I am currently reading Desperately Seeking Paradise: Journeys of a Sceptical Muslim. This is a semi autobiographical account of the author Ziauddin Sardar, a Pakistani immigrant who came to the UK as a child in the 1960's.
It deals with how he had to negotiate two identities, that of a Pakistani and that of a child growing up in Britain and having to embrace a British identity.
The book so far has been an exceptionally thrilling read. However, I can't help but feel that when I have finished reading it I will consider it to be a far too liberal approach to how my ideas of Islamic ideological discourses would be, even though I am sure I would have been superbly entertained.
I couldn't help but chuckle when I read the following paragraph this morning.
"Marriage has always been the province and prerogative of the matriarchs. The senior women of the family in Muslim households the world over jealously guard their right to investigate, analyse and pair off all individuals who come within their purview. It is a traditional skill combining consummate mastery of the deepest mysteries of personality profiling, sociological sensitivity and understanding, psychological insight and quantifying of variables well beyond the most sophisticated computer dating software."
Though not exclusive to Muslims, and is more of a phenomenon intrinsic to Asian families irrespective of their faith, I couldn't help but chuckle at it's authentic pertinence.
Life as you would have it.
1 comments:
i think its the more objective, non-emotional form of getting know someone before marrying them; i.e. an attempt at a more rational approach to acheiveing the same thing ostensibly achieved by dating!
Post a Comment