Quote of the Day

سوداني الجنسيه
والزفه مصريه
واللبسه هنديه
ودي الرقصه غربيه
يا حليل الهويه

Awad Dakkam song by Taha Suliman

The Dichotomy Between Religion and Culture in Sudan (Part 2)

I began the first part of “The Dichotomy between Religion and Culture in Sudan” by proclaiming my love for Islam, so I thought it would only be appropriate to begin the second part by proclaiming my love and attachment to our great Sudanese culture. So here it is: I love Sudanese culture. However, many aspects of our culture sadden me, and matters only get worse when religion is used to sanctify shameful cultural practices. Being from North Sudan, I will obviously have a different view of “culture” than someone from other areas, so forgive me if I am not all-inclusive. However, I am not being divisive either, because in the broad sense, what I am writing about is applicable to any place where religion and culture are intertwined and where one is wrongfully used to justify the other (almost every non-secular country.) I do believe that the two are extremely important and fascinating aspects of life. I can not imagine a life where one is living in absolute terms of religious practices, completely ignoring cultural traditions, or vice versa. However, I find it mind-boggling that some who claim to be “religious” choose to believe in clearly anti-Islamic behaviors, and even defend culture on account of Islam.

A good example of this is marriage in North Sudan. Now this is a big one to tackle, and I will probably address this numerous times in the future, because I believe it is one of the most disappointing aspects of Sudanese life. How so? Marriage in Sudan has been historically afflicted by ancestral antagonism. Most families in the North consider it a taboo to marry from Southern tribes. North Sudanese families are so enchanted by this notion of “Nasab” and “Asal” (Lineage and tribal affiliation) that it has successfully hindered marriages between people from distinctly different tribes. I am not referring to marriage between a Muslim from the North and a Christian Southerner here, but what I am getting at is the objection to marriage between two tribes of the same religion, especially when one is considered “3abd.” Inter-tribal marriage, so to speak, is sometimes rationally justified (because people often associate better with others of similar backgrounds) so I understand that it is not for everyone. But, if you are going to say that you are a good Muslim, you can not at the same time support prejudicial notions like investigating a family’s lineage to find out if the person in question is descendants of slaves—also known as having a “3irig”-- which is utterly unacceptable and un-Islamic. You can’t be a racist and a good Muslim at the same time.

By supporting such discriminatory practices, people are hurting the culture rather than preserving it. Culture is dynamic not static, so we must be able to recognize that tribes cannot be permanently isolated and intermarriage will inevitably happen. The aforementioned case in point is only one of many where Islam is incorrectly used to validate appalling cultural practices which ironically negate Islam. It is absolutely essential to be able to recognize the distinction between religion and socially constructed cultural values, and be able to prioritize accordingly. It is also essential to admit that if you acknowledge certain un-Islamic cultural behavior, you are not to quote Islam. Having traditions and a rich culture is essential to humanity, but having the ability to discard negative cultural practices and evolve past them is, in my opinion, more valuable. Islam gave us the ability to do so, and I hope that Sudan embraces that fact, which is a far better implementation of Islam than using it as means of imposing rigid and ridiculous rules on people in the name of religion.

Those in Glass Houses...

It has become common practice for people to ridicule Americans for their sub par knowledge of geography and countries not named Mexico and Canada. I won’t deny that I have participated in such ridicule, and have always been so thankful to know that nobody in Alaska can see Russia from their house. There’s also an abundance of videos on youtube making fun of Americans’ lack of familiarity with other countries. However, I had an alarming epiphany today as I was reading an article about Bor and thought:"exactly where is Jonglei State on a map of Sudan?" The epiphany, my friends, is that a lot of Sudanese people, especially those living abroad, do not know the geography of their own country well enough.

Don’t give me the “I can locate Jonglei State on a map of Sudan.” You can’t. You also can’t name all 25 states of Sudan. I hope you knew there were 25 states. At least Americans know they have 50 states.

Until you do your Sudanese geography homework, your rights of making fun of Americans' geography skills are revoked. We can still make fun of Sarah Palin and John McCain though (everybody knows Alaskans aren’t Americans, and McCain wasn’t born in any of the 50 states.)

If you actually can name and locate all 25 states, kudos to you. Otherwise, go ahead and familiarize yourself with the lovely Sudan. Click here to get started.

Quote of the Day

“Do not be bothered by what Ocampo (ICC Chief Prosecutor) says. He is too weak for his decision is in the hands of his master: the USA, France and UK. We will never be subdued, we will never kneel and we will never be led. They are never able to extend or shorten human life. Sustenance and kingdom are never in the hands of the USA, France or America. They (USA, UK and France) are all under my shoes.”

