Rick Steves' Travel as a Political Act Blog - Islam in a Pistachio Shell, Part 3: Rituals and Origins

Islam in a Pistachio Shell, Part 3: Rituals and Origins

Muslim prayer services in a mosque are gender-segregated. The act of praying is quite physical, and — as a practical matter of respect for women (and less distraction for both men and women) — they typically worship apart from the men.

Just as pre-Vatican II Catholicism embraced Latin (for tradition, uniformity, and so all could relate and worship together anywhere, anytime), Islam embraces Arabic. Turks recently experimented by doing the call to prayer in Turkish, but they switched back to the traditional Arabic.

The Quran teaches that Abraham was a good submitter (to the will of God). The word for submitter is "Muslim" — derived from Islam ("submit") with a Mu- ("one who"). So a Muslim is, literally, "one who submits."

Like Christians come in two basic varieties (Protestants and Catholics), Muslims come in two sects. After Muhammad died in A.D. 632, his followers argued over who should succeed him in leading his Islamic faith and state, causing Islam to splinter into two rival factions. Today Shias (a.k.a. "Shiites," less than 15 percent of all Muslims) are concentrated in Iran and Iraq, while Sunnis dominate the rest of the Islamic world (including Turkey and Morocco).

Wherever I travel, having just a basic grasp of the dominant local religion makes the people and traditions I encounter more meaningful and enjoyable. Exploring Muslim countries leaves me with memories of the charming conviviality of neighborhoods spilling into the streets. Like Christmas is a fun time to enjoy the people energy of a Christian culture, Ramadan is a particularly vibrant time to be in Islam. My visits to places like Turkey, Morocco, and Iran have shown me how travel takes the fear out of foreign ways.

About This Entry

You are reading "Islam in a Pistachio Shell, Part 3: Rituals and Origins", an entry posted on 15 January 2010 by Rick Steves.

2 replies to this entry. Add your comment below.

Previous Entry, Islam in a Pistachio Shell, Part 2: The Muslim Call to Prayer, posted Jan 14 2010

Next Entry, The New Tangier: Tijuana No More , posted Jan 18 2010

Comments [ top ]

Correct me if I'm wrong but I believe during Ramadan, Muslim's fast during the day but not at night. If you are traveling to a Muslim country during Ramadan, there will likely be less traffic on the streets in daytime but there will be lots going on in the evening when it's also cooler anyway. Rick brought up gender so it's worth noting that pressure from other countries has helped women in Muslim countries. Saudi Arabia no longer stones them. Many Lebanon Muslim women dress very stylishly, like Parisians. Lebanese women who are not Muslim are often Catholic, of course. As for my comment about Saudi Arabia, to not stone women guilty of perceived severe crimes against Islam may seem to be a no-brainer. But one of the Western world's biggest concerns about Islam is it's poor treatment of women. Time and education will change that. After all, how can a nation or religion disregard half its resources and brain power in the form of women?

Posted by: b - Jan 15, 2010 12:33 PM

Rick is definitely not promoting Islam. He is promoting an understanding of it. We live on the same planet. I am more pessimistic about the future because I do not see evidence that Islam is becoming more secular. We are told that Islam is a religion of peace. It certainly can be. Like the harsh Islam that we see pushed today, there was a time that Jews also stoned bad girls. Christians had the inquisition less than 400 years ago. The scarlet letter was set in 17th century America. Unlike the Bible, the Koran was written as a call for war. It is harsh. But it can be read as promoting the betterment of humanity as most in the West now read the Bible. Today the truth is that the Koran is not. From Arab-Israel to Pakistan-India to London and America, the Islamic world, in general, has not evolved to our softer view of religion. Give them a few hundred years. It may be true that most Muslims are peace loving, but it is also a fact that the Arab street was happy when the twin towers came down. Polling shows that about half of both men and women in Arab countries believe it proper for husbands to physically discipline their women. Gaza was made Jew free and Hamas was elected by the majority. Free elections in Turkey would result in a nonsecular state. There would not be a separation of mosque and state. Jews and Christians are leaving Turkey today. They see the handwriting on the wall

Posted by: Dan - Jan 17, 2010 5:23 AM