As I continued reading Three Cups of Tea, a book that, for the most part, highlights how the religion of Islam is not an evil thing as most Americans believe, I found it odd that, on page 110, there was a quote that clearly delineated one of the major differences between our cultures. Mortenson is being described a religious pardon that allows a married man to be temporarily "married" to a different woman, and thus be sanctioned by Allah to do certain things that are usually reserved for spouses only. "Mortenson asked if Balti women... could also be granted muthaa.
"No, of course not," Changazi said, waggling his head at the naivete of Mortenson's question..." At first I wondered why this was in the book at all- was it not rather counter-productive to the positive image the author had worked so hard to portray of the Muslim world? As I thought it through, I realized that it was honest. Because this small snippet was included, the book became that much more credible in my eyes. Instead of preaching all of what we Americans know as false and biased, it showed a grain of truth in the disparity between men and women in Muslim culture.
3 comments:
This is a valid point, as I mentioned in my first entry -if you're interested in reading it -- you are only as good as your worst enemy would say you are. Though I was using the saying in a completely different, it still applies; Their religion isn't perfect, and there are aspects of it that as Americans we would frown on, they tell the honest truth about it, and that is something I personally value.
I also highlighted this quote in my text. What I found even more interesting about the quote was that it ends with Changzai "waggling his head at the naivete of Mortenson's questions." As a woman, when reading about the difference between the rights that men have that are denied to women (not that every woman is dying to be allowed to rebel against monogomy) in many cultures, I get frustrated. And yet, Changzai seems baffled that Greg would even wonder if a woman would be allowed to have the freedom to do as he does. His attitude reminded me that just as we shake our heads in wonder or confusion when realizing the differences between another culture and our own, we are not the only ones having these moments of realization. When people have different views, each hold tightly to their own as "normal." And, this fascinates me.
I am also glad that you recognized the author's effort to give an honest (or as much as possible) approach to shedding light on the Muslim culture. As you mentioned, the purpose of the book is to show another side to the people that many Americans label as our enemies. Moreover, I think that the author is trying to show ways that we can help by trying to connect with them and form community rather than focusing on our many differences.
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