The Malaysian Insider :: Features
The Malaysian Insider :: Features |
| Sorcery, spirits and sacrifice at Morocco Sufi festival Posted: 27 Jan 2014 09:52 PM PST In the town's main square, to a chorus of trilling pipes and banging drums, spectators press around a cluster of believers, who sway to the hypnotic rhythms in a trance-like state, sometimes leaping up and down in ecstasy, sometimes cutting themselves on the scalp with sharp tools. One of the men runs into the middle of the circle, holds up a large terracotta plate and throws it high into the air. It shatters as it lands on his head, prompting a loud cheer from the crowd. The festival of Sidi Ali Ben Hamdouch brings Moroccans from far and wide to venerate a 17th century Muslim saint and his servant Lalla Aicha, a mythical Muslim princess from the desert who dwells in the spirit world and is a powerful unseen force for her followers. Traditionally, worshippers have come to Mghrassyine for spiritual guidance and divine blessing, sometimes seeking higher states of consciousness through music and dance, as a form of communion with God. But for a growing number of people, the week-long religious festival, or "moussem", is a journey into the supernatural world of genies, incantations and "shawafa" - women who claim to be able, for a fee, to help people find love and feel better, to maybe cast or break a spell. Land of superstition Madame Khayat, from the city of Fez, says she comes every year, despite the disapproval of many Moroccans, including her husband, who view the rituals as un-Islamic. "We come here to be purified of the evil spirits, of the 'jinn,'" she says with a smile. "It's a kind of pilgrimage if you like. People go to Mecca to be purified of their sins. People come here to be purified of evil spirits." "There are many people who think this is savagery, those who don't believe in this. Even my husband doesn't like me to come here. So when he wasn't looking, I just got in the car and came with my two maids," she adds with a laugh. Good and bad genies ("jnun" in Arabic) are frequently mentioned in the Koran, although orthodox Islamic tradition holds that Muslims should rely on God alone to protect them from malevolent spirits. But the spirits hold a special place in Moroccan folklore and popular culture, and not just among the poor and uneducated. A study published in 2012 by the Pew Research Centre, a US think tank, showed that an estimated 86 percent of Moroccans believe in these supernatural beings, more than any of the other countries surveyed. Aziz Hlaoua, a Moroccan sociologist, says that under King Mohamed VI there has been a clear revival of Sufism, the beliefs and practices of mystical Muslim sects, which in Morocco are commonly linked to the world of magic and healing. In 2002, the king appointed Ahmed Toufiq, known for his Sufi sympathies, as minister of religious affairs, to pioneer this revival and reverse the marginalisation of Sufi fraternities under his father, the late king Hassan II. "The political role of this new policy of favouring Sufism as a moderate, open, tolerant form of Islam is a means of confronting extremism," Hlaoua said. "And the moussem have seen a continuous comeback since Ahmed Toufiq's appointment as minister." Music and meditation On the last day of the Sidi Ali festival, thousands gather to accompany a procession of flag bearers and drummers as they lead a sacrificial bull donated by the king down the hill to the shrine of Sidi Ali. Other creatures, notably black chickens and goats, the colour supposedly favoured by Lalla Aicha, are on sale around the town, to be slaughtered as part of an Islamic tradition that has assumed occult overtones in Mghrassyine. "When they sacrifice the animal, they believe the genies drink its blood. It's a way of pacifying the spirits," Hlaoua explained. An alleyway winding down to the valley below the shrine is lined with evidence of sorcery - "shawafa" salons and stalls selling festival accessories, from goat horns to dried chameleons, which are placed in boiling water to produce healing vapours. At the bottom of the path, women light prayer candles and burn incense in the cave of Lalla Aicha, calling on the so-called queen of the genies to intercede on their behalf, or they purify themselves with a ritual bath in the adjacent natural spring. Two sheep lie dead on the ground nearby, their throats slit. A more cerebral atmosphere prevails in the room, not far from the shrine, where members of the Sidi Ali fraternity congregate for an evening of spiritual music and meditation, or "lilla." After hours of chanting and swaying that lasts late into the night, a man in the audience starts throwing his head about violently, apparently entering a state of trance, before collapsing on the ground. – AFP, January 28, 2014. |
