pilI arrived in Jordan around 10AM local time on Sunday, November 14, exhausted from a red-eye flight from Casablanca-Cairo-Amman. It's been a while since I flew into the future. Last time I did that was exactly 27 months ago when I swallowed the red pill and began my Peace Corps journey through the land of the far west. Having experienced the mix of cultures and traditions and seen first hand the practice of Islam of the Maghreb, I was curious to see another part of the Arab and Islamic World and to carry out a little pilgrimage of my own; so I embarked on a journey through the Holy Land. As I wrote in an earlier blog [In Matters of Faith: Minding My Own], I feel that it is extremely important to contextualize the Holy Scriptures. I don't consider myself to be a religious person and it may sound strange to my friends to hear that I am going on a pilgrimage, but truth is that despite not being a pious individual, I find it amazing how the tales and stories, oral traditions, and culture of this region of the world have resonated throughout the world and to some extent are still changing the beliefs and conduct of isolated pockets of the world that are just beginning to hear about the Abrahamic faiths.
I find it interesting walking through this rocky Mediterranean landscape that people in the tropics could still relate. The environments are so different. As I flew into Cairo, all I saw was a vast open expanse of sand and arid hills up until one reaches the Nile, but even the mighty Nile looks puny in the midst of the wilderness. From Cairo to Amman, we flew over the Sinai Peninsula and there I saw the wilderness that the Children of Israel supposedly wandered around for 40 years for punishment for disobeying the God of Moses. Well, after flying over it, I would say, "Dang, God, did you have to go that far? I mean, really?" As we flew into Jordan, it was more of the same except perhaps a little more colorful with some red sand hills in the distance. Upon arrival, I thought I would be greeted with a cool winter breeze, but instead I got a big waft of summer. It was such a change from the low-50s temperatures I was already dealing with in Morocco.
Supposedly according to the locals, the temperatures have been unusually high for the month. We'll see if it cools down at all while I am here. However, even it cools and rains come, it would revive the hills and turn them green, but just for a brief moment. Irrigation is helping to create more arable plots, but there's only enough water for isolated oases. It's tough to say why the stories stuck, but I believe one way of getting a better understanding is to do as the locals do or as we say "walk a mile in someone else's shoes". That I will do and will soon share those insights.
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Some Travel Details
I flew on Egypt Air. The flight took off at 12AM from Airport Mohammed V near Casablanca. The airline served us a meal at 2AM Morocco time and then an hour and half later gave us a muffin and a choice of beverage. The meals were delicious, one of the airline hostesses was extremely HOT, and the seats were decent. The flight took off a little late due to some baggage mishandling problems, but they were forthright about the issue. Due to the delay, I arrived in Cairo with only 30 minutes prior to the departure of my connecting flight to Amman. Thankfully, the airline did an amazing job of fast-tracking all individuals going to Jordan through their connecting flights lobby and they also got my luggage transferred in time. I recommend the airline.
For my return trip to Casablanca, I am going to try out UAE-based discount airline Air Arabia. Their rates are the lowest I've seen for travel through the Middle East. For instance, flights from Casablanca to Alexandria will run about $140 one way. Egypt Air flights are marketed through major online travel websites like Orbitz, Expedia, et al; Air Arabia flights are not. I have heard some stories of subpar service from Air Arabia from other volunteers. We'll see if their stories are isolated instances or the general rule. For the price though, it's tough to complain when most everyone else is charging 30-50% more for the same route. Who knows? Perhaps the service will be so good or so bad that it may merit a blog entry. Stay tuned.
Showing posts with label faith. Show all posts
Showing posts with label faith. Show all posts
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
In Matters of Faith: Minding My Own
I've gotten so accustomed to using these phrases that now I insert preemptive inshallahs before I start any future tense verb. Some of my Moroccan friends think that I'm being really considerate of God's will by inserting inshallahs at the start, middle, and end of my future tense sentences, but truth is that I don't really like to be interrupted when I'm speaking :). Who does?
To a foreigner adding all these God phrases can seem quite burdensome and odd if unaccustomed to invoking God in their native language. There are so many different phrases and using one out of place can get you some chuckles or stares and is a tell-tale sign that you haven't been in the country for very long. For Moroccans, uttering them is second nature. They add these phrases effortlessly into their conversation. The more you use them, the more respectful or pious you come across. The utterance of Allah (God) is intrinsically tied to their everyday sayings regardless if you're speaking in Darija, Tamazight, Tashelheit, or Tarifit.
