We made Canadian news!
Here it is kids - Farrah's first appearance on Canadian (inter)national TV! Farrah explains about the project, why they are doing it and the trouble getting into the states.
Check it out and let us know what you think, especially if you saw it going out live in Canada!
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Canada is BRILLIANT! Within hours of Farrah and Masood arriving they have managed to become embroiled in a veritable media frenzy!
It all started with this article in Canada's The Star newspaper. Pretty soon after that we were told that they would be appearing on the 6 o'clock news tonight (so keep your Canadian eyes peeled) and then they even got invited on to the Bill Carroll breakfast show (CFRB) on Tuesday morning!
We here at Osama HQ are fully prepared for a huge influx of Osamas so Canada, don't fail us now!
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Though troubled by jetlag and running low on Indonesian Osamas, this leg of the trip has been an eye-opener. I'd never associated Islam with South East Asia before but it's here in the air and has an unmistakable presence and influence.
The largest mosque in South East Asia is in Jakarta - the Istiqlal Mosque. Designed by a Christian, it is a cool, airy, white marble structure standing opposite the cathedral. It can hold thousands of worshippers, and women and men pray side by side. The mosque's serene inner sanctum provides respite from the traffic and tropical bird chatter of the smoggy city outside. Here is our last sunset in Indonesia. It's time to move on.
Now that we've opened up the Osama seeking to people to upload themselves, there's a small chance we may make the challenge. Word needs to spread to the Osamas of the world and we need your help for this to happen. We're off to our next destination as we speak - one of the most ethnically and culturally diverse cities in North America and home to the Argonauts, Blue Jays, Marlies and Raptors...any guesses? Here's a clue.
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As I got off the plane, my specs steamed up immediately. The weather gave us a suitably dramatic welcome to this fiery archipelago, home to the largest Muslim population of any country on earth: INDONESIA.
The massive schlep from Cairo to Jakarta has battered my brain and I almost jumped out of my skin in fright as we passed the baggage carousels, which each feature a sinister, life-size model of a Komodo dragon. Apparently they can even eat horses. I think I'd better get some kip - more from Jakarta tomorrow!
This zombifying 25 hour journey has not been without a few interesting moments. Earlier, Masood inadvertently stood on the hem of a veiled Muslim lady's black, all-enveloping abaya in the queue for boarding. For about ten minutes she stood still, silently waiting for him to realise his mistake, but wouldn't turn round and tell him. Eventually, another man pointed it out.
At Singapore, where we had to change planes, I saw the largest proportion of women with headscarves of the whole trip so far. These petite South East Asian ladies wore their hijabs with funk - bright colours, interesting fabrics, jeans and little halterneck or spaghetti strap dresses worn over long sleeved tops. I think lots of them were migrant workers in the Gulf. I liked their style.
The queue to get through security was immense and snaking. A mature man dressed impeccably in a white robe and headdress in the Emirati way looked up and down the line, identified a section of likely migrant domestic workers from S.E. Asia at the front of the queue and coolly pushed in before them.
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Half way through our mission and we are ready to move on from Egypt. However, I’m dismayed to tell you that we’ve had some problems with our ambitious circumnavigation of the globe. There are two crucial destinations that are at the heart of the issues we are gently trying to navigate.
The first of these is Pakistan. Masood and I are both of Pakistani blood, though born and raised in England. Loads of our home-grown Muslims in the UK are of Pakistani origin and there is no question that the Pakistani connection is vital and personally meaningful to us. As heartbreaking as it is for me to say it, the 7th July bombers had Pakistani roots just like me and Masood. We need to get to Pakistan and connect, somehow. But we’re having some trouble with visas.
The other destination that I feel we need to make is New York. I don’t need to explain why this great city is important for us to visit – what happened there changed the world and millions of peoples lives. Waves of negativity ensued. In itself, the city of New York is so mixed, so rich, so vibrant and tolerant - I'm desperate to meet the Osamas of NYC. Unfortunately, our official journalists visas to go to the States are being delayed and we may not make it.
