place of worship for these folk to go and practice their religion. Some things really are as simple as they look.
Hi and by
Must of people complaint about why i attack you.
maybe is that we are in opposite sides or maybe happen that i don't like flatteries, or maybe because we support opposite forces.
"It actually make one wonder if a Nicaraguan 24-year-old barber even knows what the Taliban is"
Following what the government say, Nicaragua is a country free of illiterates, so is very compressible that some Nicaraguans knows who are the Taliban, reading or watching the news.
To you all time look like Nicaraguans , don't know too much, or don't know nothing or know less. I don't wanted to say it , but your despise and discrimination to my people is clear, i came from people that build this country with a few years of school, and believe me ..that people can teach to you... a lot..
This is my last attack to You Mr Fyl.
From a Nicaraguan that know a little bit, only i can repeat what a wise man said:
" I only know that I don’t know anything"
Have a good journey in your crusade.
I did assume
I did make the assumption that the barber was Nicaraguan, that's true. If I had read a piece like this that took place in the U.S. the difference is that I would have said "It actually makes me wonder if a usano 24-year-old barber even knows what the Taliban is". From my personal experience, I would say that a Nicaraguan is more likely to know than a usano.
My point had nothing to do with literacy—it had to do with knowledge of politics half-way around the world. Some time ago I remember reading about a poll given in the U.S. where a majority of those responding said that "From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs" either came from the U.S. Declaration of Independence or the U.S. Constitution.
Now, what is really wrong with his comment is that for the life of me, even if he was 100% correct and only the Taliban went to the mosque, I cannot think of why people in Nicaragua would care. To the best of my knowledge, Nicaragua has never been involved in a "conflict" in Afghanistan or Pakistan. There would be no logical reason for Nicaragua or a Nicaraguan to see "the Taliban" as anything different from any other Muslim.
To add a bit of levity here, there is a bar north of Condega on the Pan American highway called "Bar Taliban". I stopped there for lunch one day, a Nicaraguan who lived nearby started talking to me and, ultimately came over to sit and chat. (This whole story is somewhere here but I cannot find it right now.)
After chatting a bit, he motioned for the bar owner (I believe his name is Denis) to come over. It was clear that Denis didn't like Gringos but my chat had proved that I was actually "not the typical Gringo". I never really got an explanation of why the name for the bar but I am assuming it was to keep Gringos away.