Islam and honest opinions

This is a GREAT video

Check out the guy with the sign at 2:53 hahahaha! 

Lately I've had people ask me, "What do Americans think about us Muslims?" And automatically, my mind jumps to wackos like this. Not only is he publicly saying that he is against Islam, which we have the right to do, but he is bashing and demoralizing the religion. It's not really fair when 1. he is making FAT generalizations, 2. all religions are capable of manipulation religious text for violent causes, etc. 3. he is basing his judgement on one very tragic act that has unfortunately tainted the Muslim community. 

But in response to this question, I take a few extra seconds to reflect. It's a hard question to answer. I am American, but I don't view Muslims any differently than just as humans like myself. I know there are people who are indifferent, people who might be attracted to the religion, and people who might be afraid of it out of innocent ignorance, and people who hate it for the wrong reasons like this dude. So I say that due to 9/11, a lot of people are afraid of Islam, because they don't understand it.  

Now that a lot of time has passed, the fear has diminished and people are not judgmental, most people anyways. But I would bet even a lot of people in my little country hometown are judgmental, cracking inappropriate "jokes" that are racist but claim to just be an innocent. I say that I myself have no problems with Islam, simply that I didn't understand it either, but I wanted to, and that's one of the reasons I chose to come to Marseille. 

Here in Marseille, I'd say every 1 out of 3 women I see wear the veil. Very, very few cover themselves completely. I've only seen a handful of them. But here it is part of the daily scenery, and I have no problem with that. However I often reflect on the veil because it has become so politicized in discussion of Western politics. Here in France, to comply with la laicite, which translates to our secularism (which we don't really follow- perhaps I should write a whole separate blog post on that), all religions signs are technically forbidden in public areas belonging to the state (i.e. schools, government buildings, etc.)- yamikas (sorry if I spelled that wrong), crosses, veils, etc. If the French state is neutral in regards to all religions, it has to represent this position in all areas, not just in policy but it must be practiced. This I agree with, but it does get tricky when Muslim children who want to wear their veil can't at school while it is a part of their identity, etc. A lot of people think that forbidding the veil is targeting Islam. 

Here's my response, and it may be harsh: It's not the French state's fault that wearing the veil is a religious sign which happens to be much more obvious and sometimes not a choice within Islam, while within Christianity there are no religious garments required. The French state is laic, "secular" and it is simply following the rules. HOWEVER, at the same time, while I agree with French laicite or secularism, I am personally not against the right to wear religious garments in these places. Even though I agree with the political neutrality to all religions, I personally am not offended by religious signs. And see the thing is, while it's the French states' neutrality, it also shows to some people who France is afraid of "becoming Muslim." That is some people's fear anyways. I read a quote in a text we were reading for my religious communication class that said, "A Muslim's worst fear is for a non-Muslim to fear him or his religion." That's to say, Muslims know they are feared by some, and they don't want it that way.. so outlawing the veil makes them frustrated because they feel misunderstood. I think it's a combination of misunderstandings, because they must understand that it is the French states' attempt to be neutral and encourage a neutral perspective on the citizen's level as well.

I love the diversity that Islam and the veil brings to Marseille. Their religion and their culture is an extremely nurturing and generous one, and they are some of the warmest people- I experienced this in Morocco but also in Marseille. I connect with people when I tell them I went to Fez, and if they happen to be Moroccan, I can count on a response with something like, "OH I am from a nearby city! Isn't my country beautiful? Didn't you just love it? Next time you are there, you are welcome to my home." Seriously, it's happened a number of times. And it just makes me smile. 

So I say to those who fear Islam, there is nothing to fear... 

