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Literary Review
Finding her place
Standing Alone in Mecca: A Pilgrimage into the Heart of Islam, Asra Q. Nomani, HarperCollins, p. 413, Rs. 395.
A LITTLE over two years ago, an academic at the Virginia Commonwealth University in the U.S. became a heroine in the eyes of many. Dr. Amina Wadud led a congregation of men and women in Friday prayers, a first in history, according to most interpreters of Islamic history. While Dr. Wadud hit the headlines, the lady behind the prayers, Asra Q. Nomani remained in the shadows. Later, Asra was to lead a small prayer in her hometown. This incident gives an insight into the life of Asra, whose book, Standing Alone in Mecca: A Pilgrimage into the Heart of Islam, deserves to be read as much for her honest expression of belief as for its brave attempt at reinterpretation of faith. In many ways, it is a rare essay: a feminist peek into the world of Islam, a faith reduced to a monolith following Osama Bin Laden and the events of 9/11. As Asra put it in the book, "On the hajj, I stood in bin Laden's `lands of Islam'... He and the events of September 11 had made our religion a lightning rod... .our broader Muslim community was being taken over by ight-wing Muslims."
Subtle insights
When she talks of Osama and the ilk, it is easy to understand her, the noises are predictable. It is when she makes veiled references to women in India and Pakistan, Pepsi logos at international airports in Saudi Arabia that she actually comes into her own. Nothing is obvious, nothing is to be missed. Everything beautifully disguised. The little asides give an insight into the life of a writer who is a constant observer who is at times a participant, at others detached. The book, which narrates her hajj trials and tribulation with a child born out of wedlock for a companion, is all about dignified honesty. It is also an exposure of a timeless reality: faith is almost always interpreted by men for women. If a woman cannot go on hajj without mahram in Islam, there are no accounts of women priests in Hinduism and Christian women have had their moments of denial too.
Even if one does not agree with all her views, Asra is worthy of a patient hearing. And patient reading. In the book, she describes herself, "I was a post-modern woman in a religious culture with many pre-modern dispositions. Could I find a place for myself within my religion?" Well, from the evidence here, she did!
ZIYA US SALAM
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