Download Islam takes a great role in the novel The Girl in the Tangerine Scarf

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The Girl in the Tangerine Scarf
Islam
Islam takes an important role in the novel The Girl in the Tangerine Scarf; it’s even
some way or another one of the major characters. This report will show the meaning of
Islam, its basics, and what makes a person a Muslim. The report will also show how
Islam is represented throughout the novel; it goes through three different phases, which
are fundamental, progressive, and political. But at the beginning we'll refer to the
difference between religion and faith since not many people know the difference between
the two terms.
Religion and faith are two words many people cannot tell the difference between. Faith
can be used to describe the type of religion a person is associated with. Religion is a
written doctrine that informs the people what they should believe in according to their
religion. The following sentences show the best difference between the two terms, the
sentences say: "Religion exists to control faith; faith exists to keep religion in check.
Religion is a man’s interpretation of God’s will, faith is its acceptance." The following
quotation from the novel shows faith:
“Well, why are you Muslim then? If anything else is just as good.”
Khadra thinks for a minute. “Love,” she says slowly. “Love and attachment. I love the
Quran, for example. And the forms and rhythms of salah. I keep coming back to it. It has
a resonance for me.” Page 402
Islam is a religion which takes a very important part in the novel. Islam as a term means
surrender and obedience to Allah. A person is called a Muslim if he or she believes that
there is only one God (Allah) and that prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) is his
messenger. The following quotation shows what a Muslim is:
“What is a real Muslim, Khadra?” Aunt Khadija said finally.
“When you do the Five Pillars,” Khadra shrugged, “you know and follow the Quran and
the Prophet and wear hijab and follow the Islamic way of life—“
Aunt Khadija said gently, “Shahada. That’s all. Belief that God is One. When that
enters your heart and you surrender to it, you are a Muslim.” Page 24
In Islam there are also the five pillars which each and every Muslim should follow and
six pillars which each Muslim should believe in. The five pillars are Alshahada to believe
that there is only one God (Allah) and that prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) is
his messenger, the five prayers of each and every day, Zaka which is giving money to the
poor, fasting Ramadan and the fifth pillar is Hajj, each Muslim should do Hajj once in a
life time; if the person is able physically and financially. The six pillars that every
Muslim should believe in are to believe in Allah, his angels, his holy books Al-Quran,
Al-Tawrah and the Bible. Muslims should also believe in all Allah’s prophets from Adam
to Mohammad, so that also includes Jesus. Some might ask if Muslims believe in Jesus
so what makes them different than Christians. Muslims do not believe that Jesus is the
son of Allah; they only believe that he is one of the prophets like Mohammad (peace be
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upon him) and the others. The last two pillars which each Muslim should believe in are
the last day (Day of Judgment) and fate and destiny the good of them and the bad.
There is a hadeth said by the prophet (peace be upon him) which shows that Islam orders
Muslims to respect other religions. The hadeth says:
“We should all be tolerant of each others religions, our differences are Allah’s mercy.”
Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) also says:
“Who harms a contractee (people of the Books recognized by Islam, which are
Christianity and Judaism) also harms me.” 1
In the beginning of the novel the main character Khadra was not able to accept other
religions. She was also unable to hear her non-Muslim friends talk about their religions.
This is easily shown when Khadra’s friend Livvy comes back from a Christian youthcamp where she rededicated herself to Jesus. Livvy and Khadra sit down in Livvy’s room
to talk and this what goes on.
Livvy kept saying “God’s Son this” and “God’s Son that.” Each time she said it,
fingernails scraped against a blackboard in Khadra’s head.
She finally put her hands to her ears and said, “Stop!”
“Stop what?” Livvy said.
“You don’t understand. That’s the worst possible sin in my religion, okay?” Khadra said.
“That whole son of God thing. I can’t listen to that anymore. Even listening to it is, like, a
really big sin.”
The conversation deteriorated from there to:
“Am I going to hell? According to what you believe, am I going to hell?”
And each one had to admit to the other: Yes.
