Page 165 - SAIL ARUBA 2015 & Royal Visit

Oranjestad, live music, food and refreshment tents, a BBQ cook-off, and to top it all off, a final night of
international music. Check it out on www.facebook.com/sailaruba
IN THE NAME OF TOLERANCE. I followed, together with the rest of the country the story about a
mosque construction in a mid-island residential neighborhood. My first thought went back to Morocco
where on a not-so-long-ago vacation we were awakened every morning at 4am by the muezzin call to
prayer broadcast over loudspeakers of the mosque next door, and thought to myself that Morgenster will
soon be changing its name to Morgenstern, in view of the fact that residents will be up every day, in time
to watch the Morning Star, Venus, visible in the east, just before sunrise. I wondered if the design,
including minarets, was approved. It would not have surprised me, after all they approved the design of
the Riu Palace on Palm Beach, so that a monumental building with elaborate domes, minarets and prayer
halls, could have slipped by the diligent crew at the land department. I know from reading about the
subject that for a place of worship to be considered a mosque, it has to meet strict requirements, because
of its holy status, it has to be imposing, rich and grandiose. Otherwise it's just a congregational place,
which by the nature of our society, is welcomed anywhere. And talking about tolerance, Switzerland for
example banned the construction of new mosque minarets following a federal popular initiative that was
voted upon in a 2009 referendum. So then, I visited the foundation on Facebook, and found it has been
busy with a fairly large construction site since the end of October, 2014. Lots of cement blocks, lots of
pictures, not a single image tagged. And the content of the FB posts is saccharin sweet and so-called
spiritual. Following construction suspension in compliance with Aruba's zoning laws, and the regulations
governing land use and development as residential (R), commercial (C) and manufacturing (M), we all
received a detailed press release which was carried on page 1 in the Diario. It was signed by the Aruba
Islamic Foundation. No individual signature. I e-mailed them asking for a name, and got a one liner
response: Sorry for the late reply. My name is Shafeek Karmoeddien and I am the president of Aruba
Islamic Foundation. I can sometimes be tireless, and relentless. Visiting Shafeek Karmoeddien on FB, I
found out he is a young-looking cricket player and soccer fan with a hey-chu-ku-cha sexy video birthday
greeting on his page. Just not what you'd expect from the profile of the foundation president. Life is full
of surprises. To conclude: I usually, I have no problem coming up with my own column materials, and
also quoting other people, without always giving them credit. But this time I have to credit a certain Jiggs
McDonald, and NHL Hall of Fame broadcaster speaking in Ontario, and he says: "I am truly perplexed
that so many of my friends are against another mosque being built in Toronto. I think it should be the
goal of every Canadian to be tolerant regardless of their religious beliefs. Thus the mosque should be
allowed, in an effort to promote tolerance." “That is why I also propose that two nightclubs be opened
next door to the mosque; thereby promoting tolerance from within the mosque. We could call one of the
clubs, which would be gay, "The Turbaned Cowboy," and the other, a topless bar, would be called "You
Mecca Me Hot." “Next door should be a butcher shop that specializes in pork, and adjacent to that an
open-pit barbecue pork restaurant, called "Iraq of Ribs." “Across the street there could be a lingerie store
called "Victoria Keeps Nothing Secret," with sexy mannequins in the window modeling the goods.”, and
on the other side a liquor store called "Morehammered." “All of this would encourage Muslims to
demonstrate the tolerance they demand of us.” Yes we should promote tolerance, and you can do your
part by passing this on." And if you are not laughing or smiling at this point... It is either past your
bedtime, or it's midnight at the oasis and time to put your camel to bed! Sorry if I offended anyone, Mi Ta
Charlie!
GREAT SUSHI. We always greatly enjoy sushi at Tatami and I think I never mentioned how tasty and
pleasant that dining experience is. On a recent Sunday evening Omar Contrera pampered us with a mini
tiradito, magic sake, a katsumoto roll and a new sensation roll, some nicely chilled wine, at great value
for money! Also on another occasion we shared the Tatami sashimi platter which was delicious! They are
open for lunch and dinner, so you can check things out yourself.
BEACH MANAGEMENT. I was privileged to attend a Beach Management meeting this week, with a
presentation by Theo Oord who is the consultant to the committee responsible for implementing the
proposed new regulations regarding the management of our beaches, the single most important aspect of
any Aruba vacation experience. Poor Theo he must have been recovering from a cold, and his nasal-
sounding voice, did not contribute to the level of dynamism in the room. True to his Dutch constitution
Theo would love to tackle the challenges in their totality, from watersports to lounges, to palapas and
boat slips, finding a once-and-for-all- solution, as if such animal exists, instead of taking it one step at the
time, and doing what's important first. The most urgent aspect of our beach experience is the creation of