It is in this reflective space I wish to say something of the experience of Ramadan in an Arab country. A Google search or a moment in a tourist guide will tell you what you likely already know or suspect. Ramadan is a time of fasting. It is a time for solemnity. It celebrates the month of revelation of the Quran, the word of Allah, passed on by Mohammed. Muslims are required to refrain from allowing anything to pass their lips from dawn to dusk. That means no eating, no chewing gum, no smoking, no alcohol, and even in the hot summer, no water. Sex is also on the banned list. Perhaps surprisingly, I am more stunned at the water restriction. Like any devout, individuals adhere to these restrictions each to their own degree but alcohol is widely observed as a strict no-no during the whole of Ramadan. Slightly less disciplined, I stocked up on Celtia (aka "Le Biere Deluxe") before they stopped selling beer in the stores weeks ago.
So what of it all? Despite what many of us are inundated with in the media -- Palestinians and Jews fighting endlessly; multiple American wars in Muslim countries; rampant terrorism in the name of Allah; and rogue mosques planned for construction mere blocks away from Ground Zero (which by the way is farther away still than other already existing churches, synagogues, and even other mosques) – there is more to the story.
Islam literally means submission. Not Holy War. I realize I am in one of the most liberal polities in the Arab/Muslim world, but still, I have been amazed at the tolerance for others’ beliefs on display here. Well, at least tolerance of Caucasian male European tourists sporting outlandishly diminutive man-panties which are woefully mischaracterized as swimsuits. While a few Tunisians will harangue a woman not dressed modestly enough for the holy month, or interrogate a suspected Arab who orders a beer at any of the various hotel bars catering to the summer tourist crowd, others are typically left to their own devices. I am not so certain many of the Christian devout in the States would be so considerate were the tables turned. Just maybe. Nothing has intrigued me more than observing conservative Tunisian women splashing in the Med with all but faces, hands, and feet shielded from the sight of others by protective garments while topless European/Balkan/Russian/Whatever tourists perfect a golden bronze hue over all but a few protected inches of skin in their pelvic region. Considering the West has invaded, figuratively and literally, so much of Arabia, is it not impressive to see such a symbiotic relationship between disparate cultures? Granted, Sousse is a tourist town reliant on tourist money, but still. You catch my drift.
Hypocrisy is a ubiquitous component of the human condition. Nobody is perfect. But we all want others to think that we are because of insecurity or egoism. I have met many here who fail to live up to the five “Pillars of Islam” but no more or less than in any other culture anywhere else. Should we be more critical of those who are essentially like us but who, by setting the bar a little higher sometimes, fall a little bit farther? I don’t know. But I think we all learn the most when we pay more attention to those who manage to be true to their beliefs and represent the best of a particular school of thought. My landlord/Sensei Nasser is such a guy. He is Muslim, has lived abroad in England and elsewhere and somehow manages to pull off staying true to his ideals without belittling others in the process. This sort of grace, humility and dignity is a bit of a rarity in our world and most welcome wherever I find it. A sense of pride and a sense of humor represent the best of humanity. He has been kind enough to invite me to his own family’s celebratory feast at Eid al-Fitr which concludes the month of Ramadan. When I leave here, it is this notion of Islam I hope to carry with me. Not the one I see in the mass media.
For those interested…. Here are the five Pillars of Islam:
• Shahada: There is no God but Allah, and Mohammed is the Prophet.
• Sala: This is the obligation to pray – five times per day – preferably in a mosque.
• Zakat: The giving of alms.
• Sawm: Obligation to commemorate Ramadan.
• Haj: the pilgrimage to Mecca—required at least once in a lifetime if at all possible.
(Note: Jihad is not a core requirement to enter Paradise. Not to deny that war and conquest have been as much a part of Arab culture as any other – just that violence is not critical to being Muslim.)
Below are pictures of my recent trip to Kairouan – Islam’s fourth holiest city and only an hour away from my current location. I hope you will get some idea of the sensations I felt on the 105 degree day I made my first tour of this sacred Islamic site.
That’s how I see things anyway.
Keep living your own dream.
-D
Outside the Grand Mosque
Inside
Believers Only in here
A Door
Our old friend Ravi
Workin' hard for his money
Day-Glo Disco
Brian - white guy
Tunisia Pride
