The prospect of exile in Leo Africanus shapes the entire narrative of the novel and informs the current political discourse on the Muslim world. As we have learned in class, Muslim societies tended to be extremely accepting of other cultures and religions. Yet, the constant emigration that took place during the inquisition gave the moors a very different perspective on culture and society as a whole. Hasan is constantly forced into situations he has little or no control over. The fact that he has to move from his homeland at such an early age has consequences.
For instance, the preface of the novel tells of how he is versed in many languages, has seen many countries, and is named after a continent he was not born in. This book obviously is not pointing us in the direction of all Arabs but it seems to suggest that the moors' sense of place has been drastically altered by the affects of exile. Leo might present an extreme example of a pariah but the moors all across Spain and parts of Northern Africa had to act as nomads for a time in order to avoid the intolerant regime of Isabella and Ferdinand.
Maalouf obviously wanted to bring this aspect of Muslim life into the current discourse. A westerner sees the muslim world as insular, provincial, and unwilling to venture out of social, political, and literal country borders. In Leo Africanus, he presents the reader with a very familiar type of character that usually comes from a Christian background: the explorer/ the diplomat. This role is always reserved for those who worked against the muslims, here we are given an example of someone who carried out similar expeditions and achieved a lot in his time. After doing some research, there seems to be a lot of explorers and diplomats that came out of that region: Ibn Battuta, Mustafa Zemmouri, Ibn Jubayr, and Estevanico to name a few. I think Maalouf is trying to make us understand that the notion that Arabs are stuck in their own traditions is categorically false and their are many examples from history to back that up. Although there is some tension
between the newly planted Granadans and the people of Fez, it seems to
be due to population and housing pressures rather that intolerance. A
testament to their respect for other cultures can be seen hanging on
their walls with the many different calendars that show different
religious holidays.
Maalouf realizes that there are many instances where certain parts of the Muslim world is disconnected from the rest of the world and believes one of the ways these problems will be fixed is if Europe facilitates some sort of program that bolsters global citizenship. It is pioneers like Leo and his European counterparts who made global citizenship possible.
-Corey Scibilia
I can't help but think of how this relates to the United States in modern day. We are taught to think of America as a "melting pot" where people from all different backgrounds and ethnic groups are able to pursue the "American Dream." However, it isn't that simple of a scenario. Many immigrants find themselves facing abundant hostility in schools, at work, and even at home after they make their way into the country. Many deliberately seek out territories consisting of other members of their ethnicity to protect themselves against these dangers. Even when they avoid discrimination, it's still prevalent in society and the whole of the US will never be tolerant to all people of the world. Sometimes it's not a matter of morality, as economic and social circumstances may lead to hostility to the introduction of foreigners into a given territory.
ReplyDeleteThis is a serious contradiction to the lessons of tolerance we are taught to adhere to when considering people's differences.