“Because you’re not saved,” Livvy said tearfully. “You haven’t accepted Jesus as your
Savior. The best I can tell you is, some Christians believe in limbo, but that’s really only
for children who die young. Like, unbaptized babies. I’m not sure how old the cut-off is.
Maybe you’ll die young?”
“You want me to die young? Well, guess what, Livvy, you’re going to hell too,” Khadra
said in a quavering voice. Page 127 and 128
However, by the end of the novel Khadra becomes more accepting of other religions.
Khadra also becomes able to hear her friends telling her their thoughts about religion and
what they believe in. This change in Khadra can be easily recognized throughout the last
chapters of the novel. We see Khadra being a good friend to Blu, her Jewish friend, and
to Chrif the atheist.
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"‫ "من أذى ذمي فقد أذاني‬:)‫قال رسول هللا (صلى هللا عليه وسلم‬
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In the novel, Islam is represented in three different ways which are fundamental,
progressive, and political Islam. When we talk about fundamental Islam we mean that
Islam is taken in a very strict way appearing sometimes not Islamic. Fundamental Islam
is a conservative religious movement that seeks a return to Islamic values and Islamic law
(Sharia) as it was in the days of prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him), which is in
some western eyes corrupt.
A very good example throughout the novel would be Khadra’s mother, Ebtihag.
Ebtihag believed and taught her children that having a dog is haram and that dogs are
impure. However, in Islam people can have dogs but not in the house and also in Islam
dogs are not impure but their drool is.
Prophet Mohammad’s hadeth says:
“If someone’s dog licks (or drinks or eats) from a pot (or plate etc.), wash it seven times
(with water and soap) and once with earth.” 1
The following quotation shows how Ebtihag is represented in a fundamental way.
Her mother always ran the laundry twice in the Fallen Timbers basement laundry room
with the coin machines. Because what if the person who used the washer before you had
a dog? You never knew with Americans. Pee, poop, vomit, dog spit, and beer were
impurities.” Page 4
Ebtihag did mention things that were truly impure but she did not have to take it in a
really strict way and run the laundry machines twice. Because when people wash their
clothes they use water and soap so the machine becomes pure after all.
Throughout the novel, we see some characters saying this is haram and this halal on
their own and without giving proof. This action is not right in Islam. This act can also be
seen throughout life, people go around telling others “this is haram.” and “that is haram”
without giving evidence as if haram became the new word for "wrong." We can see that it
is not a right act from the following part taken from the Quran:
“And say not concerning that which your tongues put forth falsely: “This is lawful and
this is forbidden,” so as to invent lies against Allah. Verily, those who invent lies against
Allah will never prosper.” Surah An-Nahl 1162
“It’s haram to have a dog, you know.” Khadra lost no time telling Tayiba. Page 28
The previous quotation shows Khadra telling her friend that having a dog is Haram
without giving her any proof from the Quran or even the Suna. Another good example on
fundamental Islam is the following quotation. The quotation shows how Khadra acts in a
very strict way and starts eating dates only in order to follow Prophet Mohammad’s
(peace be upon him) diet. However, in Islam the prophet says:
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"‫ "إذا ولغ كلب أحدكم في إناء فليغسله سبع ومره في التراب‬:)‫قال رسول هللا (صلى هللا عليه وسلم‬
""َ‫ف أل بسنًت ف فك فم الكِذبب هِذا حل ٌل وهِذا حرا ٌم لبت ْلت فروا على هللاب الكِذبب إَ الِذبُن ُلت فرَ على هللاب الكِذبب َُفل بل فُو‬
‫ص ف‬
‫ "وَ تقفولفوا لبما ت ب‬:‫قال تعلى‬
116 ‫ أُه‬,‫سورة النُل‬
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“If I ordered you to do something, apply what you are able to do from it and if I ordered
you not to do something do not do it.” 1
Khadra went on a regime of dates and water to emulate the diet of the Prophet.
“That is ENOUGH,” her mother said on the fourth day. ………………………………
…………...
