Mosques and the Nile

Discovery #8: Friday is considered the weekend in Egypt – and many other Muslim countries

Since today is Friday, we went to a mosque to observe and study Muslim's practice of their religion. So, this morning, after breakfast and devotions, we had a "mosque etiquette" discussion. We were going to meet on of the program's contacts, Nissima, at the mosque for 12 o'clock prayers. It was decided beforehand that we would not really "participate" in the prayer service but would rather just sit and observe. Dena, one of the program assistants, explained that this was because Nissima and some other Muslims, felt that it was not good for us to participate in their prayer service (i.e., bow in prayer with them but pray to Jesus) because it was not genuine and Islam is a religion of genuineness. 
Regardless of our status as observers, all the women had to cover their heads before going to the mosque. In Egypt, the common head covering is called a "Hiijab," which covers a woman's hair and any skin between her chin and the top of her shirt. You also see some women also wearing "niqabs," which are full-face coverings, but they are not the norm and certainly not required.esterday, MESP bought each woman a hiijab and Dena and Chris showed us how to pin them this morning. The most important thing when wrapping a hiijab is that no hair is showing. (Side note: it is also unacceptable for women to wear nail polish to prayers).

 After properly covering our heads, our whole group headed to the mosque. Being out in public with a head covering on was actually not as demeaning as I had thought it would be. Most women in Cairo wear a hiijab and they have become somewhat of a fashion statement of accessory to a woman's outfit. As you can see from the photos above, most of us tried to match our hiijabs with our outfits and they come in every color and design imaginable.
It is a commonly known fact that non-veiled women in Cairo get harassed much more than women without head coverings, so I honestly didn't mind much having to cover up, especially since it has been rather cold here! A hiijab definitely helps keep you warm!
Nissima was a little late for prayers, so we went into the mosque without her. As a woman, I could not go to the main part of the mosque but rather to an upstairs room reserved only for women. 


Discovery #9: Carry a pair of socks in your purse!
In mosques, you are not allowed to step on prayer rugs with your shoes. Since the entire women's room was carpeted for prayer, we had to remove our shoes before stepping on the carpet. Though I was confident the carpet was clean, my tosies were a bit cold ;)
Our group tried to sit discretely in the back corner of the room so as to not disturb the women who had come to worship. We were about a half an hour early but there were already a few women there when we arrived. 
Most were engaged in a time of private (but prostrated) prayer while others read the Koran and other holy 
books kept in the room. Most women were covered from head to ankle and nearly all were wearing skirts. Some women entered the room in pants and a long shirt that covered their bottom, however, most of them put on a skirt or robe before they started praying.
At one point, a woman entered the room crying and greeted several of the other women with kisses and tears. She was accompanied by several other women. It appeared to me as if someone in her family had just died.

Many women greeted each other when they entered the room, though Dr. Holt explained to us later that Muslims do not necessarily attend one mosque regularly, as Christians attend a single church every week. Mosque attendance is mostly based on location, he told us. Some women came with children. The young girls were not really expected to cover up but they did imitate their mothers as they prostrated and prayed. 
I was struck by the apparent reverence and intimacy these women had with Allah. As I sat there, I prayed and asked God to help teach me that sort of reverence for Him. 
Once the main service started, it was videocasted on a TV screen in the room and was entirely in Arabic. The call to prayer lasted many minutes and was followed by approximately a 20 minute sermon and corporate prayer, after which they had a prayer for two people who had died. (According to the men who were in the main part of the mosque, the coffins were downstairs.) 
The women's room was packed with women and, according to the men, there was space for much fewer women than for men. Dr. Holt later pointed out that this was symbolic of the attitude that "this is a man's world and women should stay home with the children." He said that some Muslims believe that it is not necessary for women to attend weekly prayers while others believe it is beneficial. Regardless, the room upstairs was considered quite "full" since Muslim prayers take a good amount of space. Most women sat on the floor so that they were able to prostrate in the course of the service. However, there were several plastic chairs and a wooden bench against the wall for older women who could not do so. 
Unfortunately, towards the end of the service, the room was so full that Nissima felt that some women may have been upset that we were taking up room but not participating in prayers. Dr. Diia, MESP's Egyptian program administrator (Discovery 9.5: Dr. Diia is AMAZIN!), later told us that it is extremely uncommon here for people of one religion to attend a service for that of another religion. You're either one of the other, he said. Because of this, Nissima made a quick, last-minute decision to ask us to participate in the closing corporate prayer. Though we had not been prepared for this, the group did very well adjusting and simply imitated the movements of the women around us. In Nissima's eyes, this prevented us from any angry accusations about why we were taking up space if we were not participating. However, she asked us to leave quickly after prayers and not speak to anyone because she was afraid people might ask us questions about our religion. When we answered that we were Christians, they would be confused, she explained.

I felt quite bad for having but Nissima in such an awkward situation: she seemed nervous the entire service. Deena said this was rare for her and probably just because the room was overcrowded that day.


Discovery #10: It only rains about once a year in Cairo…
….that day was today.
As prayers ended, it started to rain lightly. According to Dr. Holt, it's been about a year since it last rained. So crazy to think about, huh? 
An interesting point to note here is that, since it rains so infrequently, many Egyptians use their roofs as storages spaces. 


Discovery #11: Most grocery shopping can be done within walking distance
After lunch, Chris took a group of people for a walking tour of our neighborhood, Agouza. There are several corner stores, produce vendors, bakeries and pharmacies in the area. To be honest, it reminded me a lot of Ghana (J). I can't wait to go shopping now!
Walking around the neighborhood with Chris was also quite helpful in knowing how to walk around Cairo as a woman. Chris as confident and not intimidated by the Egyptian men. Gender issues is something I'm sure I'll continue to sort through this semester…something I really don't yet grasp…though my wonderful flatmates Erin, Kaylin and Julie and I were up till 1 am yesterday discussing the issue.



Discovery #12: Though MESP has a no dancing rule, you are allowed to dance on a boat in the middle of the Nile River.


Tonight, we ate dinner on a felucca, a small boat, on the Nile River. The NILE RIVER! It's so crazy how so many world-renowned things I have experienced in the past few days. The trip was right at sunset and very beautiful! Our boat driver also played us some Arabic music and some of us tried our dancing skills. Not the world's biggest success but still very fun ;)

Following the boat ride, we went to Old Cairo, which is a rather touristy area of town, and had tea and coffee as a group. After that Brian led a group to see several old mosques. We were allowed to climb stairs that led to the roof of one of the mosques and the view was wonderful. 
Walking through the market almost put me on sensory overload between all the colors and wares to the Arabic being spoken to me to the whistles and rudeness of some men. My conversational Arabic is coming along though and I can now say sorry, thank you, no, and how are you?

Though I'm sure there are many more things I discovered today, we have an extremely full day tomorrow and my poor, slightly jet-lagged body needs plenty of time to sleep.