During Ramadan, it seems as if people are a bit more devoted to the practice of their faith than is commonly seen throughout the year. They attend the mosque with more frequency, read the Qur'an, and wear what some consider to be more reverent attire. More men put on their skull-caps and dust off their ankle-length white tunics. People turn even more nocturnal than usual as circadian rhythms and blood-sugar levels are thrown out of whack by the sunrise to sunset fast and the late night meals. The other day as I walked around Rabat just before the break of fast, I was taken aback by how people sat in front of a hot, delicious serving of Morocco's famous harira, fat, juicy dates, sugary fried dough delicacies, and a glass of juice or milk without taking a bite or a sip at least until the imam called out the end of the fast. It was remarkable to witness this degree of self-control.
Another ritual that all Muslims should do, according to what is regarded as the five pillars of Islam, within their lifetime is the Hajj or pilgrimage to Mecca, which can run between 50-60,000DH per person for an all-inclusive travel package. For many Moroccans especially here in the rural and semi-urban towns, having that much cash available is something of a pipe dream; however, that doesn't mean that they don't think about it. If the economic circumstances would permit it, they would most certainly follow through with it without any hesitation.
Sometimes people's religious fervor can also be in-your-face, literally. During our pre-service training, we were warned that many people would approach us to speak to us about Islam with the goal of converting us. According to our cross-cultural facilitators during our PC training, he stated that the Qur'an speaks of a reward in paradise for those that bring someone into Islam. Most people have been cordial when speaking about Islam while some, perhaps by nature are belligerent and judgmental, speak about their faith in a forceful and absolutist way. Others are really sly and attempt to convert you by having you repeat the shahada, the declaration of faith, without explaining to you what you're about to say--I think most volunteers have probably unintentionally converted, but supposedly according to Muslim scholars, if one does not say the shahada knowing fully what one is saying and in earnest, then it doesn’t count. Most everyone asks if I fast and how many times I pray. When I tell them that in my old church we were not required to fast and that we did pray during church services and before meals, some have said that they like the prayer before meals idea, but found it odd that we were not asked to fast.
Any response about my former religious practices were met with comparisons. If I said that some Catholics fast for Lent for a week or up to a month, I was reminded about how much Muslims fasted. If I said that my family used to pray before meals, traveling, and before going to bed, I was reminded about how most Muslims pray five times a day. If I told them that I would go to church service twice per week, I was then told that most Muslims go to the mosque at least five times per day. Every answer was met with a response showing how much more devoted Muslims were in terms of all the things that they did.
What was absent from most of our conversations was the question of what I believed. In the U.S., there are so many denominations branching out from Christianity that often what one believes is central to one's religious or spiritual identity, but in Morocco, only a handful of people asked me what exactly did I believe. When I read Seyyed Hossein Nasr'sHeart of Islam, I began to understand the questions or the absence of some questions from my Moroccan friends and colleagues. He said that Muslims are not concerned with orthodoxy, but rather orthopraxy. It's not about what you believe, but what you do. Hence, what they say throughout the day, what they wear, the number of times they pray, the slaughtering of the sacrificial lamb, complying with Shari'a law, fasting, making the pilgrimage to Mecca, and zakat (almsgiving) are a daily demonstration of their devotion and submission to God.
Any response about my former religious practices were met with comparisons. If I said that some Catholics fast for Lent for a week or up to a month, I was reminded about how much Muslims fasted. If I said that my family used to pray before meals, traveling, and before going to bed, I was reminded about how most Muslims pray five times a day. If I told them that I would go to church service twice per week, I was then told that most Muslims go to the mosque at least five times per day. Every answer was met with a response showing how much more devoted Muslims were in terms of all the things that they did.
What was absent from most of our conversations was the question of what I believed. In the U.S., there are so many denominations branching out from Christianity that often what one believes is central to one's religious or spiritual identity, but in Morocco, only a handful of people asked me what exactly did I believe. When I read Seyyed Hossein Nasr'sHeart of Islam, I began to understand the questions or the absence of some questions from my Moroccan friends and colleagues. He said that Muslims are not concerned with orthodoxy, but rather orthopraxy. It's not about what you believe, but what you do. Hence, what they say throughout the day, what they wear, the number of times they pray, the slaughtering of the sacrificial lamb, complying with Shari'a law, fasting, making the pilgrimage to Mecca, and zakat (almsgiving) are a daily demonstration of their devotion and submission to God.
