SOCIETY AT LARGE

SOCIETY AT LARGE


Syria, as befits its history as a trading nation situated between East and West, is a mixed society.  The majority of the population are Sunni Moslems and a minority are Sh’ia Moslems.  Apart from the orthodox Sh’ias, the latter are divided into a number of different groups, the Alawites (to which the President belongs), the Druze and the Isma’ilis.  The basic tenets of both branches of Islam are the same and the Q’ran is the fundamental religious book, but each branch has its differences both in belief and in practice.  

Apart from the Moslem component, Syrian society also includes a number of Christian groups who are no less Syrian for that.  The main denominations are the Greek, Syrian and Armenian Orthodox and the Syrian, Greek and Roman Catholic Christians.  Protestantism is not so common and, fortunately  - in my opinion particularly in view of my experience in Latin America - the evangelical churches have not yet begun to make big inroads in popular belief. The undoubted strength of Islam should serve as protection against that for the time being at least.  In the future the Achilles heel might be that evangelical christianity might hold out a tempting image to women, but, until such times as the female population feel that they want to strike out alone, there is little opportunity for these churches here. There is also a Jewish community, although much smaller than it used to be.  Until a few years ago, travel restrictions were in place but, when these were lifted, most of the Jewish community sold up and left.  Most went to Europe and some to the United States.  Virtually none went to Israel because, as I was told, “They are Arabs just like us and they could not live there”.  When they did leave, bargains were to be had in the Jewish quarter next to the Christian quarter as families sold off their furniture and other heavy goods prior to leaving. The gold and jewellery trade is still mostly in the hands of the Armenian Jews.

Each community tends to keep itself to itself, and marriages generally take place within the community.  The status quo is fostered by the legal situation in the country which forbids marriage between the different communities. Much heartbreak is also caused on account of this situation.  A Moslem man, however, may marry a woman of any monotheistic religion.  A Moslem woman, on the other hand, may not marry a man from another religion unless  he converts to Islam.

Among the Islamic community the social custom of arranged marriages continues.  The tradition is strongest among the lower classes and in rural areas but in the cities and even among the upper classes the basic idea still holds strong, although the young man is given the opportunity to choose a prospective wife, and the young people are sometimes given the chance to get to know one another before going ahead with marriage.

I think the most striking thing in Syria - at least it certainly was for Robert - is the virtual absence of women in public life.  Of course, women are to be seen in the street dressed in any one of the myriad degrees of traditionalism to modernity.  Dress ranges from the total black-out from head to toe with black veil completely covering the face through total cover-up in coloured clothes with a headscarf to no head covering and jeans and t-shirts.  It is most unusual to see anyone wearing sleeveless clothes, except perhaps in the Christian quarter.  Even the most modern of misses usually covers her arms to just above the elbow.  Perhaps the most “shocking” outfit, in the sense that it seems not to comply with any logic at all, is skin tight jeans and clingy T-shirts topped by a head veil or scarf.  It would seem that head covering or hijab is being regarded as THE constriction to be fulfilled and compliance seems to ensure conformity with decency”.

My conversations with people who know have confirmed my suspicion that this is a total turnaround of what was really meant.  Nowhere in the Q’ran does it say that women should cover their heads or their faces.  What it does say is that the parts of the body regarded as “eib” or immodest should be kept covered, namely the armpits, the chest and the genital area.  The face and head are not eib and, therefore, need not be covered.  In fact, during the hajj or pilgrimage to Mecca, women are specifically told that they MUST NOT cover their heads and faces.Therefore, the whole veil business is a misinterpretation.  The idea of “covering” arose from an incident when a prostitute, (presumably in scant dress as would befit her trade), approached the Prophet Muhammad who told her to go away and cover herself.  So, insistence on the veil as the last bulwark of decency is quite wrong.  Strictly speaking, it  would be much more correct to wear loose clothes which do not reveal the shape of the female body but keep the head and face uncovered.


So, the conclusion is that cover-up is a social weapon, encouraged particularly by men, to ensure the virtue of their women.  So what’s new? In any case, I kept telling Robert that the situation of women is not a problem until the women themselves feel that they want more freedom.  He was quite unconvinced by this until a little episode occurred at a meeting he had to attend.  He was introduced to a young woman who works in some official organization, a “cover lady” as the women who cover up are called.  When introduced, he stretched out his hand to greet her and she recoiled saying that she could not shake his hand.  It was then explained to him that, in her code of ethics, if she touched or was touched by any man outside her immediate family circle, she would immediately be rendered unclean and would have to go away and wash her whole body from head to toe!  After that, Robert admits that I was right, but his amazement at this degree of assimilation of a social code designed to constrict has increased one hundredfold. Another slant on this matter is that many women have adopted the hijab as a means of protection which allows them to circulate more freely outside the family circle.

However, the mania of “ritual” cleanliness is not restricted to religious women.  Religious men also practise this which basically revolves around the idea that, in order to be clean for praying at the five designated times each day, physical contact with other people must be avoided at all costs.  Therefore, no handshakes or other forms of contact.  As some Moslems point out, this is a farce, because the stress then comes to lie on “ritual” rather than “cleanliness” with the result that many of these people do not wash their hands after the early morning cleansing which means that by the end of the day cleanliness is certainly more symbolic than real!

Child-rearing practices are interesting too and gender differentiation is all too apparent in that field.  Little girls are prepared to be mothers and housekeepers and their demeanour is more withdrawn and timid.  Little boys, on the other hand, are reared to be bold and confident which makes them quite impertinent and insolent little devils.  I have yet to see a mother chastise a child, although fathers are frequently heard chastising their daughters.  However, the little girls clearly also learn to use the weapons they will require to make a space for themselves in society.  They are past masters at using tears as a way of wrenching cold hearts and manipulating situations.  They also learn how to get what they want by roundabout means all the while maintaining the outward appearance of compliance.  Quite an art really.  What is amazing is that, when they grow up, many little boys turn into very nice young men.

Schools function six days a week and one of the sights is that of the schoolchildren, because the uniform worn at state schools is essentially a military uniform, either dark green or navy blue.  One of the contradictions of this society and one of the areas where the influence of the Eastern bloc is felt is that the same uniform is worn by boys and girls alike: trousers and fatigue jacket.  The anomaly is that many girls top their military uniform with a white veil covering their heads and shoulders!  

Education is compulsory up to the age of eighteen but I am not so sure that everyone complies with that rule.

May 11th 1998