GHS208-01 Spring 2020 China and the Islamic Middle East

During the time of starting off on our electronic learning days and no-longer staying at college I figured it would be appropriate to touch on COVID-19 in the Middle East. What better thing to talk about than the countries we are currently addressing in class, and the thing that’s put us all studying at home stuck behind our screens all day.

A minor coincidence in speaking on this topic side by side with the corona virus is that Iran is one of the most widely hit countries by the virus with almost 16,000+ infections in the country. The Middle East is now one of the countries that is beginning to shut down. I for one am extremely curious as to how this is going to bode for a region that is generally encapsulated by war and politics is going to handle the entire process. While countries left and right begin to shut down and try to plateau this disease, this region of the world has a rather insane amount of people affected by the disease.

Now though not only is the country beginning to close down, even prayers are becoming cancelled, not just the closing of bars and restaurants. These prayers as well as even pilgrimages have been called off. An insane thing to see while the world is being ravaged by a new virus, while we in America seem most stuck on all these things that we don’t need such as the NBA. Some people can’t do the things that they feel their religion most calls them to do. Just something I think everyone should be thinking about.

With the outbreak of COVID 19, obviously everyone’s lives have been altered in some fashion, and many places have had to close down, whether that be businesses, schools, or places of worship. However, I think that it’s been very interesting to watch how different religions and different places of worship handle this outbreak in a comparative sense. After volunteering at the Al-Fajr Islamic center for my ICR and attending a catholic church while I’m home, I’ve been able to experience two very different cultures over this time period and how they handle the situation differently. Although I obviously haven’t been able to be on site to volunteer at the mosque recently, I’ve been in contact with them and have gotten information on what they’re doing to handle the situation. The Al-Fajr center has completely canceled all prayer services for the next several weeks in order to prevent the spread of COVID 19. This seems like the best course of action at this time, and I would definitely like to know how exactly the community is reacting to it. However, just last weekend the catholic church I normally attend was still open for mass all weekend. They assumed that any young healthy people that still wanted to attend mass should be free to do so. However, the small amount of people that showed up were at risk old people. With this they have been forced to rethink their choice to keep the church open. This made me really think about the differences in our communities. If Al-Fajr remained opened who would have still showed up? Is the fact that the mosque closed immediately and the catholic church didn’t a blatant difference in how these separate communities think? I think that outbreak has posed a lot of these hypothetical questions, and although there are no clear answers, it certainly is interesting to think about.

As cases of COVID-19 have been increasing rapidly by the day I questioned how countries our class studies have been effected. In the past week countries such as our own have been tragically affected by this virus. As everyone would love for life to return to normal many have taken precautions to limit the spread of the virus. Specifically in countries with high populations of Muslims have used their own religious practices to fight against the virus.

An article states that many Muslims practice “ritual purity” before praying. This consists of bathing, washing hands and faces before prayer. Experts say that these practices may be what is needed to stop the spread of the virus.

Having these practices of cleansing often may be decreasing cases without Muslims taking extra practices. In addition Muslims have been cleansing with hand sanitizer in addition to water to remove more germs. In addition many mosques have stopped holding services in order to promote social distancing. My own Catholic church has done the same, stopping Sunday mass for the next two weeks in order to stop the spread.

Our world is rapidly changing with this virus. Besides these religious practices, everyone must focus on stopping the spread of this virus so our lives can become normal once again.

After seeing the pictures of Mecca before and after the coronavirus outbreak, I was curious about how Muslims are dealing with restrictions on pilgrimages. Saudi Arabia has banned foreign Muslims from visiting Mecca, the Kaaba, and Muhammad’s mosque in Medina. The hajj takes place July 28, so for now, it is expected to happen, but if the virus continues to be an issue at this time, it could cancel this pilgrimage. Iran has banned Friday prayers, and many other countries are asking Muslims to use their own prayer mats and to pray at home. For a religion that is based on the idea of worshipping together as one collective faith group, the coronavirus can fundamentally change that. These are restrictions are interesting because normally faith takes precedent over the government, and I wonder if religious groups will ignore some of these restrictions in favor of their faith. This is a time when many people are praying and turning to religion for comfort amidst the uncertainty of the virus, and it will be difficult for Muslims and other religious groups to continue as normal in spite of new restrictions.

Almost a month ago today, I posted a blog post about how Coronavirus was reported in the China Times. One month later, there is a much greater spread of COVID-19 with many countries across the globe affected. I thought it would be interesting to compare the news reports of COVID-19 from different areas of the country, especially those that pertain to our class.