Having worked with previous volunteers, my tutor knew that I would be confronted about my Christian faith. He gave me some phrases that would help to diffuse the tension and would call to question the actions of the often self-righteous and presumptuous proselytizer. Basically, he told me to do the following: first, one shouldn't be speaking about Islam with complete strangers so one can call out people for being impertinent; second, once the person has apologized and invited you and your friends over for lunch or tea, but should they persist, one should tell them that should one decide to become a Muslim, one need not only to hear about the faith, but also to see living examples of the faith where the principles (mabadi), values (qiyam), and manners/behaviors (axlaq) are in full display; thirdly, if that doesn't prompt the proselytizer to reflect on their own lives and conduct, one can appeal to them to respect (Htrm) one's faith or call them out for being judgmental, which according to the Qur'an should only be God’s prerogative.
With religion being ever-present, it is hard not to think about one’s beliefs. Seeking to understand where people around me were coming from, I read a number of books that gave me some insight into my neighbors’ faith and how that faith shaped their values. I went through Karen Armstrong’s History of God
, which chronicled the evolution of Abrahamic faiths. Ms. Armstrong’s detailed account of the birth, expansion, inner struggles, outside influences, and future challenges of each of the three Abrahamic faiths helped me understand the context in which the divine scriptures were written and how over the centuries different people in different regions with different influences read or heard the scriptures, which helped them determine a course of action for their lives and the lives of others. Several years before coming to Morocco and before I even applied to the Peace Corps, a dear mentor of mine recommended Ms. Armstrong’s Holy War: The Crusades and Their Impact on Today’s World
, which documented the interaction between East and West and Christianity and Islam crusade by crusade. These two books gave me a lot of great insight and also gave me more of an impetus to continue learning.
, which chronicled the evolution of Abrahamic faiths. Ms. Armstrong’s detailed account of the birth, expansion, inner struggles, outside influences, and future challenges of each of the three Abrahamic faiths helped me understand the context in which the divine scriptures were written and how over the centuries different people in different regions with different influences read or heard the scriptures, which helped them determine a course of action for their lives and the lives of others. Several years before coming to Morocco and before I even applied to the Peace Corps, a dear mentor of mine recommended Ms. Armstrong’s Holy War: The Crusades and Their Impact on Today’s World, which documented the interaction between East and West and Christianity and Islam crusade by crusade. These two books gave me a lot of great insight and also gave me more of an impetus to continue learning.
I followed Armstrong's books with Nasr’s Heart of Islam
. This book was written shortly after 9/11 in the hopes of creating an interfaith dialogue and to counter the media’s negative portrayals of his faith. It’s a contrast to Armstrong who as a religious historian attempts to remain objective in her narrative. Nasr makes no excuses about what he believes and has little regard for the work of Enlightenment scholars who first attempted to describe his faith. In fact, in his preface he goes on to say that the Age of Enlightenment was “an age of the darkening of the soul and eclipse of the intellect”. Like Armstrong, he compares and contrasts various passages in the Torah, Bible, and Qur’an to show how the scriptures resemble one another. He counters the media critics who allege that Islam is a violent religion or that it supposedly endorses violence by pointing to other verses in the Qur’an that speak of tolerance, forgiveness, and peace.
. This book was written shortly after 9/11 in the hopes of creating an interfaith dialogue and to counter the media’s negative portrayals of his faith. It’s a contrast to Armstrong who as a religious historian attempts to remain objective in her narrative. Nasr makes no excuses about what he believes and has little regard for the work of Enlightenment scholars who first attempted to describe his faith. In fact, in his preface he goes on to say that the Age of Enlightenment was “an age of the darkening of the soul and eclipse of the intellect”. Like Armstrong, he compares and contrasts various passages in the Torah, Bible, and Qur’an to show how the scriptures resemble one another. He counters the media critics who allege that Islam is a violent religion or that it supposedly endorses violence by pointing to other verses in the Qur’an that speak of tolerance, forgiveness, and peace.
