GLASGOW – A Scottish Muslim adventurer has become the first Muslim to cross the icy wastes of Greenland, making the grueling trek from North to South.
“It was three weeks of peace and serenity, meditating and connecting with the universe and our creator, away from civilization and its distracting noises,” the adventurer Mostafa Salameh told Herald Scotland.
“A state of mind that makes us appreciate all that we have in this life and do not take things for granted.”
Crossing the world’s largest island, Salameh and his team spent three weeks skiing across snow and ice for 1,600 miles long from North to South.
The team was also pulling a 100 kg sled stocked with supplies, finishing the grueling trek last week.
During the trek, he had to dodge polar bears and cope with wildly fluctuating temperatures which rose from well below freezing start of the trip to a balmy 20 degrees at the end.
“Polar Bears were the spice of our adventure, we saw some of them from a distance,” he said.
“Luckily, they were looking for seals, who in turn were hiding beneath the ice waiting for summer to give birth to their babies. However, the constant watchfulness made us alternate guarding our camp during the night.
“I spent every night watching the area for two hours. Thank God none came close.”
Successful Treks
Salameh, a Scottish-Jordanian Muslim, has previously climbed Everest, reached the peaks of the seven highest mountains on each of the continents, and made it to the North Pole and South Poles.
He described the adventure as “wonderful”, despite the hardship of blisters, weightloss and aching muscles.
Salameh grew up in a refugee camp before coming to study in Edinburgh.
He has received a number of awards for his adventures, and was knighted by the King of Jordan for his services to charity after raising more than £2 million.
He dedicated the adventure to King Abdullah II of Jordan, the Jordanian people, the Arab people, and to all of Scotland.
“What kept me going through this challenging journey is my aim to raise high and proudly the Jordanian flag on top of new remote spots, also in support of cancer patients, especially the King Hussein Cancer Centre, for refugees everywhere, and to support the first Jordanian women team, aiming to summit Everest 2018 and for my adopted home Scotland.”