So the professor of my gender studies class is a really nice professor from the local university, and she is determined to rid us of our negative images and stereotypes of Islam. The only thing is, we don’t really have negative stereotypes of Islam, maybe some misconceptions, but especially the Muslim girl in the program, we have all been exposed to the religion before and we are all college educated, studying abroad, and so are at least somewhat accepting of and knowledgeable about religious diversity. In Fatima (my professor)’s view, however, this is not the case. She asked us what we associated with Islam, and my “devout religious people” somehow turned into “religious fanaticism and extremism” when she wrote it on the board. She also wrote terrorism and violence though I don’t think anyone said those at all. My friend Erin was saying how when she was in middle school she had traveled to Syria, so she was exposed to even a more extreme version of Islam then but thought that things like the call to prayer were really beautiful and the people were so friendly, and Fatima asked, “but before you went you were afraid, right?” Erin leaned over to me and whispered, “before I went I was in eighth grade and had a crush on a boy in my art class and didn’t really think anything about Islam.” According to Fatima, a negative image of Islam as some kind of “opposition to modernity,” is not just limited to westerners. She says that the students in her class, even the Muslim ones, see their religion as traditional and unmoving in the face of modern culture. So, she took a long time outlining how Islam calls for interpretation and change, how it is a religion of scholars and scientists, and how inherently it is all about gender equality, these things have just been overruled by patriarchal traditions that have corrupted Islam’s true meaning. Well, of course, with me, she is preaching to the choir, which makes for kind of a boring lecture, but I do want to remember some things in particular that I think are really beautiful about the religion of Islam when you look at how those things have positively manifested themselves in Arab societies (as opposed to the gender equality thing, which hasn’t quite caught hold).
First, is the idea of helping your neighbor. The public services here pretty much just suck. There is no social security and very little public funding for any kind of medical care or anything like that unless you work for the government. But the social services, in reality are not as terrible because people really do take care of each other. People give to beggars what they don’t need, you can call on any family at any time for anything, and the whole network of favors is just kind of amazing. Definitely not a replacement for official help, but still amazing. Everyone really is family in this country and the loyalty and help to that family is a number one priority.
Next, in Islam there is nothing separating you from God, which I think is really special. There is no third party, no mediator; they have religious scholars and people who sing prayers but no priests or anyone to confess too. If you want to talk to God, well, there you go. This also means that there is no hierarchy within the “church” (in theory). Everyone is equal because everyone is directly connected to Allah.
I also really like how Islam and the Quran encourage education and the continuous re-interpretation of texts. Life was made to change and grow and the religion places a lot of importance on knowledge and reading and growing in faith. Now, of course you can point to people who claim that modernization is Westernization and demoralization but I think that more and more even in the Arab world, people are regaining a commitment to re-read religious texts and apply them aptly to today’s world, stressing the benefits of technology and education for all Allah’s people.
Finally, there is the idea in Islam that you should live and love. As in, self control is good, but self deprivation is bad. Sex is not evil (ok so alcohol is evil, but whatever) but eating is good and running is good and enjoying life is good! Sure, they fast during Ramadan, but overall, earthly pleasures are not evil and you shouldn’t do things that keep you from enjoying this life. Don’t overindulge, but live a little.
I know that these things are not unique to Islam, you can find similar ideas in a lot of religions and sects and blah. But what I have seen in Morocco is that because it is such a religious country, when these aspects of Islam are good parts of society they are really really really good. So, myth busted, not all Muslims are terrorists. And guess what, every religion has its dark spots in history and modern life but remember the loving your neighbor part? That part could/can/does do so much more.
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