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When John's parents had to go out of town, John stayed at Dawud's house. It was during one of those visits that John learned that Dawud's name in English is David, and that his own name is Yahiya in Arabic. But the lesson didn't stop there. Dawud learned that John's family emigrated to the United States from Germany early in the 20th century. His family kept many "German" customs including speaking the language at home. Dawud learned that John's name in German is "Johan." But one of their biggest discoveries was that their father's both had the same name! John's father's name is Aaron which is Haroon in Arabic. Haroon is Dawud's father's name! The more they looked, the more they found in common. With these discoveries the boys helped each other learn another language. With John's help Dawud passed German with flying colors. And John became so fluent in Arabic that he gained a summer job working as a translator in both German and Arabic. Both boys learned to appreciate each other's faiths as well. John learned about salah, what to do and not to do when observing. Dawud learned about the family prayer John's family says every night. Dawud took note of the differences and the commonalities when he observed that they all stand in a circle holding hands and thank God for the blessings of the day. It was not surprising then, that the boys wanted to attend each other's religious services. They asked their parents who both agreed. "Wonderful!" exclaimed Dawud's father, "It will be a good learning experience for you. One that I am eager to hear about and talk about when you get back." John's parents also thought it was great. They felt that learning about the things that make us different and makes us the same strengthens the community. They also felt that it paves the path to peace between people. All this was talked about and decided Friday night, well after Jummah. So Dawud would attend John's church first. The following Friday John would attend Jummah prayer with Dawud. Both boys were excited and talked about it endlessly. At 9:00 am on Sunday morning Dawud dressed in his best suit and headed across the street to John's house. John's family was waiting for him and they all piled into the mini van. |