Disclaimer: in no way is this post meant to bash religious phrases or those who use them. I am describing my personal feelings on this aspect of the language, I have no gripe with your beliefs, so don't have any with mine.
I used to be so conscientious about how I spoke, the expressions I did and didn't use in Egypt. The constant sycophancy of Egyptian 3ammiya was not irritating in and of itself, but rather the vagueness and lack of accuracy which it infused into conversation was troublesome. Plus, the most commonly repeated phrases all reference Islam, but what about the Copts? So I boycotted the use of all god-references in everyday speech and commercial transactions, in an attempt not only to placate my very out of place secular leanings, but also, I hoped that somehow I would be sparing the occasionally unknown-to-me Christian what must at least be a surge of mild irritation they experience when they are greeted with "al salamo 3alaykom". (The phrase itself, "peace be upon you", is quite beautiful. But every time I hear it, I remember something about a point system wherein you are granted a certain number of blessings based on how completely you used the greeting..."al salamo 3alykom" bringing in less points than "al salamo 3alaykom wa ra7met allah". The fact that the greeting has gotten mangled up in people's obsession with the details of religion pisses me off. It shouldn't be about points, dudes.)
Anyhow, somewhere along the line the years of inhaled smog and deafening noise pollution wore down on my stamina for such lofty principled-ness, and I noticed a couple of weeks ago that I was muttering "insha allah" occasionally (though NEVER in response to a question regarding whether something had happened in the past. I said I lost stamina, not logic). The other day I got into a cab and as I was dragging the door shut I said "al salamo 3aleko" only to look up and see a dashboard absolutely covered in Christian paraphernalia. Pictures of the Virgin Mary, Christ, and various priests dangled from every dangly-able part of the car.
It was like 2 religions talking so loudly at, not to, each other. One with a carelessness and self-assurance that only comes with having such a majority stake in culture. And the other responding with a desperate plea for attention, for space, for recognition, even in its own Christian-owned car.
The driver responded with "wa 3alaikom el salam", but only after a significant moment of paused silence. I wondered what thoughts went through his head during that pause and whether they included an angry stream of curses.
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18 comments:
as ever i enter into your feelings completely on the subject, but egypt hasn't had a chance to wear down my principles yet. i still never say el salamo 3aleikom not lest i irritate a christian interlocutor (or myself) but bcause as u said i resent that fact that even greetings have been taken over by religiosity. the irony of it is that my "masaa2 el khair" is just as sure a religious identifier. as for insha2alla i know only use it to express rare hope in divine intervention, not to reflect on whether i personally am going to try to do something.
thank you for the phrase "sycophancy of egyptian 3ammiya". for a long time i've been trying to better describe the monumental butt-licking that appears to accompany every exchange.
Well, Egyptian Ammaeya is the closest Arabic accent, as opposed to dialect, to the standard language. Consequantly, one has to bear on mind that Arabic language and culture is structurally different from European languages and culture - much as chinese and Japanese for instance are.
Definetly, it would seem fatalistic to westeners . But that is not yet the whole picture. Arab nation- which happens to be going through the hardest challenge in its entire 8000 years history- resorts to its spiritual resevoirs and invokes mythology and mysticism as a means of self-perseverance in face of the more powerful domineering other.
Spaz,great article. I actually have tried over and over again to stop using such phrases. It was until last year when I was visiting Cairo and realized my friends (Copts and Muslims) where using such phrases. I think I have come to a realization that the use of the phrases is largely cultural rooted. That said, I still liik Massaa El Kheir much more than Salamo 3aleiko.
Amre, i am sorry but I have to correct you on a few points. First there is no such thing as the Arab nation. There is an Arab region but not nation.
Second, the Arab civilization is not 8000 years old. The Egyptian civilization is. The documented Arab history is around 1500-1700 lunar years.
Finally, I do hope that Egypt sorts out its identity crisis and hold on to a strong Egyptian based identity; rather than an Arab one.
I could not agree more about the hypocrisy of the point system..it's like people believe life to be some kind of reality show. My mother and my best friend think like that, so I can only put it all down to ignorance and mental laziness (respectively).
As for not offending Christians with Muslim greetings, I agree with you and can even put my finger on a more sinister reason for why some people do it, even when they know they're talking to a Christian: to piss them off. Then again, an absence of consideration in most Egyptians shouldn't really be a surprise.
Lastly, Egyptians adhere very strongly to religious sayings and greetings and use them almost as good luck charms...we're a very superstitious people. Maybe it's because we have a modest grasp of spirituality, but religion is seen, rightly or wrongly, as an agent for prosperity and a protector against ills..in this world and the next. We don't seem to care (or understand) the notion of doing good for it's own sake.