I will have to say though that although I am not against the veil, I do struggle with some of the reasons that some women choose to put it on. In Morocco we had a discussion with a group of women who wear their veil. In terms of reasons, here were some of the responses:

1. Form of protection from men

2. Personal/religious conviction, Allah wills it so I wear it

3. Part of my cultural and religious identity in general

There were some other nuanced responses but they were all basically leading back to these main three. That's what I gathered anyways. And I have reproaches to two of them:

1. Form of protection from men- some of the girls disagreed with this because really, it's only a form of protection in the sense that it provides a peace of mind. If you wear the veil, you are seen as more pure and respectful and therefore will receive less attention. But that's not always the case, if you're really pretty, you're really pretty and guys will give you attention anyways. The question us Westerners asked, was, why not create a culture or teach the males a way of thinking where the women don't need to cover their bodies completely in order to gain respect and not be given attention in the streets? Women shouldn't have to go into defense mode, it's the men who owe them respect from the beginning. All said that there are verses in the Coran that command men to lower their eyes towards women to show respect. But it's not done, and we still viewed that as an inequality between the sexes. So we struggled with this question...

2. Allah wills it- Islam holds that a woman is a pure and precious thing to protect. A thing. Hm.. I don't like that. A woman has characteristics that separate her from a man but do not lower her, in my opinion. Both sexes are to be appreciated and respected, as all humans are "pure" in the sense that Islam holds, but why are women to be hidden in order to protect them? That's why the veil exists, or at least that's how some of the girls explained it. The veil hides the woman so that her purity and beauty is protected. One could say that's putting the woman on a pedestal...... But it's lowering her in my opinion. Now I am not saying that every Muslim woman is under-appreciated and lowered in her social context or her family, I'm just saying that in Islam, there is already a gender separation that is stronger than in the other two Monotheisms.

 If wearing the veil is a part of your religious or cultural identity, then so be it. I understand that. It is like a t-shirt, it's a normal garment that is part of everyday wear. I get it. It's just when you do it simply because your religion demands you to, well I could never do that. I do what I want (haha that sounds so ignorant, but really...) and I will question the authority of a "God" or "prophet" because why would I do something I don't agree with just because some book tells me to? With all honesty that's how I see it- but to them, the Coran is not just some book and they take pride in following Allah's will. So I respect that 100%. I just can't agree with it is all. 

It was a very fascinating discussion. I found that I walked away feeling dissatisfied and with more questions, I didn't agree with all of their answers, and the whole time I wondered, these women are asking for our respect but do they respect us for not wearing the veil? Do they see us as impure and lacking respect for our own bodies? One woman was quite pious and I could tell, she spoke very strongly and with conviction to Islam, in a way that made me feel uncomfortable that I wasn't Muslim. Like she was secretly judging me and pitying me. She said that to not wear the veil is to lack respect for your body as a woman, woah there I respect my body and I don't wear the veil and I show my skin a lot. I had a problem with that. But the rest of the girls were so kind and sweet and curious about us too and they simply were explaining their perspectives, while that one other woman was on the defense. But we weren't there to be on the offense. 

In all, I have learned a lot about Islam this semester and the culture within it. And might I add, there is definitely a difference between Occidental Islam and Oriental Islam. Islam that is developing in France for example, in order to for mosques to exist and stuff, has to comply with the ideals of the French constitution- equality of the sexes, neutrality towards other religions, et cetera. It's very interesting. I love the culture, even though I will never be truly a part of it. I say Insha'allah and Alhamdullilah all the time, as do many of my classmates, and sometimes when we're with Muslims they laugh and respond with, "Oh you're Muslim now are you?" Haha, but really I just love the expressions. I like the ability to adopt little things like that into my own individual culture. 

I am grateful for the chance to learn about Islam and break down preconceived notions... only adding to my ability to try and be more culturally relative and objective rather than subjective. In my interreligious communication class we learned about the theory Relativism- everything has value in it's own cultural or religious context (everything being values, customs, teachings, etc.) It holds that we cannot place ignorant or subjective judgment because it all depends on the cultural context in which X factor exists. I love discussing stuff like that...

Well, this was a very impromptu post. I wanted to simply post the video but then I got on a rant. I think this will lead into my next post being about my trip to Morocco as I already touched on it a bit in this post. Afterwards I hope to write about French laicite versus American secularism. I wrote a paper on that and I am really interested in the topic so I will share some observations for that... 