News report from China, published in People’s Daily: People’s Daily is the largest newspaper group in China, the official paper of the Central Committee of the Communist Party in China, and published worldwide. A brief glance at the homepage of the website indicate that China is conveying prominent news, but it is trying to do so in a way that provokes nationalism for Chinese readers. A few titles of articles featured on the homepage include:

·       “Italian people sing their gratitude for Chinese help”

·       “China’s experience in battle against COVID-19 brings hope to the world”

·       “Trump calls coronavirus the ‘Chinese Virus,’ the world disagrees”

There are several other articles featured on the homepage that promote China’s cultural and entertainment news, including sporting events and fashion shows. Comparing the homepage of this news site to one of the American press sites, the articles aim to promote more positive feelings about China and the way it is handling life amidst the pandemic. The Chinese communist government strictly regulates news and press, so it is understandable how the government would want to invoke these feelings as opposed to provoking fear, disappointment, or concerns about the government’s choices.

According to Statista, the most popular news site in America was Yahoo News as of May 2018. The article titles featured on the homepage of Yahoo News are much grimmer:

·       “Sanders whacks Trump, says the 1^st coronavirus priority is to ‘shut this president up right now’”

·       “Hackers attack health agency amid virus crisis”

·       “Italians sound dire warning on coronavirus”

Every media site conveys its opinion and tone through its articles, but it is evident that the American media is stimulating more depressive feelings than the media does in China. This is understandable considering the regulation of China’s media, but the American media can be blamed for causing extreme panic in the United States. There are many different news sites that the American public go to for accurate news reports, but it is difficult to assess which news reports are truthful and which are not.

I wanted to blend the first unit of Islam into the assessment of the coronavirus in global news. Indonesia is the country with the largest portion of Muslims; however, I struggled to find a trusted news site that could be translated into English. India is another country that has a largest percentage of the global Muslim population, and it too is struggling with the coronavirus pandemic. India Times is the third-largest newspaper in India. I examined some of the key articles featured on its homepage:

·       “Why social distancing matters for India’s nurses, doctors, and poor people”

·       “Nobody is safe! Doctor who treated India’s 1^st Coronavirus victim tests positive for COVID-19”

·       “It’s not all gloom: India has successfully cured 13 Coronavirus patients”

The India Times also featured articles about cultural activities and other types of positive news. The India Times appears to present a blend between the grim American news sources and the potentially overly positive Chinese news. With the world consumed in COVID-19, it is interesting to analyze the similarities and differences between news reports, as that is how the public stays informed on the health crisis that exists today.

This post will be about the short story The Chameleon and how I see this story in my daily life.

This is the first short story in Cairo House and it involves the author finally returning to Egypt after leaving her family for France. The author deals with adjusting to her life in Cairo and hopes to achieve her goal of finding her two children. While on the plane, she meets a couple from Minnesota. When talking with them, she was asked where she was from. Truthfully, she told them she was from New Hampshire. She gave this answer in order to avoid conflict because even though her answer was correct, she is Arabic and from Cairo. She thinks about how she has to now adapt to her previous life of living in Egypt, even though at the end, she is very well accustomed to her current surroundings.  When getting of the plane, she is asked if she has a visa, to which she answers with “no” but states she is from Cairo. It is revealed that she is revealed to be related to someone important in Cairo and starts speaking Arabic with this airport worker. After her talk, she notices that her image from the Minnesota couple’s perspective has changed.

This story deals with living with two different lifestyles and trying to not favor one for the other. The main quote states “the true chameleons are the ones who straddle two worlds, segueing smoothly from one to the other, adjusting language and body language, calibrating the range of emotions displayed, trending the tightropes of mannerisms or more.” I can’t understand the difficultly of being a chameleon, but I know especially for people who come to America how difficult it is for them. The problem isn’t necessarily adjusting to their new lifestyle, but being accepted and not being judged by other people. Just because people come from different countries doesn’t mean they have to fully change their lifestyle when living in America. It’s essential to remember one’s roots and express where one originated from. Personally, my best friend at Butler is from Honduras and I see him living with two different lifestyles. Especially when he is home for break, he tells me his life is so much different on campus. We can be talking and there are some phrases that he doesn’t quite understand when I’m referencing something. When we are talking and his parents call him, he can easily switch from English to Spanish, which to me is very impressive. It’s just cool to live with someone who can live with two distinct cultural backgrounds and try to mesh them together and not favor one for the other. This story just reminded me of my roommate, so I feel bad for the author when she has to avoid people judging her differently when learning about her Arabic roots.

