COVID-19 vs. Ramadan’s Religious Hypocrisy
The beginning of Ramadan (the holy month of fasting in Islam) presents the perfect opportunity for residents of Arab countries like Morocco to adorn the traditional religious regalia and head out to the mosque. Usually, one starts by taking a shower before wearing a djellaba (traditional unisex Moroccan hooded cloak) and pray. The irony is that many of these people haven’t been inside a mosque since last year’s Ramadan!
Suddenly, everyone cannot afford to miss Taraweeh prayers (Muslims perform special prayers called Taraweeh after every evening’s last daily prayer called isha ), signifying a renewed sense of religious commitment for the majority of Moroccans. Everywhere you go, you can’t help but marvel at the number of veiled women and girls. As for the men, taking a position behind famous imams is the best way to show how religious and powerful they are.
In Morocco, nothing shows how important you are that being spotted next to an Iman. It reminds me of an incident where some of my wealthy friends fought over who should book the most VIP table. While the clubbers sought to feel better and more important than the rest, men fighting over their proximity to the imam in a religious setting reeks of hypocrisy.
These instances show a group of people fighting for the best places in society, whether the nightclub or the mosque. All they want is to maintain their first-class position in a country with a $180 minimum wage.
With the coming of COVID, this “religious hypocrisy” will end. Currently, there is a government-imposed curfew that runs from 8 pm to 6 am, meaning all mosques have to close half an hour after the fast sunset break called in Moroccan dialect (Ftour) and called in Arabic ( Iftar ). It may look like a bad thing, but for once, Moroccan mosques will have no crowds, courtesy of COVID-19. Besides, it is a sign of relief to those Moroccans who view Ramadan evening prayers and not being the pure worship of God.
What should we make of the people who, during Ramadan, call non-believers all kinds of names only to throw themselves into boats and cross illegally into Spain despite the inherent danger? Coming from a “strong” Muslim country, they have no qualms crossing over to Europe, where most are non-believers.
Even though they cannot stop criticizing the West, they jump on the first opportunity to fill out and submit Greencard lottery forms in a quest for the American dream. A guy joins a protest denouncing American support for Israel in front of the US Consulate in Casablanca but celebrates the opportunities presented by the normalization of diplomatic ties between Rabat and Tel Aviv.
Soon, former critics of the Jewish state start fighting for an opportunity to emigrate to Israel. A joke going viral on social media says that only the trees will be left in Morocco when Israel will travel there visa-free. #LOL.
I can’t wait to laugh at the social hypocrisy of those coming out to “worship” just because it is Ramadan. At the end of the holy month, people soon return to their true colors. Three days after the end of Ramadan, a majority of Moroccans are back to the nightclubs drinking and causing a record number of road accidents in a country without an official DUI.
By Simo bb