So where to next? Somewhere with lots of Muslims… somwhere completely different to the Middle East. A place with the biggest Muslim population on earth! Can you guess where it is?
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For some reason Egypt and Twitter don't seem to be getting along and Farrah is struggling to blog from her mobile. However, Osama HQ can exclusively reveal that last night both Farrah and Masood were invited to a wedding to look for Osamas! It turns out that the wedding went on all night and they ended up watching the sunrise at the pyramids. They're catching up on lost sleep now but promise to be online later today to tell us all about their adventure!
Osama Loves is in the The Sun today!
The article displays 30 Osamas and gives an entertaining overview of the project.
I'm not sure Farrah sees herself as a peace activist, but on reflection that is exactly what this project is about.
Read the full article at The Sun online.
Well done Farrah and Masood!
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Osama hunting is not as simple as it may seem. For starters, finding the Osamas is tricky business, especially when it's nearly 40 degrees C in the shade and you can hardly hear yourself think over Cairo's insane traffic. Lots of Osamas run a mile at the sight of a camera. Then there's getting them to hold the sign up at the right angle and tell the camera the information. Finally, there's the burning question, the one we've all this way to ask them: "What do you love?"
All too frequently the answer is "Er...um...what do you mean what do I love?" It takes a surprisingly long time to find out, but I can almost always spot when they're a millisecond away from spilling the beans. A little smile appears on their lips - It's a sweet little smile acknowledging that someone actually wants to know.
Yesterday we had a very refreshing change from the usual pattern of egging our Osamas on to open up and bare their heart's greatest loves. We found our first non-adult Osama in the streets of Cairo, and his parents were happy for him to take part in Osama Loves. We asked him in Arabic what he loved, and without hesitation he spat it out with a broad smile:
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"CHEF OSAMA! I'VE GOT ALL YOUR BOOKS! YOU SAVED MY SOUFFLE!!"
cried an apple-cheeked Egyptian mother in a hijab. Walking though Khan El Khalili market in Cairo with one of the most famous Osamas in the world was not easy. Constantly approached by adoring fans for autographs, photos and cooking tips, this was a glimpse into the life of a celebrity among Arabic-speaking communities worldwide. Chef Osama, whose website had more hits than Gordon Ramsey's earlier this year when his new season aired, is a phenomenon.
In the glittering alleys of Cairo's finest bazaar he led me to the spice market where apothecaries sell wonders in coloured sacks and jars beneath stuffed sharks and mysterious gnarled husks. Then we were off to the kitchen so he could teach me to make “koshary”, a traditional Egyptian dish. Lights, camera, action: his TV crew filmed the demonstration for his show and we made our way down to the Nile to eat on a felucca by sunset.
As we began to haggle with the boatman, there was a huge commotion. A car had crashed spectacularly merely a few hundred meters away from us and had overturned.
Luckily, there was only one person hurt, alert and talking, but clutching his left forearm in agony. It didn’t look good – it was clearly badly broken, very deformed and in need of urgent orthopaedic attention. Worryingly, his fingers were numb and the blood wasn’t properly flowing to them. We rang three ambulance services but none of them were able to make it. Someone told us there was a hospital nearby so we took the casualty there ourselves. The contrast between this place and my own hospital back home, St Mary’s, was striking. For all the problems that plague it, I’m glad we have the NHS and I think it does a decent job, all things considered. Of course, I might be biased….
Though the poor man’s injuries could’ve been a lot worse, especially looking at the mangled mess of the vehicle, I found the whole experience quite stressful. Probably because I’d been imagining the worst, heart racing, as we approached the wreckage. By the time we got back to the riverbank, it was too late to catch the sunset. Chef Osama has agreed to meet us again to tell us what he loves, and in the meantime, we’re back on the hunt. Our best score-zone so far has been the market, so here's a picture of sunny minarets I took yesterday from the entrance to Khan El Khalili.