Due to being on break and staying on break for an extended period, I have more time to read these short stories rather than postponing them until weeks later. This post will be about The Feast of the Sacrifice from Cairo House.

This story occurs right when the author lands in Cairo. She talks about her most recent happy memory in Cairo before she left for France. She was having trouble sleeping, so she went to her picture book and recalled the story about having the feast when she was nine years old. The feast itself involved three animals: a ram, a sheep, and a lamb. The sacrifice wasn’t allowed to be seen by young children, yet the author was determined to learn more about what actually happened in the ritual. After being put to bed, she left her room to see the ritual. The ritual was in the shed by her house, and she saw the ram getting killed by the cook. She was caught, but she doesn’t really remember what happened. The story ends with her finding out that the cook saw her and started screaming. This resulted in the ritual perhaps failing because nobody young should see the ritual take place. She felt bad for potentially ruining the ritual, which is why her photo she found at the beginning of the story was one of the last good old days.

This story deals with tradition and I really learned a few things. After reading this story, there were many words italicized. I decided to look up what an agha was because I’ve never heard of that word. After looking up that word in terms of an Arabic manner, I found out that agha means “honorable person” in Arabic. Also, I learned how importance certain cultures take tradition and rituals. Personally, my family doesn’t have many traditions to a level as this story does. We have holiday traditions, but nothing compared to this ritual. The last page of the story truly reflects the importance of rituals in the author’s culture. She felt horrible after sneaking in the shed to see the ritual take place. The last line of the story explains that her event as a nine year old still affects her to present day. I didn’t really think how some rituals can impact people in other cultures than the rituals in our society. One last thing, I also liked that analogy of having a picture book like a deck of cards. As we are somewhat trapped in our respected homes, I’ve been looking at old pictures from high school due to boredom. We try to live in the moment like most people should, but it’s always good to reflect on the past memories and how they have impacted us as individuals.

Earlier this week, I had the opportunity to learn about a traditional practice that has taken place in China for centuries from Kwan, a Chinese American. During our hour of instruction and practice, I gained a better understanding of how the lion dance is performed. Although it may seem easy from the perspective of an outsider, Kwan informed us of the difficulty and art that truly goes into this short performance. Traditionally, the lion dance is executed by two partners; many of the skilled performers have practiced this form of art with the same partner for upwards of a decade. Although this level of performance would take us years to master, in just an hour myself, along with five other Butler students, were able to learn the basics. After our hour of practice, I was curious as to what historical significance this tradition had within China. I therefore took the initiative to research some of these larger questions.

The tradition itself can be traced all the way back to 220 B.C., when humans would wear bear skin masks to dance. Early versions of the Han dynasty texts introduce the use of the word lion and its significance within Central Asia. Afterwards, there was a split between the northern and southern lion. The southern lion, which is believed to have originated from Guangzhou, best resembles the lion that we traditionally see used within the Chinese lion dance today.

It was very interesting to read a religious text other than the Bible. I was surprised at how many similarities there were between the two texts. There were honestly times where I could not differentiate whether I was reading the Bible or the Qur’an. There was also a lot of similarities in what God/ Allah is asking of his people in how they lead their lives. One example of this is how both the Qur’an and the Bible teach on how to treat the poor.

In the Bible, Luke 3:10-11 says, “And the crowds asked him, “What then shall we do?”And he answered them, “Whoever has two tunics[a] is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise.” Growing up in a Catholic family, I was always taught to put others before myself and to always serve the poor in whatever way possible. I think Luke 3:10-11 is a good example of what Christians are called to do in terms of helping those in need. Surah 57, verse 18 similarly quotes, “the men and women who spend in charity and give godly loan to god, will have it doubled for them and will receive and generous reward.” I think in this case Islam and Christianity is crossing over tremendously. If I was to hear the previous verse read in Mass I would not think twice if it was in the Bible or not because it is so in line with our values and beliefs as well. This is not the only example of a similarity between the two faiths, there was many more as well.

One difference, however, is that it came up multiple times while reading the Qur’an is that it is a texted that is meant to be recited. In both Surah 75 verse 18 and Surah 87 verse 6, the Qur’an talks about how it is meant to be recited. I find this interesting because there is controversy among Christians on wether or not the Bible is meant to be recited or not. Personally, I think there is nothing wrong with it and it is almost a sign of the utmost respect for God, although of course others have their reasons.

Despite all the similarities and differences, I think it is important to note that both Muslims and Christians worship one God who is all loving and all good according to both of our holy texts, and that we have more in common than we think if we just take the time to learn.