Later on, I came across a copy of Ayaan Hirsi Ali’s Infidel
, a book that supposedly is banned in Morocco Somalia , her brief stint in Saudi Arabia , living as a refugee in Ethiopia , her courageous escape to Europe , and her spiritual transformations make for a riveting read. Even if one objects to the characterizations about Islam, her life story is a remarkable journey. I found it insightful to read about how different people with distinctive cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds from the various countries she lived in, within and outside of the Abode of Islam, interpreted the scriptures and then applied them to their daily lives. Throughout most of the book I believe she is intending to demonstrate how someone's culture can frame the faith, but then towards the end, she seems to forget that point and resorts to making similar generalizations about the role of the faith in various aspects of Muslim society. She picks and chooses verses to show that the Qur'an endorses oppression and calls out some Muslism for not being true Muslims because they don't adhere to a literal interpretation. It's almost as if she turned into the very thing she despised.
The history and culture as Ali shows are key in the exercise of an individual, community, or a nation's faith, but I can't help but think about the socioeconomic factors at play that have put oppressive governments in power. Just recently, I read a blurb on a recent copy of The Economist magazine about the curse of oil. According to the author, one of the reasons why the U.S. has made strides in gender equality is partly due to world events that prompted change. World War I & II forced women to the workforce and in the process they gained skills and political clout in the dynamics of the family. Also, in our market-driven economy, we are constantly seeking new and innovative ways to generate domestic demand; therefore, ignoring the needs, aspirations, and ideas of 50% of the population would be bad for business. On the other hand, oil-rich countries, which also happen to make up a significant portion of the Islamic World, are export driven, mostly state-controlled, and have steady cashflows that makes it less of an imperative to diversify their economy. Also, men in some of these countries earn enough to feed the family; thus, women, aside from consumption side of an economy, are nearly absent in other areas.
I think that logic rings somewhat true in Morocco. Because they lack the oil deposits, they have a much more diversified economy where women play a much bigger role in government and business. The dynamics in a family where the wife is an income contributor is remarkably different. When our CBT group asked a cooperative about gender expectations relating to work within Islam, they reminded us that the Prophet's wife, Khadija, was the head of a large caravan trade business. The women of the cooperative did not feel at odds with their faith for pursuing a profitable trade or career. Like Ali showed the environment in which Islam is practiced will differ and in turn so will the laws, gender roles, and expectations. Socioeconomic policy can certainly influence the societal structural. I'm not saying that petrodollars are the sole cause for why for instance women in Saudi Arabia are not allowed to drive, but they can certainly prop a ruling class that may have a very rigid interpretation different from those of the women's coop I worked with and from that of other Muslim countries.
, a book that supposedly is banned in The history and culture as Ali shows are key in the exercise of an individual, community, or a nation's faith, but I can't help but think about the socioeconomic factors at play that have put oppressive governments in power. Just recently, I read a blurb on a recent copy of The Economist magazine about the curse of oil. According to the author, one of the reasons why the U.S. has made strides in gender equality is partly due to world events that prompted change. World War I & II forced women to the workforce and in the process they gained skills and political clout in the dynamics of the family. Also, in our market-driven economy, we are constantly seeking new and innovative ways to generate domestic demand; therefore, ignoring the needs, aspirations, and ideas of 50% of the population would be bad for business. On the other hand, oil-rich countries, which also happen to make up a significant portion of the Islamic World, are export driven, mostly state-controlled, and have steady cashflows that makes it less of an imperative to diversify their economy. Also, men in some of these countries earn enough to feed the family; thus, women, aside from consumption side of an economy, are nearly absent in other areas.
I think that logic rings somewhat true in Morocco. Because they lack the oil deposits, they have a much more diversified economy where women play a much bigger role in government and business. The dynamics in a family where the wife is an income contributor is remarkably different. When our CBT group asked a cooperative about gender expectations relating to work within Islam, they reminded us that the Prophet's wife, Khadija, was the head of a large caravan trade business. The women of the cooperative did not feel at odds with their faith for pursuing a profitable trade or career. Like Ali showed the environment in which Islam is practiced will differ and in turn so will the laws, gender roles, and expectations. Socioeconomic policy can certainly influence the societal structural. I'm not saying that petrodollars are the sole cause for why for instance women in Saudi Arabia are not allowed to drive, but they can certainly prop a ruling class that may have a very rigid interpretation different from those of the women's coop I worked with and from that of other Muslim countries.
