University of Groningen Ramadan culture in modern Cairo Saad Aly, Nervana Mohamed Emam IMPORTANT NOTE: You are advised to consult the publisher's version (publisher's PDF) if you wish to cite from it. Please check the document version below. Document Version Publisher's PDF, also known as Version of record Publication date: 2010 Link to publication in University of Groningen/UMCG research database Citation for published version (APA): Saad Aly, N. M. E. (2010). Ramadan culture in modern Cairo: young females’ leisure patterns and the politics of piety, unity and authenticity. [s.n.]. Copyright Other than for strictly personal use, it is not permitted to download or to forward/distribute the text or part of it without the consent of the author(s) and/or copyright holder(s), unless the work is under an open content license (like Creative Commons). Take-down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim. Downloaded from the University of Groningen/UMCG research database (Pure): http://www.rug.nl/research/portal. For technical reasons the number of authors shown on this cover page is limited to 10 maximum. Download date: 25-09-2021 RRaammaaddaann CCuullttuurree iinn MMooddeerrnn CCaaiirroo Young Females’ Leisure Patterns and the Politics of Piety, Unity and Authenticity Nirvana Saad RIJKSUNIVERSITEIT GRONINGEN Ramadan Culture in Modern Cairo: Young Females’ Leisure Patterns and the Politics of Piety, Unity and Authenticity Proefschrift ter verkrijging van het doctoraat in de Godgeleerdheid en Godsdienstwetenschap aan de Rijksuniversiteit Groningen op gezag van de Rector Magnificus, dr. F. Zwarts, in het openbaar te verdedigen op donderdag 21 oktober 2010 om 14.45 uur door Nervana Mohamed Emam Saad Aly geboren op 9 september 1980 te Caïro, Egypte 2 Promotor: Prof. dr. F. Leemhuis Copromotor: Dr. M.W. Buitelaar Beoordelingscommissie: Prof. dr. L.P.H.M. Buskens (Leiden University ) Prof. dr. R. Peters (University of Amsterdam) Prof. dr. C.K. M. von Stuckrad (University of Groningen) 3 This book is dedicated to my parents (Mohamed Saad and Mervat Nour) and son (Omar). 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 8 NOTES ON TRANSLITERATION 9 ENGLISH SUMMARY 10 DUTCH SUMMARY 14 CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION 19 1. Ramadan: A Time for Piety and Festivity 22 2. Rituals of Change and Modernization 26 3. Culture Contested in Modern Egypt 28 4. Negotiating Discourses and Youth Identity 33 5. Upper-Middle Class Women Leisure: Bodily Dispositions and Space 36 6. Research Group: Upper-Middle Class Women Youth 42 7. Cairo 48 8. Method and Fieldwork 50 9. Chapters Division 53 CHAPTER TWO: PRESCRIPTIONS ON RAMADAN ACTIVITIES AND LEISURE IN ISLAM 56 1. Koran, Hadith, Fiqh: Theological Basics of Islam 57 2. Ramadan Timeline 60 3. Niya 62 4. Fasting in the Koran 63 5. Fasting in the Hadith 66 6. The Iftar Meal 69 7. The Sahur Meal 69 8. Laylat al-Qadr and I`tikaf 70 9. Tarawih Prayers 71 10. Charity 73 11. Useless Leisure Discouraged 77 12. Recreation and Relaxation Encouraged 80 13. Time for Religion and Time for Mundane Leisure 81 14. Favorable Types of Sports 82 15. Unfavorable Types of Sports 84 16. Places that are Sinful should be Avoided 85 17. Women and Leisure: Time and Space 85 18. Conclusion 87 5 CHAPTER THREE: THE MONTH OF SHA`BAN: SELF AND SPATIAL PREPERATIONS 89 1. Upper-Middle Class Female Youth and their Year-long Leisure 90 2. Upper-Middle Class Female Youth and Sha`ban Preparations 100 3. Private Space: Home Domain 110 4. Public Space 116 5. Conclusion 125 CHAPTER FOUR: RAMADAN LEISURE ACTIVITIES 128 1. Religious Activities: Prayers and Classes 129 2. Charity Work 139 3. Iftar Meal 153 4. Sahur Meal 157 5. Television 163 6. Sports 164 7. Cultural Leisure at al-Husayn Area 168 8. Conclusion 171 CHAPTER FIVE: PIETY – ATTAINMENT AND EXPRESSION IN A CONSUMER CONTEXT 174 1. The Meaning of Taqwa in the Islamic Doctrine 177 2. Egyptians’ Views on Taqwa 178 3. Opposition to Consumerism and Westernization 180 4. In Support of Consumerism 195 5. Women and Piety 203 6. Why a Pious Image is Important in Contemporary Times 213 7. Conclusion 215 CHAPTER SIX: THE MODERN UMMA – SOCIAL COHESION AND ENTITLEMENT TO LEISURE RESOURCES 218 1. The Meaning of Umma in Islamic Doctrine 220 2. Women’s Access to Leisure Resources 221 3. Ramadan Leisure and Social Cohesion 229 4. Social Classes and Re-affirmation of Social Class Hierarchy 242 5. Muslim and Christian relations during Ramadan 251 6. Conclusion 253 CHAPTER SEVEN: AUTHENTICITY– THE REVITALIZATION OF ‘TRADITION’ IN THE NATION-STATE AND A CONSUMERIST CONTEXT 256 1. The Egyptian nation-state and its Modernist Project 259 2. Modernizing the Authentic in Ramadan 261 6 3. The Aesthetication of ‘Pure’ non-Western Traditions 272 4. Consumption of Traditions in Ramadan 274 5. Locality, Authenticity and Ambivalences 289 6. Conclusion 297 CHAPTER EIGHT: