like all religions Islam was absorbed into local religious beliefs. What some people do in Madhya Pradesh doesn't necessarily have anything to do with Islam itself.
You mean like how Baby Jesus wasn't delivered by a red suited fat man in a reindeer pulled sleigh, then placed gently in the craddle of a nicely decorated spruce tree?
When you think about that, I'm sure celebrating Muharram by dressing as tigers and dancing in the streets doesn't seem quite so incongruous.
Or like how when Jesus was resurrected he didn't come back with a basket of chocolate eggs? (Hmm, is the practice of hiding Easter eggs for kids to find somehow related to a rousing game of "Find Jesus' Body" when they opened the tomb?)
I remember in Sunday School there was a story about an apostle/disciple telling someone that if a bird can come out of a shell, Christ could come out of his tomb.
What do you want, I was eight, it made sense at the time.
Ok, that creates a (rather tenuous) link between Jesus and the eggs and baby birds. But what about the rabbits and the chocolate? (Not that anyone ever actually needs a reason for chocolate, of course...)
Is it just me, or would we all do better to see more of this kind of thing? Muslims depicted as being joyful, whacky, colourful, having young children that seem playful even. Heck, they're people! They have festivals where they seem to celebrate joy in their lives! It's not all about enacting pogroms on decadent westerners! Who knew?
Unfortunately, there's a different problem with seeing more of that sort of thing. For most people, when we do something (like tossing salt over the shoulder, or picking up a penny), it's for "luck". When "they" (anybody who's not us and not remotely related to us) do it, it's silly superstition. So the more this sort of thing is seen, the more it becomes "Oh, how wacky they are, they have these big superstitions."
Ok, I admit it, I have no hope at all for the entire species.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2007-01-31 01:29 am (UTC)Now only if I had some body paint... (need all the help I can get with the judge, yanno.)
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Date: 2007-01-31 01:47 am (UTC)I don't get it, I thought Muharram was the day one of Muhammad's descendants was martyred. Was he eaten by tigers???
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Date: 2007-01-31 05:00 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-01-31 05:20 am (UTC)When you think about that, I'm sure celebrating Muharram by dressing as tigers and dancing in the streets doesn't seem quite so incongruous.
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Date: 2007-01-31 02:28 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-01-31 06:24 pm (UTC)What do you want, I was eight, it made sense at the time.
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Date: 2007-01-31 07:08 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-01-31 07:49 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-01-31 04:09 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-02-02 03:11 pm (UTC)That clip was darn funny, though.
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Date: 2007-01-31 02:08 pm (UTC)(We should. That's who.)
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Date: 2007-01-31 07:11 pm (UTC)Ok, I admit it, I have no hope at all for the entire species.