After reading the Heart of Islam and Infidel, I felt I needed to formulate my own opinion about the Qur’an so I started reading it. As of November 5, I am only about a quarter of the way through it. It’s a tough book to read with a lot of complicated passages that I believe are lost in translation. Other passages are quite clear especially when speaking of the Five Pillars of Islam and I can see why many Moroccans feel comfortable telling me that I’m going to hell because I decided not to fast, but then again from what I have read, Surah 5 v. 47 of the Qur’an also states, “Let the People of the Gospel judge by that which Allah hath revealed therein.” Mid-way through verse 48 it adds, “Had Allah willed he could have made you one community. But that He may try you by that which He hath given you. So vie one another in good works. Unto Allah ye will all return, and He will then inform you of that wherein ye differ.” The first sentence of Surah 2 v. 256 says, “There is no compulsion in religion.” These passages I’m sure could be interpreted in a number of ways and should be read with as much historical context and commentary. For me, given my background, limited knowledge, and my limited capacity to understand religious scriptures, they mean that Allah has revealed Himself in different ways, He alone is the judge, and people should stop forcing others to do something in the name of religion. But don't take it from me. Read it for yourself!
Be mindful that even after reading through several Surahs, these were the verses and passages that stood out to me. Why did they stand out? Because these were the verses that my innately biased mind searched for. Back in college, we had a name for this bias. It was called selective attention. We all practice it, but few acknowledge it. My selective attention derives from growing up in an all-women household in Latin America under tough economic conditions in a conservative Christian environment. I also moved around quite a bit, and every time we moved, I heard from a different pastor who quite often focused on different passages of the Bible or interpreted various verses in his own peculiar way. Different people with different backgrounds read the Qur'an and other scriptures, and it speaks to them in different ways. Others pick out various religious scriptures that give them meaning or justifies their behavior and sometimes overlook or place less emphasis on other passages that may run contradictory to their absolutist or legalistic ideology. Some people are aware of their biases, but others are not. In an ideal world, I would have any would-be interpreter of religious scriptures add a disclaimer, similar to the pharmaceutical commercials, about their cultural and socioeconomic background and even the natural environment he/she grew up in before he/she utters one word of interpretation or offers a selection of verses. This would provide much-needed context to the individual's deliberate and unconscious biases when reading religious texts.
Be mindful that even after reading through several Surahs, these were the verses and passages that stood out to me. Why did they stand out? Because these were the verses that my innately biased mind searched for. Back in college, we had a name for this bias. It was called selective attention. We all practice it, but few acknowledge it. My selective attention derives from growing up in an all-women household in Latin America under tough economic conditions in a conservative Christian environment. I also moved around quite a bit, and every time we moved, I heard from a different pastor who quite often focused on different passages of the Bible or interpreted various verses in his own peculiar way. Different people with different backgrounds read the Qur'an and other scriptures, and it speaks to them in different ways. Others pick out various religious scriptures that give them meaning or justifies their behavior and sometimes overlook or place less emphasis on other passages that may run contradictory to their absolutist or legalistic ideology. Some people are aware of their biases, but others are not. In an ideal world, I would have any would-be interpreter of religious scriptures add a disclaimer, similar to the pharmaceutical commercials, about their cultural and socioeconomic background and even the natural environment he/she grew up in before he/she utters one word of interpretation or offers a selection of verses. This would provide much-needed context to the individual's deliberate and unconscious biases when reading religious texts.
Like I said, I’m only a quarter of the way through the Qur'an. I’m still making up my mind about what has been said. At the same time, I don’t think I will ever get to the point where I’ll have a clear understanding of anything written in any of the Divine Scriptures. Armstrong tells stories of scholars of the Abrahamic faiths who gave up trying to make sense of the Scriptures and just began to recite and sing them believing that their meaning was beyond human comprehension. I would agree with her.
Unfortunately, many are not humble enough to accept that. My prayer is that those who are aware of their inability to fully understand the Divine Scriptures will have the fortitude to stand up to those that claim to know it all or purport to carry out God’s will. As for now, when it comes to matters of faith, I'll continue to mind my own.
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