Beautiful...

How many Westerners even know Muslims say "Amen" at the end of each prayer? The words are, in many ways, echos of those that I've heard growing up (as a Roman Catholic, or a vile Papist, as the L's older relatives might have called us). Pity that so few people know how closely the Abrahamic faiths resemble each other.

Hmm, okay, must read the entire story before commenting....did not get to the business after "May the enemies of Islam..."

This piece is a winner. I took the liberty of copying it completely at my blog rather than publishing a tickler. The message is fragile enough without adding any chance of breaking the reader's attention flow.

Aquol is a great resource. Odd blend of sacred and profane, but strong medicine most of the time. Keep up the good work.

These imams are government officials picked from a pool of religious trainees, they even have a salary for God's sake. Doesn't do much for the alleged campaign to tone down confrontational rhetoric. Granted it is just a local mosque (and this IS KSA after all) but if that sort of invocation is so accepted, nay condoned by the congregation, how much of a gulf (no pun intended) still exists between the religious movement and official agendae?

Just speaking to Kao's first post, back when I attended church services, at the end of the service the parishioners turn to each other, shake hands and say "Peace be upon you" (in English). This was at a Uniting Church in rural Australia. I read recently that this is similar to how mosque services conclude - is this true, bint-al-shaitan? (Best name ever, btw.)

Sounds like every day is Little Green Footballs Day in at least parts of the Magic Kingdom.

(On "Peace be Unto You", that is done is Catholic Masses too about 3/4 of the way through.)

bint ash-shaitan, do you hear this sort of prayer often, when you do go to mosque in the KSA?

Ms 45, indeed, after the conclusion of prayers worshippers turn to each other, shake hands and usually peace be unto you and variations on the theme that one hopes the other's prayer has been accepted. I also find that there is a lot of similarity between the Lord's Prayer and Surat-al-Fatiha, the opening verse of all rak'as.

Zurn, sadly yes, sometimes in harsher and more specific terms and always followed by resounding support from the congergation. Leaving aside the obvious overlooked minor detail that Christians and Jews are people of the book, how do you reconcile this call for ethnic cleansing with the fact that many Muslim husbands (and Saudi men are not exempt) are married to Christian women not only from the West but also the Arab World?

QED

1:1 In the name of God, the most merciful, the ever merciful:
1:2 Praise be to God, the Lord of the Universe.
1:3 The most merciful, the ever merciful.
1:4 Master of the Day of Judgment.
1:5 You alone we worship. You alone we ask for help.
1:6 Guide us on the straight path;
1:7 the path of those whom You have blessed, not of those who have deserved wrath, nor of those who stray. Amin.

Our Father, who art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy Name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
As we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
and the power,
and the glory,
for ever and ever.
Amen.

ya ukhti,

how sad that your moment of spiritual connection should be rudely torn asunder by bigotry.

i am not surprised that such calls are well-received. propaganda works.

i am, however, curious how you personally deal with this situation in general: do you practice your very own "taqiya", do you speak up, do you try to find like-minded muslims?

--raf*

Reminds me of the last time my mother darkened the door of a church when I was around 10. The priest got all emotional about some political rant, breaking down and crying at one point. I was too young to know/care what the deal was, just that it was pretty creepy and didn't have anything to do with Jesus. It was not long after this that I discovered Chick Tracts and there was no turning back. I was an atheist by the time I was 12.

However, while bizarre "followers" are the leading cause of atheism worldwide, the stories are pretty bizarre too.

raf*, I know propaganda works, the point is that when is at such a grass roots level, how can it be uprooted? The government can only impose policies and reform from the top down and its fear of the informal religious establishment is so huge that its spearheading of an anti-terror campaign is rendered blunt. Never thought I would agree with the official line as opposed to the unoffical line.

ya ukhti,

so what's your answer to my question, then?

--raf*

Bint, excellent work, as always.

