I was in Los Angeles, in the Santa Monica district, in November 2006. I hurried my steps to reach the hotel, as my Tunisian friend Sarah had warned me not to be late. Upon entering the wide lobby, a lady passed in front of me who did not appear to be a guest at the DoubleTree Hotel.
I went to the reception desk to get my access card and was about to head up to my suite when the lady stopped me, saying:
“Excuse me, madam, are you part of the Arab delegation I will be hosting today for Thanksgiving?”
I smiled and replied,
“Yes, you are right. Welcome. My name is Afaf Ouneiba from Algeria.”
“Welcome,” she said. “I’m delighted to receive you in my home and to share Thanksgiving lunch with you. Are you familiar with this holiday?”
I answered,
“Yes, madam. It is the prayer of gratitude performed by the early pilgrims who reached America—thanking God for their safety, for granting them the opportunity to settle here, and for the blessings they received. Isn’t that so?”
“Exactly!” she said. “You clearly know our history. We have preserved this tradition by inviting those we know to share with us a meal of gratitude.”
At that moment, my friend Sarah, the interpreter, joined us and laughed:
“Truly, Afaf, I never worry about you! You’re the only one who respected the schedule. I need to call the rest of the delegation; they haven’t arrived yet.”
Once everyone was present, the American lady took us to her spacious car. As soon as we set off, she told us:
“My home is in the famous Beverly Hills neighborhood. This is your chance to see the place Hollywood made famous in its shows. You will see for yourselves that it is simply an ordinary upscale neighborhood, lined with the houses of the wealthy and celebrities—high-walled homes whose luxury we cannot glimpse.”
Indeed, the neighborhood was like any other high-end district. As usual, Hollywood manufactures artificial fame around certain places for profit.
At our hostess’s home, we found only women present—mostly relatives and friends. Over the Thanksgiving lunch table, we engaged in a long conversation about President Bush’s policies and how the Iraq War had disrupted the lives of many Americans who could not understand why their president had dragged their sons into a pointless war, one far removed from the United States. Iraq had never threatened America, Bin Laden was hiding in Afghanistan, and Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11.
The discussion was serious and reflected a clear sense of awareness among the American women. We concluded by saying:
“If the early pilgrims were alive today, they would not have been able to bless the aggressive ‘preemptive war’ doctrine promoted by George W. Bush.”
