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Mariama Bas So Long a Letter It is amazing how big and different our world is. Our lives are predetermined, in a way, by the place and time we are born into. And although we all live on the same planet, our lifestyles, views on things and mentalities are sometimes so much different that we are not able to understand or accept each others words and deeds. At the same time, it is extremely interesting and useful to learn about other cultures and religions, because each such acquaintance makes us spiritually richer and we very often come to realize how lucky we are to have everything we have in our lives. A book that colorfully illustrates certain aspects of Islam is the Mariama Bas So Long a Letter.
This book seems to have a pretty usual plot: Ramatoulaye, a school teacher in Africa, who has been a good wife to her husband for 22 years, is now being left by him because he is taking a second, younger wife. The idea of the book, in reality, is much deeper than just to show a life drama it more concentrates on the religious issues and how they affect people. Particularly, the book seeks to illustrate polygamy as one of the things allowed to men by the Holy Quran, and abused so commonly by many people. Although the laws of Islam allow polygamy, some women who follow this religion, including the main character and her friend, do not obey the wills of their husbands. The question that arises for every reader is why do these women who were brought up in this culture resist some of its traditions? The answer is probably easier than one would think.
It might very well be that these women know Quran better than their husbands do, because according to it, men are supposed to care for the women and treat them with the due respect. It looks like these women, who are somewhat educated and have jobs, realize that it is not Allah who dooms them to loosing their husbands when they get old and less attractive, it is their husbands who use Allah to justify whatever they do. It is a common attitude in many countries where Islam is the predominant religion that the birth of a girl in the family is a misfortune for her parents, especially for the father (). Only a man who has been able to produce a son is well respected in his community. There is also an economic side to the Islamic tradition of polygamy. Women are wasteful for the family in a sense that they do not work as much as men do, therefore they do not bring money into the family and only consume.
Often times, parents have to pay to the future husband for taking their daughter as a wife, which relieves them from the burden and places it on the husband (). This is why women are treated almost as things. Their destiny is to serve husbands and produce children. Ba, in her book, illustrates this very attitude. The behavior of Ramatoulayes husband clearly shows that he does not treasure his wife and treats women as something men can use and throw away any time they want to.
This, however, directly contradicts to what the Holy Quran teaches, and pointing out such contradictions between the true principles of Islamic religion and how they interpreted by people, is exactly what the author is trying to do in the novel. So Long a Letter is a very educating book it helps to understand the concept of polygamy and practically shows what consequences it has on womens destinies. The novel does not criticize Islam at all, but it certainly shows to the readers more negative than positive sides of polygamy. For a western reader, who has not thought about this issue before reading the book, the whole idea of having many wives may even become totally unacceptable.
However, what Ba is really protesting against, is not the religion itself, but rather the way people interpret it. Men, to satisfy their selfish desires, often use Islamic Law to justify themselves. Therefore, we should not confuse the true Islamic principles with cultural traditions of certain groups of people.
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