The next morning Wajdy came and leaned on the edge of Khadra’s desk and said quietly,
“Do you know how much we spend weekly for groceries? ………………………………
………………………………………………. You can emulate him by analogy. Not by
being ridiculous.” Page 153 and 154
The second way Islam appears in is progressive Islam. This means the right way in
looking and interrupting Islam, as a religion that calls for peace, love, morals and
accepting others. It also means to live your life as if you will live forever, do good deeds
as if you will die tomorrow and stand in front of Allah to be judged. It can also be to
simplify stuff rather than making them difficult. For example, many people might say
that playing chess and cards are haram in Islam. However, when you come to think about
it, they only become haram if the person, for example, because of the chess game missed
a prayer or while playing a card game it turned into gambling.
In the novel Teta is a very good example of a progressive Muslim. When her
granddaughter Khadra took off the hijab Teta did not force her to put it back on. She did
not even tell her anything about it. Even in Islam the Quran says:
“There is no compulsion in religion. Verily, the Right Path has become distinct from the
wrong path.” 2
A nice quotation that shows the difference between Teta and Ebtehaj and how Ebtehaj
can be stricter than her mother in-law is the following quotation.
When Teta’s visits coincided with Ramadan, there was always a tug of war at Maghreb
between her and Ebtehaj: Eat first or pray first? Ebtehaj said pray first. Teta said eat first.
She quoted the prophet, and she always won. Page 107
Another way how progressive Islam is represent in the novel is by showing how people
differentiate in the idea of abortion.
One thing her friend Joy found bizarre was Khadra’s belief in a women’s right to
abortion.
“Wait—you’re supposed to be the religious nut in this picture,” Joy said. They were
biking to the library on a nippy autumn day. The trees that lined the quads of white
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""‫ "إذا أمرتكم في شيء فأتوا ماإستطعتم وإذا نهبتكم عن شيء فانتهوا‬:)‫قال رسول هللا (صلى هللا عليه و سلم‬
""‫الرشدف مب ن الغ بى‬
‫بُن قد تبين ف‬
‫ "َ إبكراه في الد ب‬:‫قال هللا تعالى‬
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limestone were offering their last blazes of red and orange turning to rust and brown.
“Yeah, well, Islamic law allows abortion up to four months,” Khadra called out, pedaling
harder to keep up with Joy. Passersby looked up at the word abortion, their faces
reflecting the strong and various emotions it stirred. “All the schools of thought allow it.
The only thing they differ on is how long it’s allowed. Four weeks to four months. That’s
the range.” Page 224 and 225
However, in some parts of the novel the reader might feel as if the characters are only
taking from Islam’s laws, what they feel and think is right. But as a true Muslim,
Muslims should take what Allah said in the Quran and what prophet Mohammad (peace
be upon him) said and did as it is without even thinking twice about it. After years go by,
scientists discover that what was written and said is true. For example, the Quran says:
“He has created the heavens and the earth with truth. He makes the night to go in the day
and makes the day to go in the night. And He has subjected the sun and the moon. Each
running (on a fixed course) for an appointed term. Verily, he is the All-Mighty, the OftForgiving.” 1
The previous Ayah shows humans that the globe is round, since there can be both night
and day on earth at the same time, for example when it’s day in the Middle East it’s night
in the United States. This shows that the Earth is round not flat like people used to
believe.
Another example:
Albare’a son of Azeb said: Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) ordered us to do
seven things and ordered us not to do seven other things. He ordered us to visit the sick
……. and ordered us not to wear gold……. . 2
This hadeth shows you in Islam men are not allowed to wear gold and now after more
than a thousand years scientists discovered that gold can cause infection to men’s skin;
since men and women have different skin types.
These two previous examples show that people should take what Allah and prophet
Mohammad (peace be upon him) said and do them without asking why. Because, even if
human beings do not understand why some things were ordered to be done or ordered not
to be done science will discover the reason in the following years.
