El Messelemiya Higher Secondary School for Boys: # 11
People
The people of the Sudan are largely Muslim with people in the south of the country being Christian. In the Gezira, the only non-Muslims are the howajad. My colleague, Mohammed Ahmed, the teacher of Islam at the school, throws up his hands in amazement when I declare that I have no immediate wish to become a Muslim.
This is not bigotry or intolerance but a concern for my welfare in the hereafter. He concedes that I worship the one God, stating categorically that there is no God but God. It is in his next utterance that we differ. His insistence that Mohammed (PBUH) is His prophet separates us, but it is not significant enough to separate us in any other way than this difference in our beliefs.
Muslims acknowledge the existence of my prophet, but adhere to the teachings of Mohammed (PBUH) who came later to this mortal life. Perhaps the main difference between us is in our devotion; his is absolute whereas mine is rather tenuous, if consistently so. Mohammed Ahmed is not alone in his complete devotion to his religion, and prayer, one of the five pillars of Islam, is undertaken five times daily with the visit to the Mosque taking place on Fridays.
The twin influences of Islam and tradition inform the people of the most appropriate behaviour towards their fellow man; this is based on honesty, modesty, good neighbourliness and a genuine feeling of welfare for a fellow human being, Muslim or not.
You might say that Islam gives the people compassion, taking care of the poor being another of the pillars of Islam, whilst tradition puts this compassion into practice in the form of hospitality. Traditions and customs seem to occupy the same position that contractual obligations occupy in developed nations. Obligations here though are unspoken, and morally binding rather than written and only binding for the set period of the contract. Such obligations in Sudan ensure stability, continuity and more open behaviour that bodes well for society in general.
Perhaps the most striking evidence of this openness, to a stranger’s eyes particularly, is the way that the older members of the community are integrated into society in ways that are sadly becoming more and more common in England.
The elderly folk enjoy the respect of the young whilst they join in the social life of the towns and villages. Most nights will inevitably see old and young alike sitting drinking tea at the tables that surround the suq. The old provide the link with the past and the customs and traditions that serve to inform the younger members of the community.
This is not to say that the customs and traditions of Sudanese life are foisted on a tardy youth. On the contrary, the young fiercely defend these aspects of life to the hilt. I recently spent an enjoyable day in the company of several young men of 18 or 19 years of age and they heatedly discussed with me the detrimental effects that television was having on these social mores. They argued vehemently that the influence of TV was eroding standards of behaviour in Sudan – they wished something be done about it and implored me to give them an answer to this problem, and all my mental resources were stretched to provide them with an answer that stood up to their searching criticism.
The enthusiasm of my inquisitive companions assured me that this was no show or display of their ability to speak English for the ustaz from England. Rather, it was a frank and emotive discussion of a subject that greatly concerned them. I tried to think of the last time I had had such a discussion about the evils of TV with teenagers in England – I couldn’t recall one off hand.
I should be careful here not to paint a picture of the young people of the Sudan as being too severe or moralistic in their attitudes, although this is undoubtedly the case on certain issues. No, boys will be boys, and Sudanese boys are no exception, enjoying fun and games every bit as much as their counterparts the world over.
Fun and games though, doesn’t seem to involve the downfall or misfortune of others. Fighting, for instance, is rare, and the friendliness towards others in the community at large is found in miniature in the schoolyards, and although this is no place for a day Sermon on the Mount, I only say that we might do well to consider how other, supposedly less developed countries conduct themselves before we attribute to ourselves the accolade of a civilized existence.
Robert L. Fielding
The people of the Sudan are largely Muslim with people in the south of the country being Christian. In the Gezira, the only non-Muslims are the howajad. My colleague, Mohammed Ahmed, the teacher of Islam at the school, throws up his hands in amazement when I declare that I have no immediate wish to become a Muslim.
This is not bigotry or intolerance but a concern for my welfare in the hereafter. He concedes that I worship the one God, stating categorically that there is no God but God. It is in his next utterance that we differ. His insistence that Mohammed (PBUH) is His prophet separates us, but it is not significant enough to separate us in any other way than this difference in our beliefs.
Muslims acknowledge the existence of my prophet, but adhere to the teachings of Mohammed (PBUH) who came later to this mortal life. Perhaps the main difference between us is in our devotion; his is absolute whereas mine is rather tenuous, if consistently so. Mohammed Ahmed is not alone in his complete devotion to his religion, and prayer, one of the five pillars of Islam, is undertaken five times daily with the visit to the Mosque taking place on Fridays.
The twin influences of Islam and tradition inform the people of the most appropriate behaviour towards their fellow man; this is based on honesty, modesty, good neighbourliness and a genuine feeling of welfare for a fellow human being, Muslim or not.
You might say that Islam gives the people compassion, taking care of the poor being another of the pillars of Islam, whilst tradition puts this compassion into practice in the form of hospitality. Traditions and customs seem to occupy the same position that contractual obligations occupy in developed nations. Obligations here though are unspoken, and morally binding rather than written and only binding for the set period of the contract. Such obligations in Sudan ensure stability, continuity and more open behaviour that bodes well for society in general.
Perhaps the most striking evidence of this openness, to a stranger’s eyes particularly, is the way that the older members of the community are integrated into society in ways that are sadly becoming more and more common in England.
The elderly folk enjoy the respect of the young whilst they join in the social life of the towns and villages. Most nights will inevitably see old and young alike sitting drinking tea at the tables that surround the suq. The old provide the link with the past and the customs and traditions that serve to inform the younger members of the community.
This is not to say that the customs and traditions of Sudanese life are foisted on a tardy youth. On the contrary, the young fiercely defend these aspects of life to the hilt. I recently spent an enjoyable day in the company of several young men of 18 or 19 years of age and they heatedly discussed with me the detrimental effects that television was having on these social mores. They argued vehemently that the influence of TV was eroding standards of behaviour in Sudan – they wished something be done about it and implored me to give them an answer to this problem, and all my mental resources were stretched to provide them with an answer that stood up to their searching criticism.
The enthusiasm of my inquisitive companions assured me that this was no show or display of their ability to speak English for the ustaz from England. Rather, it was a frank and emotive discussion of a subject that greatly concerned them. I tried to think of the last time I had had such a discussion about the evils of TV with teenagers in England – I couldn’t recall one off hand.
I should be careful here not to paint a picture of the young people of the Sudan as being too severe or moralistic in their attitudes, although this is undoubtedly the case on certain issues. No, boys will be boys, and Sudanese boys are no exception, enjoying fun and games every bit as much as their counterparts the world over.
Fun and games though, doesn’t seem to involve the downfall or misfortune of others. Fighting, for instance, is rare, and the friendliness towards others in the community at large is found in miniature in the schoolyards, and although this is no place for a day Sermon on the Mount, I only say that we might do well to consider how other, supposedly less developed countries conduct themselves before we attribute to ourselves the accolade of a civilized existence.
Robert L. Fielding
posted by Justice @ 11:45 PM
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