Islam in World Cultures: Comparative Perspectives - Islamic Books ...

2 4 2Islam i n World Cult u r e sreligious holidays may not be recent innovations, the larger political-economiccontext in which they now occur lends them new meanings and significancefor the construction of Harari identity. Beyond these historical practices,o t h e r, more “modern” events and institutions, such as conferences and radiobroadcasts, promote certain images and ideas for public consumption. Theseissues are worth considering because they provide windows into examininghow the privileging of local identities affects national identities and loyalties.Weddings, funerals, and social gatherings have long been important in tyingthe Harari community together. They bring members of different a f o c h a ,a h l i , and m a r i ñ ñ e t together and thereby create the conditions in which socialnorms may be emphasized and social deviance discouraged. Since 1948, whenthe Harari began to disperse permanently, some weddings and funerals havealso brought Harari from other cities, regions, or countries back to the homec i t y, thus emphasizing a broader Harari identity that is not restricted by geographicalresidence, even if it is centered on one place. While gender segregationis not strictly enforced at these events, men and women usually sit separa t e l y, though they do wander in and out of each other’s spaces. At weddings Iattended, men spoke about local and national politics, world events, localnews, national and international business opportunities, and history, as well asabout such lighter topics as recent gossip, jokes, and sex.In general, during Ramadhan as well as at other times, there are a widerange of religious practices in Harar. In some places, Sufi devotional poems( d h i k r ) are chanted while wooden clappers and drums keep the beat and listenersdance with each other. Other gatherings are quieter, marked by recitationsfrom the Qur’an and the reading of religious poetry, such as “Mustafa,” asupplication to the Prophet Muhammad whose particular linguistic blend ofclassical Harari and Arabic is probably several hundred years old. All of thesepractices are ostensibly Islamic, though the degree to which they are so is opento debate and is definitely not a topic on which there is widespread consensus.In sum, the variety of Harari Islamic practices, hinted at here through a briefdescription of some holiday observances, testifies to the plurality of Islamic beliefsand standards that obtain in Harar.Islamic holidays are other occasions that bring the Harari community toge t h e r, but by including other Muslim peoples, such as Oromos and Somalis,they also emphasize a broader religious identity that transcends ethno-linguisticdivisions. At the same time, religious celebrations are diverse in practiceand subject to different interpretations. For example, in some regions of theIslamic world, the month of fasting, Ramadhan, is followed by an optional extraweek of fasting, for which there are varied explanations. Some say thatsince women are forbidden for health reasons to fast during menstruation, itprovides the chance to make up for that lost Ramadhan time. Others suggestthat elderly folk, among others, choose to fast in hopes of gaining extra bless-