Examples from the novel:
Baker shook hands with Eyad and then stuck out his hand to Khadra. It was such a big
gentle hand; Khadra’s little pudgy one instinctively homed into its big clasp and he
covered it with his other hand. Eyad flashed her a glance—shaking a man’s hand?—but
she ignored it. Page 190
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‫جرى بِلج ٍل‬
‫ار وُفك ف‬
‫ور النهار على الليل وسخر الشمس والقمر فك ٌل ُ ب‬
‫ق ُفك بو فر الليل على النه ب‬
‫ "خلق السموات واِلرض ببالُ ب‬: ‫قال هللا تعالى‬
‫فمس ًمى أَ هفو الع بز ف‬
5 ‫ار" سورة الزمر أُه‬
‫ُز الغل ف‬
‫" أمرنا رسول هللا (صلى هللا عليه وسلم) بسبع ونهانا عن سبع أمرنا بعيادة المرُض"""""""""" ونهانا عن التختم‬:‫قال البارئ بن عازب‬
"" """""""""""""""""""‫بالِذهب‬
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The above quotation shows how Khadra shakes hands with men even though there is a
hadeth that says: Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) said: “If one of you (the
followers) was stabbed in the head with a tailor of iron, it would be better for him than to
touch a woman who he is not allowed to touch in Islam.” 1
This hadeth shows that men and women should not shake hands with the opposite sex
who is not from the maharm. (Maharm are parents, brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts and
spouses.) Nowadays, people might find it strange but maybe someday mankind will
discover a reason why Allah made it forbidden.
Another example:
“How ‘bout you? What’ve you been up to?”
“Well,” Hakim pauses, as if considering whether to tell her. She eyes him encouragingly.
“I, uh, been playing trombone. At a club downtown.”
“The trombone? A club?”
“Yeah. It’s always been—sort of a thing I like to do. Under the radar. ……” Page 394
This second quotation also shows that the characters are doing things even though they
are seen as forbidden in Islam. There is a hadeth that says: “There will be group of people
from my oma that will use accessories and silk (which are forbidden to be wore by males)
and wine and music (which are forbidden on everyone).” 2
Allah also said: “And of mankind is he who purchases idle talks (i.e. music, singing, etc.)
to mislead (men) from the Path of Allah without knowledge, and takes it (the Path of
Allah, or the verses of the Quran) byway of mockery. For such there will be a humiliating
torment (in the Hell-fire).” 3
The third way Islam is represented in the novel is in a political way. Political Islam has
more than one name; it can be called activist Islam or even Islamism. Political Islam is a
set of ideologies holding that Islam is not only a religion but also a political system and
that modern Muslims must return to their roots of their religion and unite politically. The
political aspects of Islam are taken from the Quran, what prophet Mohammad (peace be
upon him) said or did, from the Muslims history and sometimes political movements
taken from outside Islam. Most people think that all Islamic activists are terrorists but
that is not true. In the novel we can see Khadra’s father being an activist but not a
terrorist. However, he is a terrorist in some people’s eyes. The following quotation shows
he is considered to be a terrorist by the Syrian government.
Wajdy attacked the Syrian dictator constantly in The Islamic Forerunner and urged
support for the Islamic movement that sought to overthrow him. Just to express this
opinion privately, much less to publish it, was a capital crime in Syria, so this exercise of
""‫خير له من أَ ُمس امرأة َ تُل له‬
ٌ ‫ "ِلَ ُطعن أحدكم بمخيط من حدُد في رأسه‬:)‫قال رسول هللا (صلى هللا عليه وسلم‬
"""""""""""""""""""‫ "ليكن من أمتي أقوا ٌم ُستُلوَ الُلي و الُرُر و الخمر و المعازف‬:)‫قال رسول هللا (صلى هللا عليه وسلم‬
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6 ‫ير ع ٍبلم و ُتخب ِذها ه ففز ًوا أفولئك ل فهم عِذابٌ فم بهينٌ "" سورة لقماَ أُة‬
‫اس من ُشت برى لهو الُدبُ ب‬
‫ "ومب ن الن ب‬:‫قال تعالى‬
‫ث بلي ب‬
‫فضل عن سبي بل هللا ببغ ب‬
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freedom of speech made Wajdy a “terrorist.” If he were caught in Syria, he’d be sent to
the reeducation camps in the desert. Page 132
Another character that appears as an Islamic activist in the novel is Ramsey Nabolsy.
