Islam
So, the fact is I know NOTHING about this religion, which was kind of bad preparation on my part. I own a copy of the Quran, but never read it, and didn't even think to bring it with me ... which means I'm kind of stumbling around in the dark here.
All the same, because about 90% of the population is Muslim, I definitely hear and see things daily that make the religion seem quite interesting ... For example, my boss, Mr Zarea, is Muslim. Last night, he was driving me home and we passed Drinkies (hahaha), a liquor store. He commented on the fact that, when he was in NY, he noticed there were a LOT of liquor stores, but that isn't really the case in Cairo. I replied with a comment like, 'Well, not many people here drink, right?' Which he affirmed, because, as he firmly stated, 'Muslims don't drink. I am Muslim, don't drink.' Except he DOES, it turns out ... he explained that he actually does drink once or twice a year, generally while traveling outside the country. Furthermore, when he drinks, it isn't like a glass of wine. It is "10, 15 biras, and when I finish, my friends-" and here, he mimes picking someone up. That is to say, my Muslim boss, once or twice a year, gets absolutely PLASTERED! I don't know why I find this so interesting ... I guess it's just the fact that Islam seems like such an accepted and respected way of life here that I kind of assumed it would be more sacred. I thought that, since the Quran says not to drink, MUSLIMS WOULDN'T DRINK! Turns out that, just like Christianity, flexible adherence is okay.
Another cool thing I've seen is the Quran as theft-prevention - literally. Many stores, when they close at night, prop a copy of the Quran up on a chair in the doorway, inside the store. Anyone who breaks in through this front entrance will have to topple the chair, thus knocking the Quran on the ground! I don't know how "effective" this deterrent is, but considering the number of stores that do it - walking down Talaat Harb, a street lined with shoe stores, I'd say at least 75% of the stores had such an arrangement - it seems like a well-accepted system. And, I have to say, I think Egypt's felony and misdemeanor theft rates are both significantly lower than their American counterparts ...
I recently did some reading on the 2005 presidential and parliamentary elections in Egypt, and an organization that kept coming up was the Muslim Brotherhood. This isn't technically a "political party" - it cannot be recognized by the state, because it is religiously based, so all MB-sponsored candidates campaign as indepedents - but it still accounts for the main opposition to the National Democratic Party, which currently (and, considering the state of Egyptian politics, may indefinitely) controls the government. Anyhow, in the most recent election, the MB gained about 30% of the seats in the People's Assembly, campaigning on a slogan/platform no more developed than "Islam is the Solution." They didn't say what the problem was (except that the current government must go), and didn't say how Islam would fix it ... but they campaigned in such a way that many voters felt that, in choosing between the NDP and the MB, they would be voting either against or for Allah, against or for their religion. Clearly a cheap shot, but religion resonates so strongly here that it did work to a surprising extent.
With all that, however, Islam here isn't NEARLY so pervasive as in other Arab countries. In fact, Cairo is a liberal stronghold for Muslims - so much so that Muslims from, say, Saudi Arabia take their summer vacations in Cairo because they can get away with things here that would never be allowed at home. And my coworker Ghada was telling me that her parents actually didn't want her to wear a headscarf until she got married - far from trying to impose the religion on her, they were trying to grant her more freedom than she herself desired. She does wear the scarf, because "I ask Allah for many things, and so wish to be close to him. Allah is pleased by head-scarves." In fact, she's even planning on wearing a scarf at her wedding, although current fashion at weddings is much like in America, with white dresses displaying varying amounts of skin, and sometimes a veil.
Which brings me to what might be the most interesting thing about Islam in Egypt. In a time where the world is becoming more "liberal" in a lot of aspects, Egypt is having a resurgence of Islamic fundamentalism. My roommate Mona, whose father is Egyptian, has photos of her aunts and even grandmother without veils or scarves, and wearing dresses that I wouldn't even wear in public in America. But in the past few decades, with the economic decline, things have changed. Egypt has no social welfare system - if you can't work, you can't feed your family, and you certainly can't expect the government to step in and help you. Which means that, without a strong state structure to turn to, Egyptians were left to put their faith in their families and in Allah. Thus, the people I work with, who are living well enough - with clean food, water, and a place to live - but certainly hand-to-mouth, with no safety-net if something goes bad (Insha'allah, nothing will go wrong). Because the economy isn't one that will allow them to easily improve their situations, there's nothing left but a return to the belief that, if one is pious enough, Allah will provide protection - it's the only way that anyone has control over one's life.
