“Deep in the Sahara,” by Kelly Cunnane and Hoda Hadadi.
Wade Books, New York, 2013, 32 pages, K-2.
The religion of Islam was founded about 1,400 years ago. Today, there are more than a billion Muslims in the world and some of their cultural values differ from Western values.
The Five Pillars of Islam are 1) the Statement of Faith, 2) Prayer five times a day, 3) Fasting, 4) Almsgiving and 5) a pilgrimage to Mecca if possible.
Within Islam is the concept of jihad. The first type is spiritual jihad, the most common type of jihad. In this form, Muslims try to rid themselves of bad habits and unspiritual attitudes. Therefore, spiritual jihad is very positive.
The second type of jihad is physical. This type of jihad can espouse violence toward non-Muslims and is greatly feared outside of the Muslim world. Though physical jihad is often in the news, it is not the most prominent form of jihad.
Another part of Muslim culture that creates controversies in the West is that of veiling. This is frequently seen in the West as the patriarchal oppression of women. But is that how Muslims see themselves? Kelly Cunnane and Hoda Hadadi have written a book addressing this very issue. Its title is “Deep in the Sahara.”
Young Lalla watches her mother and older sister wearing the beautiful veil called the malafa. She asks her mother for a malafa because she wants to be beautiful. Mother smiles at Lalla and tells her that a malafa is not for beauty.
Next, she asks her sister for a malafa because she thinks the women look mysterious when wearing the veil. Her sister tells her that women don’t wear the veil to look mysterious. So Lalla keeps following the women asking about the malafa.
Now she wants a malafa because she thinks it will make her a grown-up woman. The ladies tell her that is not why they are wearing the veils. Finally, she sits at the feet of her grandmother and learns that women do not wear the malafa because of tradition.
Finally, the time to pray in the village arrives and the people hurry to the mosques for prayer. Lalla’s mother wraps her beautiful malafa around her head and shoulders to begin her prayers. Lalla realizes that she doesn’t have what all the other women have during prayer. She turns to her mother and makes her request. What is it?
Why are all the women wearing the malafa? Do they believe they are being oppressed? How do the authors show the veil helping women to become holier? So where does the issue lie? Have the women in this book been hoodwinked, or have Westerners misjudged them? To find out the answers to these questions, go to the library and check out this important book, “Deep in the Sahara” by Kelly Cunnane and Hoda Hadadi.
The veil in Islam is sometimes seen by Westerners as a symbol of oppression. The characters portrayed in this book do not see it that way. For them, their clothing helps them develop a deeper spirituality.
Recently in France, Muslim women wearing the Burkini were being fined. A Burkini is a swimsuit that includes a full veil and dress to be worn during swimming in the Mediterranean Sea. Muslim girls swimming fully clothed in these Burkinis were seen as a social problem. People using nearby nude beaches were not arrested, as they supposedly posed no threat. So whose values are mixed up?
“Deep in the Sahara” asks some important questions for us to try to understand. Can clothing help people develop holier lives? If so, what types of clothes should we wear? While I am not advocating some type of sexist, restrictive clothing for women, Westerners should not mock veils. After all, each statue and picture of the Blessed Virgin depicts her wearing a veil. Food for thought and prayer.
