Posted on 12/19/2007 3:31:57 PM PST by Alouette
CAIRO — There is a strong undercurrent of competition in Egypt these days, an unstated contest among people eager to prove just how religious they are. The field of battle is the street and the focus tends to be on appearance, as opposed to conviction.
It is not that the two are mutually exclusive, but they are not necessarily linked. As Egyptians increasingly emphasize Islam as the cornerstone of identity, there has been a growing emphasis on public displays of piety.
For women, that has rapidly translated into the nearly universal adoption of the hijab, a scarf fitted over the hair and ears and wrapped around the neck. For men, it is more and more popular to have a zebibah.
The zebibah, Arabic for raisin, is a dark circle of callused skin, or in some cases a protruding bump, between the hairline and the eyebrows. It emerges on the spot where worshipers press their foreheads into the ground during their daily prayers.
It may sometimes look like a painful wound, but in Egypt it is worn proudly, the way American professionals in the 1980s felt good about the dark circles under their eyes as a sign of long work hours and little sleep.
Two decades ago, Egypt was a Muslim country with a relatively secular style. Nationalism and Arabism had alternated places as the main element of identity. But today, Egypt, like much of the Arab Middle East, is experiencing the rise of Islam as the ideology of the day.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Warning! This is a high-volume ping list.
Well, it’s good to see that our $2 billion a year in foreign aid, which has been paid to Egypt ever since Jimmuh made the deal, seems to be paying for their descent further and further into Islamic fundamentalism.
It has paid for little kids to be brainwashed into hating Jews and Americans. Now we are seeing the results of that ill-spent tax money.
And Turkey is on the edge, too.
The New York Times is very excited. As you might expect, their Cairo correspondent sees this new fundamentalism as an interesting fashion statement.
i'd LOVE to put a knot on that suckers head... more of a hole actually, but a knot would do for starters.
Reagan's fault?
...nothing like repetitive brain bashing to scramble the grey matter.
I guess that's why they stuck in the seventh century.
arrested intelligence...
When you start to wear your religion as a status symbol, it gets externalized rather internalized. Radical Islam is always internalized first, then you strap on the suicide vest
As an example, Madonna wearing a large cross, nobody thinks she is promoting religious virtue, do they?
Fine with me. The ‘raisin’ appears to be 1 minute of angle at 100 yards.
The egyptian zawahiri has on of these. I think that they carry a flat stone around with them to bang their head on.
The more I learn about this cult named islam, the more convinced I am that they are a bunch of insane, whacked out, dangerous, maniacs.
And all this time I thought it was a target. Go figure.
Is that an asshole on top of the guy’s head?
looks like one from here... 8^)
Not as bad as the Ashura celebrants.
I would have some respect for this piety if it weren’t such a waste of time. His piety is really stupidity because it serves a false prophet and fake god...... A billion plus delusional Muslims wasting their time on a false prophet instead of improving their lot in life. They don’t advance scientifically. All their improvements, electronics, refrigerators and medicines are from the West.
i'd LOVE to put a knot on that suckers head... more of a hole actually, but a knot would do for starters
Is THAT what is meant by the "72 raisins" they recieve when they are martyrd?
What a kick in the pants! First they create a great target between their eyes; then they get 72 MORE of them as a reward!
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