Anywhere you travel, you'll see kids around and usually they are friendly, cute and adorable ... but, not in Jerusalem. Or I should say, not in the Muslim quarter. Within a span of 5-10 minutes, I was either a witness or involved in a series "unpleasant" events with the kids in the Muslim quarter (i.e. section within the Old City where most Muslim's live/work).The first encounter was bearing witness to a fight that broke out right in front of me on Via Dolorosa (quick religious lesson: aka "The Way of Sorrows" - is the route/street where Jesus was condemned to carrying the heavy cross to Calvary). Kid 1 reached out for the Kid 2 and punched him. (note: these kids were all of 10 years old). The fight was broken up by an older man who got Kid 1 into a headlock. I have no idea what the fight was about, but eventually one of the kids threw some change at the other kid.
Wilson and I continued on Via Dolorosa only to be followed by Kid 1 -- who tries to get my attention by shouting something at me and playing an obnoxious video on his phone. He proceeds to do this for a few minutes and decides to leave after Wilson and I ignore him. Then, as we continue to walk on Via Dolorosa looking for the Cross Stations, the kids were let out of school (or so I think, since the streets were now flooded with children). Yup, as you guessed it -- this does not bode well for me and Wilson. The kids were anxious to be out of school and full of energy to attack any and all tourists walking up/down that street.
The third encounter was in the midst of kids jumping/laughing around the street. I saw an entrepreneurial kid (Kid 3) selling sweets on the street, who now was being surrounded by youthful children eagerly awaiting to buy a piece of cake/dessert. The kids do not notice my approach, but a few of them start noticing me as I turn my lens to the center of the action. I move around them, as to not disturb the entrepreneurial efforts put forth by this young child, and as I do this, Kid 4 says something to me -- and surprisingly, or I should say I was blind sighted by some kid slapping my camera! I look out from my viewfinder only to see a few kids trying to get my attention, while others were still focused on buying their after-school snack. 
I quickly said something to the effect of "stop! that's not nice. you don't do that" to Kid 4 -- thinking that would be the end of it. As I turn to take another photo, kid 4 decides to stick his finger through my camera shade and touches my lens (See photo). (You don't even want to know how much this "irked" me; ok, lets be honest - I was FURIOUS!) . I proceeded to yell at the kid, almost scolding him and letting him know that he should not be touching things that do not belong to him. Mind you, I'm towering over this kid (and i'm all of 5'3) as I speak to him and as he rants something off to me he quickly runs for the hills! By now, other kids are intrigued by what has happened and starts to shout things too... Can you imagine three to four kids banding together and shouting something at me? Yes, not a pretty sight, but even less pretty when they find out that I can retaliate. :DMoving on... Wilson and I continue to walk on ... I stop for a minute to wait for Wilson as he is taking a photo. I'm looking down my camera and Adult 1 comes up to me. Guess what he does? I see this hand come into view as he reaches for my lens! I was in disbelief. After going through what I went through with Kid 4, now an ADULT decides to reach out and grab my lens?!?! Needless to say, I was already at the tip of the iceberg!
I quickly stepped back and said "HEY!" Adult 1 says, "Let me see your lens." I figure, ok, maybe I am in the wrong (unlikely)... and I say to him -- "You can ask me to take a look at my lens without grabbing it" and he again proceeds to reach for my lens! Now, in an escalated and sterner voice, I repeat the same words. He did not heed my warning and was stupid enough to say again -- "I want to see your camera." We exchange a few heated words and Wilson enters the picture. Wilson says, "don't touch her camera. please, sir, just walk away" and touches him with one finger on his shoulder as if to push him away from me. Adult 1 says, "Hey! Don't touch me!" ... and Wilson follows up with "EXACTLY. Don't touch!" (ha ha, quite witty, i think!) ... We then walk away -- only to have shopkeepers staring at us with a curious look about them wondering what just happened outside their stalls.
Oh, and the best has yet to come. Can you believe all of this happens within a matter of 5-10 minutes? Its incredible - one after another - child to adult being difficult with tourists!
Now Wilson and I turn the corner, but still walking down Via Dolorosa ... and as we walk, we see Kid 5 (boy) cornering a girl and kicking her bag! I was in disbelief, yet again! Wilson went to chase the boy away and I checked on the girl to make sure she was ok. She was nearly on the verge of tears, but she held them back. Her friends came shortly thereafter to comfort her. WOW!
So that was my 5-10 minute experience with kids in the Muslim quarter. I was quite taken aback by their disrespect for tourists/older people and, though I should not be surprised, their complete lack of respect towards girls. I won't even go into the following day (or today) how I was laying on the ground taking a photo (back towards a group of kids who was playing around 
with their soccer ball a good distance away) decided to KICK the soccer ball directly at my back! How do I know it was not an accident? Because once I turned around to see what had happened, one of the kids ran away so fast I knew it was intentional and he was the guilty one! And, just to let you know, I was outside of a Mosque!!! a place of holyness -- and these kids were intentionally kicking balls towards strangers/tourists who were minding their own business! I have no idea how these kids developed this sense of "disrespect" to girls/older people/tourists, but something has to be said that all these bad encounters with kids occurred within the Muslim quarters.
with their soccer ball a good distance away) decided to KICK the soccer ball directly at my back! How do I know it was not an accident? Because once I turned around to see what had happened, one of the kids ran away so fast I knew it was intentional and he was the guilty one! And, just to let you know, I was outside of a Mosque!!! a place of holyness -- and these kids were intentionally kicking balls towards strangers/tourists who were minding their own business! I have no idea how these kids developed this sense of "disrespect" to girls/older people/tourists, but something has to be said that all these bad encounters with kids occurred within the Muslim quarters.Before, I sign off and you think I'm a kid hater; I'm not. As I reflect back on the day, I do not believe I was at fault or was the "provoker" in any of the scenarios; the only exception was while snapshots of the entrepreneurial kid selling his dessert - and I should have asked to take a photo - but even then, it was another child that confronted me and not the kid who was selling dessert!
Although most kids in the Muslim quarter were unfriendly and unkind to tourists (or to me), there were some kids that I found adorable, albeit most of them were in the Christian / Jewish quarter. Here are a few photos of some of the cuter/friendly/nicer kids in Jerusalem.
From left to right (double click if you want to see it zoomed):
Child eating chocolate pudding and got some on her nose (in the Muslim quarter); kid kicking a soccer ball with his friends on the playground (in the Christian quarter), kids climbing a scaffolding (in the Muslim quarter around the Mosque), child attempting to blow a horn, but fails to do so (in the Muslim quarter), and kids screaming hello to us as we're walking on Ramparts Walk (in the Christian quarter).
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