Page 83 - Neglected Arabia Vol 1 (2)

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NEGLECTED A RAM A

turned lo t!ie north and the face lo the west. They wash her fan
and then ask her to give the witness, “'There is no l iod hut (.iod and
Mohammed is the apostle of Clod.” If she is unable to do so, a com
jianioti witnesses for her. If the patient has strung faith, she dir-
ralntly. saying "1 have surrendered myself to liud, which is sufficient. >
Peace he with you.” Others lit id their faith insullicieiU in the hour «»i
death and show great fear.
The preparations for burial are made with great haste in eastern
lands. The women wash the body and apply spices and perfumes to
the hair, the hands, between the fingers and sometimes to the body, \
and then roll it up in a new white cloth, so that even the face i>
completely covered. Men are then summoned to carry her to the
cemetery, stopping at the mosque on the way to have the Mullah
pray over her. The mourners in the mosque pray standing, that is.
they do not bow to the earth as at other times. A few words may he
read at the grave, and with prayers such as “Cod have mercy on
you, Cod make it easy for you, Clod forgive you,” the burial is con­
cluded.
At the home of the more wealthy, three or four readers are engaged
fur three days to read the whole Koran. 'The Sunni woman is quiet
in her mourning, which lasts officially for seven days. During this week
die does not go out and refrains from her sewing and usual occu­
pations.
In outlining the life-cycle pf the average middle-class town-woman.
1 am not making my special appeal on the ground of polygamy, divorce,
bad treatment or seclusion. All these exist and are tragedies,
ihe more so because the religion and practice of Islam sanction them, i.
fortunately, for economic reasons, these abuses arc not so very common •V
among the middle classes. Yet even for the happiest of Arabia’*
women our heart aches, because in our daily contact with them we
>ce how dreadfully empty the minds and hearts of these women arc.
Ilow could it be otherwise with their lack id mental and .spiritual
u|i|H)i't uni ties ? Add lo this, lack of sell-control and you have all the
conditions necessary for an unhappy life, a life that gives in to
temptations, meannesses and vulgarities. 'Their religion does not help T
them. Their one supreme need is Christ. He alone can give them
along with their rightful place in home and society, poise, strength,
love, peace, salvation and victory.

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