All the same, because about 90% of the population is Muslim, I definitely hear and see things daily that make the religion seem quite interesting ... For example, my boss, Mr Zarea, is Muslim. Last night, he was driving me home and we passed Drinkies (hahaha), a liquor store. He commented on the fact that, when he was in NY, he noticed there were a LOT of liquor stores, but that isn't really the case in Cairo. I replied with a comment like, 'Well, not many people here drink, right?' Which he affirmed, because, as he firmly stated, 'Muslims don't drink. I am Muslim, don't drink.' Except he DOES, it turns out ... he explained that he actually does drink once or twice a year, generally while traveling outside the country. Furthermore, when he drinks, it isn't like a glass of wine. It is "10, 15 biras, and when I finish, my friends-" and here, he mimes picking someone up. That is to say, my Muslim boss, once or twice a year, gets absolutely PLASTERED! I don't know why I find this so interesting ... I guess it's just the fact that Islam seems like such an accepted and respected way of life here that I kind of assumed it would be more sacred. I thought that, since the Quran says not to drink, MUSLIMS WOULDN'T DRINK! Turns out that, just like Christianity, flexible adherence is okay.
Another cool thing I've seen is the Quran as theft-prevention - literally. Many stores, when they close at night, prop a copy of the Quran up on a chair in the doorway, inside the store. Anyone who breaks in through this front entrance will have to topple the chair, thus knocking the Quran on the ground! I don't know how "effective" this deterrent is, but considering the number of stores that do it - walking down Talaat Harb, a street lined with shoe stores, I'd say at least 75% of the stores had such an arrangement - it seems like a well-accepted system. And, I have to say, I think Egypt's felony and misdemeanor theft rates are both significantly lower than their American counterparts ...
I recently did some reading on the 2005 presidential and parliamentary elections in Egypt, and an organization that kept coming up was the Muslim Brotherhood. This isn't technically a "political party" - it cannot be recognized by the state, because it is religiously based, so all MB-sponsored candidates campaign as indepedents - but it still accounts for the main opposition to the National Democratic Party, which currently (and, considering the state of Egyptian politics, may indefinitely) controls the government. Anyhow, in the most recent election, the MB gained about 30% of the seats in the People's Assembly, campaigning on a slogan/platform no more developed than "Islam is the Solution." They didn't say what the problem was (except that the current government must go), and didn't say how Islam would fix it ... but they campaigned in such a way that many voters felt that, in choosing between the NDP and the MB, they would be voting either against or for Allah, against or for their religion. Clearly a cheap shot, but religion resonates so strongly here that it did work to a surprising extent.
With all that, however, Islam here isn't NEARLY so pervasive as in other Arab countries. In fact, Cairo is a liberal stronghold for Muslims - so much so that Muslims from, say, Saudi Arabia take their summer vacations in Cairo because they can get away with things here that would never be allowed at home. And my coworker Ghada was telling me that her parents actually didn't want her to wear a headscarf until she got married - far from trying to impose the religion on her, they were trying to grant her more freedom than she herself desired. She does wear the scarf, because "I ask Allah for many things, and so wish to be close to him. Allah is pleased by head-scarves." In fact, she's even planning on wearing a scarf at her wedding, although current fashion at weddings is much like in America, with white dresses displaying varying amounts of skin, and sometimes a veil.
Which brings me to what might be the most interesting thing about Islam in Egypt. In a time where the world is becoming more "liberal" in a lot of aspects, Egypt is having a resurgence of Islamic fundamentalism. My roommate Mona, whose father is Egyptian, has photos of her aunts and even grandmother without veils or scarves, and wearing dresses that I wouldn't even wear in public in America. But in the past few decades, with the economic decline, things have changed. Egypt has no social welfare system - if you can't work, you can't feed your family, and you certainly can't expect the government to step in and help you. Which means that, without a strong state structure to turn to, Egyptians were left to put their faith in their families and in Allah. Thus, the people I work with, who are living well enough - with clean food, water, and a place to live - but certainly hand-to-mouth, with no safety-net if something goes bad (Insha'allah, nothing will go wrong). Because the economy isn't one that will allow them to easily improve their situations, there's nothing left but a return to the belief that, if one is pious enough, Allah will provide protection - it's the only way that anyone has control over one's life.
posted by Teale at 2:59 PM
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