| Syria: Once a shelter for refugees, now a refugee-producing country Posted: 27 Jan 2014 07:45 PM PST It is ironic that Syria was once the world's second largest refugee-hosting country, as it hosted the Palestinian refugees. Yet now it is the fastest refugee-producing country, causing economic instability to the hosting communities in the region. After nearly three years of civil war leaving more than 100,000 people dead and much of the country ruined, there is still no signs of the crisis ending. United Nations (UN) Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, in his opening speech at the second international pledging conference held here recently said the ongoing conflict in Syria has now become a regional crisis. "Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt are now the home to more than three million Syrians who have fled their homeland", he noted. Saying that more than 80 per cent of Palestinian refugees inside Syria were in need of humanitarian aid, Ban stressed that he is also concerned over reports of starvation. He said the refugee crisis has caused great hardships, and it is directly linked to increasing instability and conflict in the region as seen in car bomb incidents and sectarian violence in Iraq and Lebanon. The instability is undermining the development of surrounding economies. "We must do more to support host countries", said Ban, adding that no country, and no people, should face hardships or calamity because they had been helping Syrians in need. Islam in the protection of refugees UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Antonio Guterres in his speech at the conference commended the teachings of Islam with regards to the refugees' protection. Addressing delegations from 62 countries and more than 29 regional organisations, he said generosity and readiness of the neighbouring Muslim countries to shelter refugees from Syria is deeply rooted in Islamic teachings and tradition. "In fact, the most beautiful sentence I have ever read on refugee protection is not from the 1951 Refugee Convention, but from Surah At-Taubah, verse six. The verse reads: "If one amongst the non-believers asks thee for asylum, grant it to him, so that he may hear the word of Allah and then escort him to where he can be secure". "This is a remarkable example of religious tolerance and commitment to refugee protection in Islam", noted the former Portuguese prime minister. He said that the generosity of Syria's neighbours has to be matched by massive international support, in the true spirit of effective burden-sharing, which is essential in assuring asylum for people fleeing the conflict. "Countries in the region need strong financial assistance, but they also need others to help carry the burden of actually taking in and protecting refugees", he said, calling on all countries to keep their borders open for the refugees. Social and economic situation of the hosting countries The UNHCR High Commissioner while explaining the importance of assisting refugees said that the host countries have been receiving an unrelenting stream of fleeing Syrians and have provided them protection at enormous cost to themselves. "The pressure is felt heavily in all areas of daily life, as budget deficits are increasing; growth suffers; and jobs, salaries and prices are affected across the region, leaving local families struggling to make ends meet", he said. According to Guterres, the presence of over 860,000 registered Syrian refugees in Lebanon is equivalent to 66 million refugees arriving suddenly in the United States, 17 million in Germany and over 280 million in China. "As a result of the refugee influx, Lebanon's population has already grown to the level that was expected to reach only in 2050. By the end of this year, the World Bank estimates that unemployment in Lebanon may double, and an additional 170,000 Lebanese risk being pushed into poverty", he explained. A joint World Bank-United Nations study estimated that the conflict has cut gross domestic product (GDP) in Lebanon by nearly three per cent annually, leading to a total loss of up to US$7.5 billion (about RM25.1 billion). For Jordan, a resource-poor country, Guterres said that hundreds of millions of dollars of additional subsidies were being paid by the government to ensure refugees have access to water, bread, gas and electricity at the same prices as Jordanians, estimating the cost of hosting them at some US$1.7 billion (about RM5.7 billion) so far. He further added that Turkey has spent US$2.5 billion (about RM8.4 billion) on assisting Syrian refugees since the beginning of the crisis, which was mostly drawn from its own budget. Meanwhile, in northern Iraq, the population of Dohuk governorate has increased by over 10 percent because of the refugee influx. Furthermore, according to UNHCR's Regional Response Plan 5 (RRP5) Preliminary Report for the period of January to December 2013, the total registered Syrian refugees in Egypt have surpassed the initial projection of 100,000 refugees when UNHCR registered 130,000 refugees in November. With no camps, Syrian refugees are currently living in three main urban areas in Egypt, including Greater Cairo, Alexandria, and Damietta, as well as smaller urban areas throughout the country, the report added. What will the future hold for Syrian refugees? According to Guterres, the UNHCR is expecting the number of refugees in the region surrounding Syria to rise as high as 4.1 million by the end of 2014, based on last year's arrival trends. "Their needs, as well as those of local people sheltering them in neighbouring countries, are enormous. "As the conflict rages on and neighbouring countries are stretched beyond capacity, I hope more countries will provide Syrian refugees with additional forms of protection", he added. The Second International Humanitarian Pledging Conference for Syria held here on Jan 15 aimed to raise US$6.5 billion (about RM21.7 billion) for some 11.6 million displaced Syrians facing extreme conditions inside the country and in neighbouring nations. The one-day conference opened by Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah and chaired by United Nations (UN) Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, however, only managed to raise US$2.4 billion (about RM8.03 billion). – Bernama, January 28, 2014. |
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