My family gets here in less than 24 hours, I am so excited!

Bises mes amis,

Katherine

Ce n'est pas un adieu, c'est un au revoir

Photos from Sara and Suzie's last night out in Marseille.

Sara, until next time sista! 

Suzie, see you in a month girly!

Reflexions

I think it's timely that I give everyone an update, especially after this past week's events, here and in my other home...

Ever since we got back from Morocco, time flied. They warned us of that, and they were right to. I wish I could give you all specific details of my time here and how I spent it this past month but really, even though I have some specific things to talk about, it wouldn't do my time here any justice. I want everyone to know what's going on, but sometimes it's just so hard to transfer my experience over into words that capture the feeling. Being abroad to some people is the fashion or the food or the romance, but that's missing the point by a long shot. Life is different abroad not just because of physical things, but because you learn to think and see things differently (in another language too) and that changes you. You create a whole separate life that no one but you can understand. I really feel like I live here now. How do you want me to tell you that this past week was one of the best weeks of the semester? It was great for this reason and that, but that won't mean to you what it means to me. So I have a hard time putting the energy into going into real detail about those things anymore. I still do (for those lucky ones out there ;)) but it's also made me realize who is truly important to me. I can already tell how much I have changed and grown up, because I no longer waste my time worrying about things I can't control (okay, relatively speaking). I see and understand the world and people differently. It's one of the most beautiful gifts I've ever received. I still have six months left, alhamdullilah, and I can't imagine what other changes I will be going through in that time...

This is not to say that home means less to me now, or that the people I truly care about at home mean less. On the contrary. It just means I know how to separate the two worlds, two lives, and I'm okay with that separation. It's reality... But this brings me to my next subject: The massacres. In Clackamas Town Center by my home, and in Connecticut. I have had many French ask me how I'm doing and how everyone at home is doing because of these tragedies, and it's so touching. To hear about it on French news is really interesting. But honestly what makes me cry is seeing all the pictures and posts on news sites and Facebook about it, and thinking of the families and how that morning they sent their little loved one to school like any other day, only to discover that some fucked up kid took his own problems out on 20 innocent beings. It's the most disgusting thing a person could do. To a human, not just children, but to someone who has life. We don't have the right to take an innocent life. It makes my heart heavy, I woke up these past few days, while happy, feeling like something was wrong. It's interesting how this kind of event has effected all of us Americans while we're abroad. Here's my opinion on guns. Yes, people kill people, not guns. But people with guns kill more people than people without guns. People buy guns to protect themselves from other people with guns. It's a vicious cycle. I'm sorry but you cannot argue that point. It's futile, it's pointless, it's plain stupid. If it was actually difficult to get a gun, or if we just didn't have the right to one (because we don't need them........), then so many of these problems would be solved.... I don't know too much about the critics' opinions in France, but I know they want Obama to make political change and they are horrified for us because it's one of the worst modern massacres we've seen... I'll share some quotes from an article in Le Monde, a reputable French newspaper...

“Les larmes ne suffisent pas. Si l’Amérique veut éviter que de telles tragédies se reproduisent, il faut faire de la politique. Maintenant." – "Tears do not suffice. If America wants to avoid such tragedies like these from happening again, it must make political change. Now."

France recognizes that these things happen around the world, even in pacifist countries, yet it claims America as "the theater of repetitive shootings": "Les Etats-Unis sont le théâtre de fusillades à répétition parce qu'il est beaucoup trop facile de se procurer des armes. Le taux d'homicide y est cinq fois plus élevé qu'en France, celui par arme à feu seize fois plus fréquent qu'en Allemagne." - "The United States is the theater of repetitive shootings, because it is so much easier to own an arme. Le homicide rate is 5 times that of France's, and 16 times more frequent than in Germany." What does that tell you?!

The last important thing, that I touched on already: People say this all the time, but I don’t get buy their argument… "Ce ne sont pas les armes, mais les gens qui tuent". Les gens désarmés tuent moins" - "'It's not the guns, but people who kill.' People without guns kill less."  