President Omar Al-Bashir

Statistics can be made to prove anything - even the truth.

Statistics. Or, estatystix as 76.3% of Sudnese like to call it. I have always had a cautious and calculated relationship with Statistics, due largely in part to the rampant abuse of statistical figures. However, I have come across a statistic today that not only shook me to my core, but seriously altered my view of the situation in Sudan. Are you ready for the statistics?

The 2006 United Nations Children’s Fund Short-Duration Country Programme document--which was presented to the UN Executive and Economic council—reports the following:
"A recent study in the North found that 90 per cent of young people aged 19-24 years are sexually active but less than 10 per cent of them know how to prevent HIV or how and why to use condoms. In Southern Sudan, infection rates of over 20 per cent are being recorded at some voluntary and confidential counseling and testing (VCCT) sites."

Ninety percent. Ninety. Dez3een berzent ya zol. I really wish this was something that I can dismiss as a bunch of hooey, but I tend to believe the UN. 90%. How could that be? In recent years, I have heard a lot about the fact that many young people in Sudan are now sexually active, which was incredibly shocking to me. As a Sudanese girl living abroad, I was ignorant about the young social scene in Sudan. Not only was I completely disconnected from the young culture, and new social norms, but I was also extremely misinformed about how Sudanese youngsters/teenagers are. If you casually scan the streets of Sudan, you will find most girls dressed modestly, either because she wears the hijab willingly, or she is pretending that the piece of fabric around her neck is hijab (further criticism of that situation coming soon.) The men seem sweet, decent, and even though a lot of them do not adhere to the “ladies first rule,” they do seem pretty decent.
That is what I love about Sudan. That is what I know about Sudan. So how is it, that this same population of people has a 90% sexual activity rate? I would like to venture a guess in defense of the staggering statistic and say that since the age group is 19-24, then it must be primarily made up of married people. While there might be some truth to that, I do not actually know many Sudanese people who are married before 24, females or males. Married people might account for some of that statistic, but 90% is clearly inclusive of most people. I really had no idea. The Hajirs, Azzas, Najlas, and Saras of Sudan seem to be getting busy with the Mujtabas, Mohameds, Alis, and Ammars. Now, when I get over my shock about the 90% Statistic, I will discuss the sickening and truly frightening statistic: only 10% know how or why to use condoms. *shudder*

The Dichotomy Between Religion and Culture in Sudan (Part 1)

I love Islam. I love Islam in a silent and profound way in which I seek to understand the fundamentals of the religion, but not become a fundamentalist who showcases how “religious” they are. I love Islam in the pragmatic sense, and I love how it all makes sense. I have repeatedly dissected the religion to miniscule pieces in attempts to find meaning—my own meaning--that is not imposed on me by others, yet still adheres to the overall message of the religion. What I found was indeed reassuring: it all makes sense. Islam’s unique quality, in my opinion, is that it makes sense, at least more than any other religion I have studied.

Having said that, it is deeply disheartening when people who claim to love Islam dissect it to understand it, yet they choose the pieces of the religions that will augment their agenda or outright wrong beliefs, and decidedly throw the rest out. Now, if you dare to challenge them, you will either: observe them struggle with their cognitive dissonance, or be accused of blasphemy—the latter being the likelier outcome of challenging a fundy’s beliefs. What bothers me the most is how unwilling most people are to even discuss religious matters, or accept another interpretation, heck, even listen to another interpretation. What makes this laughable however is that some Sudanese people seem to have blurred the line which separated religion and culture. I have had countless arguments with Sudanese people who are so narrow minded that it seems scary to even suggest rationality in an argument. I have always been a skeptical person, and whenever I meet someone who is so attached to a particular mentality, I like to oppose everything they say, so as to test their convictions, and the depth of their knowledge about the subject matter. If I am going to listen to a person with strong views about religion, I would hope that they are at the very least sufficiently knowledgeable to form and challenge counter arguments. I would love to have a conversation with a Sudanese person about culture vs. religion, and end the conversation with something other than: “is that what you were taught in Amreeka? Gooli astagfarullah ya bit.” No, I am not an apostate. No, I do not enjoy blasphemy. I just want to discuss the religion I love, because there’s always more to explore. Religion and culture, while often intertwined, are not the same "institution."

So, let’s talk. Don’t scare me, convince me.