That reminds me of a very devout Christian coworker who decorated her cubicle at my workplace with religious paraphenialia -- Jesus calender, Jesus screesaver, crosses on her desk, even a little figurine of Jesus. The boss was too chicken to tell her to remove the stuff as it was a government office and it did not look too professional.
If you enter a shop in cairo and don't say salam 3alaykom, you are not treated as well as if you do.
This is just a new fact of life there
oh, anisa, does it remind you? really? in what way are the two phenomena related?
hakim,
yes, that is exactly what is deplorable about the situation.
Dear Memz,
The semitic Akkadi- Babylonian civilisation is 8000 years old, and it is actually older than the semitic-in-its-own-way Pharoanic one.
Egyptian identity is Arabic, attempting to tamper with that fact is unrealistic and would be catastrophioc to Egypt's future and global staus.
You have to live with the fact that Ancient Egypt clinically died in 900 B.C with the Ethiopian invasion and settlement.
Arabic culture is legitmate hier of he ancient near east. The same way Europe is hier to the Greco-Roamn heritage.
Very interesting post.
As a (non Muslim) foreigner that was learning some Arabic while in Egypt (2005), the greetings are one of the first things I was taught. Because I was trying to step into the culture, I used it for anyone I met. If I learned afterwards that they were not Muslim, I usually tried not to use phrases that I knew were specifically Muslim.
The other day I was looking up some things on the Net and stumbled across this. I had to laugh. Every Muslim I met in Egypt (and the Muslims (mostly Egyptians) I have met elsewhere since) have used it when greeting me, because they know I learned (and am still slowly learning) Arabic.
According to this, it is impermissible for a Muslim to greet a non-muslim with Salam.
http://www.daruliftaa.com/question.asp?txt_QuestionID=q-17392893
Of course, those that I showed this to didn't agree with it.
The subtleties of language...I must admit that I noticed Copts using this greeting-at least where I worked. So what do you say instead? Sabah/mesah il kheih (pardon my transliteration)?
Laura,
Muslims and Christians In the Arab world are Arabs! After all Jesus as a Syrian man who spoke Aramaic the predessor of Arabic. So both chritianity and Islam are Arabic religons:)) Salam is an Arabic word which means peace. I don't understand what is so bizzare about it.
What do you mean by a non-Muslim foreigner?
we don't classify people on religous basis here. It is either Arabs otr not- that is all.
sure a lot of Christians are saying el salamo 3aleikom now...majorities rule. i would say it if i was entering a mosque maybe. masa2 el khair usually works. the trouble is that egyptian colloquial has no real "hello".
Egyptian accent as I said is the closest to the standard Arabic, acording the immportals institute and Taha Hussien. There is a consensus among linguists on that.
It would be really meaningless, silly and childish on part of some wierd brain-washed minorities among both, Muslims and Christians to make unscientific unfounded claims like the funny naive one made by some commentator here, about the lack of Hello in the Egyptian accent. What about the word "Izayyak"? which comes from" izay halak" LOL; a very clean and pure Arabic. It is even closer to the classical Arabic than the Iraqi Hello" Aishk loan" or the Syrian one ahlen
izzayak is clearly "how are you". as is "ishlonak". i speak of "marhaba". we don't have anything like that in Egypt. but i guess your mind was made up about the alleged superiority of Egypt a long time ago.
I am tempted you think you probably read a bit too much into the situation where you shouldn't have. You are over-analyzing in your quest to be very culturally sensitive.
Sorry love but you're the only other blogger I know:
http://eurekaisms.blogspot.com/2008/04/that-10-random-facts-tag-thingie.html
I dont know memz or any of the other bloggers on here, but just felt the need to question amre on his claim that "izayak" is a clearly arabic statement? what word in arabic is zayak? and how does that relate back to marhaban? egyptian arabic has changed over the years of occupation by the ottomans and the british and the influence of greek, italian and french cultures. a lot of colloquial words in egypt aren't arabic in origin.
Also, regarding the use of "assallam allaykum" its sad that it carries religious significance to it, as it translates almost directly to hebrew (a language of the same root as arabic) shalom, and it just means hello/peace. but I do understand the cultural sensitivities of christian egyptians when trying to establish their importance in the culture dichotomy that exists today. and while it is unfortunate the vast differences between the two groups, I'd still like to see a more unified egypt working towards a better country for all.
oh yeah, and egyptians aren't arab. ;)
it's gotten so that it's about being in a club and getting into another one. hell, one taxi driver even told me once that we don't say shukran. it's not islamic enough. fucking points system, stops the brain.
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