Foreheads proof of faith in Egypt
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- December
- 18
The New York Times had an article in today’s paper about a growing trend among Muslim men in Egypt. Writer Michael Slackman reports that as Egypt experiences a revival of the Islamic faith, many are eager to prove their religious piety. And while women will adopt the hijab, a scarf fitted around the hair and ears and wrapped around the neck, men will wear their faith on their foreheads.
Slackman writes:
The zebibah, Arabic for raisin, is a dark circle of callused skin, or in some cases a protruding bump, between the hairline and the eyebrows. It emerges on the spot where worshipers press their foreheads into the ground during their daily prayers.It may sometimes look like a painful wound, but in Egypt it is worn proudly, the way American professionals in the 1980s felt good about the dark circles under their eyes as a sign of long work hours and little sleep.
Do you wear your faith on your sleeve or is yours a private one? And can anyone relate to Slackman’s “dark circles” illustration?
This entry was posted
on Tuesday, December 18th, 2007 at 10:47 pm by Christina Jeng.
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