I have an off topic question regarding the niqab

In a recent WaPo online discussion, the commentator had this to say,

Mona Eltahawy: Thank you for your question. I agree with you.

I don't believe that a face veil is a requirement. It is a cultural and tribal tradition.

I lived in Saudi Arabia for six years. Women wear the face veil there if the head of their tribe deems they should. It has nothing to do with religion.

Is this correct? Is the niqab tribal-based in Saudi Arabia?

Is this correct? Is the niqab tribal-based in Saudi Arabia?

Not at all, the niqab is found in all parts of the Muslim world including areas that do not practice Wahabi based Islam. The niqab and the hijab however are personal choices and most families and especially Gulf societies impose them on their female members. The niqab is only more popular in the Kingdom because of the nature of Quranic and Sunna interpretation popular there, i.e one that favours the most extreme choice on the premise that it is better to err on the side of caution.

I am slightly surprised that El Tahawy would claim that the niqab has no basis in religion, it is a rather tenuous link from the texts to the fard (i.e obligation) but nontheless it is based on that link that Muslim women around the world choose to wear it.

ya akhouya, do you speak up? What do you call this?

do you try to find like-minded muslims? Like minded people ya akhouya, like minded people.

Dear Bint,

your response re: niqab is off. Mona herself doesn't believe it's fard. She didn't say that others don't believe it's fard. And it IS a cultural tradition. In KSA, as in other societies, veiling is primarily connected with trying to maintain the honor of the family (and/or tribe, where it exists). Religious dogma is a vehicle for something else.

The Qur'an only says something vague about modest clothing - that it should include niqab is culturally proscribed. There are divergent opinions among Muslim scholars about the issue - please note that in the Islamic Republic of Iran the niqab is NOT obligatory and is, indeed, only seen among Arab inhabitants of the Gulf coast. (And among Afghan refugees, but there it is ALSO cultural.)

Maybe a post about veiling & the "new veiling" is in order ...

--Matthias

I rather think you're talking past each other, but a quick note: Bint is right, various forms of the Niqab are found throughout the Muslim world - and of course it should be added both niqabing and non-niqabing have co-existed historically.

I'd note, however, that the freakish ninja and gloves outfit is a very neo-Wahhabite thing.

ya ukhti,

i call THIS here not exactly "speaking up" as you are among already like-minded people. with "speaking up" i meant "among the congregation, the family, etc."

do you discuss it with your mom, your family, your friends, house guests?

and re: likeminded muslims - i am, again, referring to people in the magic kingdom. is there such a thing as a network of people like you? or is one being formed?

--raf*

and re: likeminded muslims - i am, again, referring to people in the magic kingdom. is there such a thing as a network of people like you? or is one being formed?

What those who speak up for the rights of other people of the book? I think not!

I restrain myself as much as possible with family and friends, lest I expose shall we say, some other unacceptable surpressed convictions.

Anon, it appears our answers may seem confusing so to clarify.

The faces (or lack thereof) of niqab may differ culturally (e.g the ninja form the Lounsbury amusingly identifies) but those who don it claim a religious link. raf* even the verses that decree hijab are not specific and the delineation of the face and hands as the acceptapbly exposed areas comes from a hadith. We are not discussing the validity of the 'niqab as an obligation' conclusion, granted there are some areas where culturally the niqab is more popular but that does not explain the choice of women who wear it in places like Egypt and Sudan. Islam may have been used as a vehicle to promote niqab, but weak, vague or tenuous, there is a link.

As-Salaam 'Alaykum
Ramadan Karim

Alhamdulillah for diversity. There are also masajid where the Imam prays for the guidance of the "enemies of Islam". Check out my folks the Haba'ib of Hadramawt.

Wa aleikum Gabriel, I am aware of the fact that there are mosques that merely call for guidance of the enemies, I am not sure whether even that is such a benevolent invocation.The point is it does happen, more than is acceptable. Besides, Al Habeeb is a Sufist.