He arrived safely yesterday evening, after being detained at Ben Gurion Airport for about an hour while security checked my details (because I'm hosting him). An El Al security officer had already called me early that morning to verify his background before he boarded his flight in Berlin; after I'd answered all the questions (how do you know him, whose idea was it that he visit Israel, how long will he be staying, do you know any other Iranian bloggers who want to visit Israel) the security guy confirmed that Hossein would be allowed to board the flight. So in the end, he was not questioned more than any other “unusual” visitor to super-security-conscious Israel. I guess the letters he was provided by Ben Gurion University and Tel Aviv University, confirming that he was scheduled to give a presentation, helped smooth the way.

While we were walking along Rothschild Boulevard this afternoon, Hossein asked me how average Israelis would respond to him as a Muslim Iranian.

Why don't you just try and see? I answered.

So when we stopped at a money changer's on Allenby Street, where Hossein changed a few dollars and bought a pre-paid SIM card for his mobile phone, I asked the owner – on a hunch – if he spoke Persian.

No, he answered, but my father does.

With me translating, Hossein introduced himself to Seymour, which was the money changer's name, and took his photo. As we were leaving, Seymour said to me, “Tell your friend that I wish him all the best.”

We spent most of our afternoon at the cafe, where Hossein was interviewed for an article that will be published in Haaretz on Tuesday (January 31), using the free WiFi to work on our laptops. I introduced Hossein to everyone and not one person responded with anything but typically laid-back, laconic Tel Aviv warmth along the lines of “Hey man, nice to meet you.”

For me, Hossein's visit is very nice, but not a big deal. For a lot of other people, it seems that it is a very big deal. For some people, it a not-nice very big deal. You can read a bit about the controversy in the responses to Haitham's post.

There was also a flurry of emails between bloggers who contribute to Global Voices Online. A few of them responded negatively to Hossein's announcement about his visit to Israel, with one person accusing him of visiting an “illegal state” with an “occupational government” (sic).

Most of the responses, however, including many from Arab bloggers (Palestinian and non) have been fantastic – warm, thoughtful and encouraging.

Roba, who is Palestinian, gave me her permission to reproduce what she wrote here:

Hossein,

I'm Palestinian, and I say, kudos to you for taking this step.
The only way we, as a modern civilization, will achieve anything is by putting
emotions aside and equipping our intellect in logical discussion, interaction,
and tolerance. Muslims have a long way to catch in these discussions.
I am
looking forward to reading about your trip as well as looking at pictures, try
to visit Haifa, gorgeous coastal city.

Roba Al-Assi

In Israel, Allison and Hanan Cohen (Hebrew link), an Internet columnist and blogger, have written about Hossein's visit. We're going to meet Hanan sometime in the next couple of days.