CONCLUSIONS – MODERN RAMADAN CULTURE: COSMOPOLITIANISM AND EMPOWERMENT 300 1. Hybridization 303 2. Cosmopolitanism 306 3. Ambivalences 308 4. Power Relations, Resistance and Empowerment 310 APPENDIX 317 BIBLIOGRAPHY 320 GLOSSARY 341 7 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to express my utmost gratitude to the University of Groningen for generously funding my research project, offering me all the required research facilities and, generally, enabling me to work in an inspiring intellectual atmosphere. I am indebted to many people at the faculty of Theology and Religious Studies, and would like to thank: Andy Sanders, Mirjam Buigel, Willeke van de Pol, Mimi Kremer and the helpful librarians. I would like to extend my appreciation to my official promotor Prof. dr. Fred Leemhuis whose expertise in Islamic theology proved to be of high value to my research project. I wish to also thank my daily supervisor Dr. Marjo Buitelaar who impeccably paved the way for this anthropological research by giving me the freedom to explore, while her sharp eye guarded me against some serious lapses. She assisted me in countless ways, but more importantly than anything else, she provided me with much needed enthusiasm that kept me going during challenging times. I must also direct my most sincere thanks to all my friends in The Netherlands who made me feel at home during my stay there: Martha Wurzer, Brenda Bartelink, Fatima Ballah, Susan Ketner, Femke Stock, Emke Bosgraaf, Anand Blank, Pieter Nanninga, Masooma Yousufzai and all the wonderful people I got to know at the international student houses. They all facilitated my stay in Groningen and made it much easier for me to escape homesickness and the gloominess of some Dutch winters through their companionship and hospitality. Special thanks are due to Samuli Schielke, Brenda, Fatima, Femke and Pieter for reading some parts of my research and offering me ideas and criticisms that greatly contributed to my project’s development. I am also indebted to my friends Hesham El- Habachi for editing my text into proper English and Lex Touber for translating my English summary to Dutch (Despite this, I am of course solely responsible for all the linguistic errors here). In Cairo, I would like to thank all my colleagues and friends at the American University in Cairo. I wish to especially thank: Rasha, Rana, Sarah, Suzan, Dalia, Heba, Rania, Reem, Akram, Tamer, Sameh, Rezk, Mohamed and Hatem. Their continous support and unfailing sense of humor has given me much strength and patience in overcoming some obstacles faced during the course of this research. I owe a lot to Mr. Abu El-Wafa who introduced me to many places and people in Boulaq area. My most profound debt is of course to all the people I met during fieldwork in Cairo. They did not only offer me their points of views and insights but also their cooperation, friendship and prayers for success in my doctorate. I owe thanks to my family in Cairo. I am forever indebited to: my parents for their unconditional love and faith in me; my grandparents for believing in me and encouraging me to follow my dreams; three sisters (Rania, Perihan and Jaillan) for their camaraderie and endless love; niece (Gemma) and nephew (Mazen) who never fail in making me laugh. Finally, I thank my son Omar who was born on September 6th 2007 a few days before Ramadan began. His presence fills my life with hope and bliss….I love you very much. 8 NOTES ON TRANSLITERATION For the Arabic words in the text that are Cairene colloquial expressions, I have a transliteration system that comprehends Egyptian Arabic pronunciations. I follow the system introduced by El-Said Badawi and Martin Hinds in A Dictionary of Egyptian Arabic (Beirut: Librarie du Liban, 1986). I have however used a simplified version of the Arabic alphabet transcription by using less diacritic signs, in order to make it more accessible to readers who are not familiar with the language. Accordingly I use: [s] for ╪ and ▄ ′ and ح h] for] [t] for ░ and ╙ [d] for ╦ and ▌ [z] for ╩ and ▒ [sh] for ╬ [kh] for ╣ [gh] for ► [`] for ▓ [Ë ] for ┐ but not at the beginning of the word, like muË addab Long vowels are represented by double vowels; double consonants are similarly represented by double consonants in English. 9 ENGLISH SUMMARY This thesis, ‘Ramadan Culture in Modern Cairo: Young Females’ Leisure Patterns and the Politics of Piety, Unity and Authenticity’, analyses shifts in affluent young women’s leisure behavior with the advent of Ramadan, and contestations surrounding those practices. It focuses on contestations pertaining to Ramadan leisure practices as points of crystallization for more crucial issues in contemporary Egyptian society. I specifically explore how piety, unity and authenticity are perceived, sought and contested in the context of leisure and in relationship to new modern conditions.