The quotations say:
“Oh my God, no!” Khadra cried when MacNeil said his name: “Ramsey Nabolsy.” But
there it was. Suicide bombing. Israeli military checkpoint in the West Bank. Page 355
“And I’ll tell you what else. I refuse to cheer him for taking an Israeli soldier down with
him,” Insaf said. “I refuse to cheer.” Because that’s what the radical Muslims were doing
these days, issuing rulings that attempted to define suicide bombers as martyrs. In their
black-scarf days, she and Khadra would’ve rallied around this rationale. Page 356
These quotations show that political Islam can sometimes lead to un-Islamic actions. In
Islam people are not allowed to commit suicide. Allah says: “O you who believe! Eat not
up your property among yourselves unjustly except it be a trade amongst you, by mutual
consent. And do not kill yourselves (nor kill one another). Surely, Allah is Most Merciful
to you.” 1
“And whoever commits that through aggression and injustice, We shall cast him into the
fire, and that is easy for Allah.” 2
Many scholars in Islam say that mankind should not kill their selves no matter what.
However, people might argue that suicide bombing is allowed during war, scholars agree
that it is but they have a different meaning for War. The true meaning for war is when the
leaders of the countries agree and announce to their people that they are in war against a
country or more. For example, there is war between the US and Iraq because Bush
announced it to his country and so did Saddam. However, there is no war between the US
and Israel. So Ramsey Nabolsy’s act was not during war. And still suicide bombing is not
allowed in war unless the leader orders it be done. So soldiers in war cannot bomb their
selves unless the leader orders them to do it.
After listening to people who read the novel I noticed that some did not like the
mentioning of the word Kafer. In the novel the word Kafer is mentioned more than once.
Some readers were upset with the mentioning of the world and saw it as disrespectful, but
after a long search for the right meaning it appears to be not as how many of us think it is.
Kafer is derived from the word kofor which means in the Arabic language “to cover”.
This word was mostly used for planting and gardening in the old days. Peasants used to
use it to tell that they covered a seed or a root. We can also notice that most planting
areas in Arab countries start with the word Kofor for example, (Kofor Som), (Kofor
Yoba) both in Jordan and (Kofor Gdom) in Palestine. So when a Muslim says Kafer
‫اض مب ن فكم وَ تقتفلوا أنلفس فكم إَ هللا كاَ بب فكم‬
ٍ ‫ "ُأُفها الِذبُن ءامنفوا َ تأ فكلفوا أمول فكم بين فكم بالبطب ل إَ أَ ت فكوَ تجره عن تر‬:‫قال هللا تعالى‬
29 ‫رحب يماً"" سورة النساء أُة‬
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30 ‫ارا وكاَ ذلك على هللا ُسبيراً"" سورة النساء أُة‬
ً ‫ "ومن ُلعل ذلك عفدونا ً وظل ًما فسوف نفصلبي به ن‬:‫قال هللا تعالى‬
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about someone he only means that he or she covered (does not believe in) the belief that
Muslim believes in and vise versa.
The Girl in the Tangerine Scarf is a novel that makes readers notice that characters in
stories are not always supposed to be people. A character can appear to be anything and
here in this novel Islam was one of the main characters. Islam in this novel is a round
character which changes and develops in three different ways throughout the story. Islam
also takes a part in the novel to teach the reader a lesson; in the story it teaches you to ask
questions, look for answers and not just sit down and wonder. It also teaches you to have
faith, because faith is what leads you to the best of you.
The following link can be related to the Novel and what Mohja Kahf wanted to tell the
reader.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbcmPe0z3Sc
Name: Rica Emad Alkurdi