What argument do you have against that, huh? I'd really, REALLY like to hear a legitimate response. Because I don't see one. And excuse my language, but it's an issue that shouldn't be a fucking issue. Come on people, a little political change for our protection isn't going to hurt us. 

That being said, onto another subject... 8 of the other Americans are leaving this weekend. Last weekend we had a large birthday party at Max's for Sara and Nick and then after we went to the Vieux Port, it was so fun to go out all together! One of my favorite memories of the semester. It was eventful for all of us that night... :) Last night we had our Soiree d'Adieu, and I cried. A lot of us cried. I just felt especially grateful for my classmates. They're a great bunch. Throughout the semester we  had "secret admirers" and we were supposed to observe the person and the changes we see in them over the span of the four months we're all together, and then tell them at the end what we noticed. Sara and I had each other, and while everyone's letters to their admirers were sooo touching and made us all a little emotional, but I burst into tears when Sara said to the class, "My secret admirer may be a secret but it is no secret that I adore you... KATHERINE." It was so sweet!! Merci Sara pour tes mots de gentillesse :) We're a little family and I am going to miss that so much. I can only hope that Suzie and Brenda and I will be able to transfer that familial ambiance into the next group, or that we won't have to at all and it will feel just as natural, even if different. I am excited to welcome two girls from my school to Marseille, and meet the others coming from America, and to get to know the two girls coming from Aix better. I couldn't be happier with my life right now. I literally honestly don't think I've ever been this happy before (KNOCK ON WOOD. don't wanna jinx it...) and I feel so humbled and grateful for this experience and mostly the personal connections I'm making with people. I really feel Marseillaise. This is my city now. I am spending more and more time with French people and people of Arabic origin, too, and I just feel fascinated by what I'm learning about people who live here all of the time. It's so wonderful. But with this week's events, saying goodbye, and the massacres, I felt really emotional this week. And I just feel guilty for being so happy when there are people enduring such pain right now... yet happy that I am so happy, I can't make myself feel guilty for something I have nothing to do with... 

I also forgot to talk about going to Norway to see Erin!! First of all, I am happy to announce I had NO TRAVEL COMPLICATIONS, alhamdullilah. My experience coming to France seriously scarred me... ahaha. Anyways, it was cold as ________ < insert exaggeration/inappropriate phrase here. Seriously, 1 minute outside and my legs were numb and my face hurt. No wonder that country only has 5 million habitants!! But as soon as I saw Erin, we ran up to each other, hugged really hard and sobbed in each other's arms and didn't let go. The emotion came out of the blue, even though we expected that to happen, I was fine up until that moment. We kind of caused a scene, so people either thought we're lesbian, or someone died, or I'm not sure what... But we didn't care. Seeing her for those two and a half days was wonderful. Oh how we laughed! And reminisced and discussed and all those things I miss doing with my girls face to face. Skype just isn't the same... I met several of her friends and we walked around and ate out a lot :) We went out both nights in a row but we were awfully lazy... :) My camera broke so I have mediocre pictures and from now on all the pictures on my Facebook and here will be stolen from other people's cameras until I get it fixed or get a new lens :/ Major bummer...

Tonight is Sara's last night in France :( We're going to have dinner at Manu's and then go out for one last time. I'm exhausted, I have been going to bed very late lately............ But it's worth 100% of it. I have a month long, relaxing vacation that awaits me and my lovely family is going to be here in just under 5 short days!!!! And then before I know it Suzie will be back for spring semester and the crazy shenanigans will begin once again, insha'allah. 

Here are some photos, and I promise a detailed description of Morocco soon. And I mean it, cause I'm gonna be hella bored these next couple days haha. 

Sara and Nick's birthday

Our professor took us to Starbucks!

Me, Alexandro and Suzie!

Caro Suzie et moi!

Polenta "A l'etale" (Polenta Sdraiata) Spread polenta for Sara's birthday dinner! Right off the table

Erin and I!!

My lovely classmates