The Barber Shop

Our last few hours in Marrakech were brutally hot and uncomfortable. We wandered aimlessly through the souks, ate a less than flavorful tanjine, and fought off the souk sales people. Blah. With an hour remaining before we were to catch a taxi, Duarte decided to get a haircut. Of course, what else? This became the cultural experience of the day.

We entered the obscure salon inside and up the stairs of a strange warehouse type of building. As we entered the barber shop, a Moroccan man joined us. He was older, friendly and he spoke English. How odd. We inquired about a haircut. $5 seemed a bit steep but it was hard to walk away at that point.

Following an apparently powerful and well to do man, who made a point to let Duarte know that this was the best barber in town and typically one should not just walk in without an appointment. Ok – point taken. We’ll call next time.

While Duarte was groomed with a straight razor by a conservative man of Islam, I sat to chat with the English speaking muslim. With time, I found myself wrapped up in a conversation where I was being witnessed to about the truth of one god and that one god was Allah. Not wanting to rock any boats with my opinion about religion, I smiled and nodded my head. Sure. Ok.

Well Duarte felt like rocking the boat – just a little bit. “What about women? Why don’t they have the same rights as men? Why are they scarved and burqa’d?” and away the conversation went. The barber stopped cutting, the haircutting assistant moved closer, the translator moved closer and I sat back to take pictures. Fascinating as the conversation was, I was hot and hungry and a little bit nervous about that naked blade and my husband’s precious neck. Nevertheless, I sat back and watched.

Some interesting discussion points…mostly from their point of view… I have to keep this brief as we are about to board our plane.

1. The Muslim translator lived in England for 12 years. He lived a sinful life drinking alcohol and eventually moved back to Morocco to recover and rediscover the miracle of Allah.
2. A husband should be the only person to see his wife naked. The barber and the translator referred to women showing too much skin as degrading to themselves and to their husbands. Women aren’t required to be burqa’d - only the extreme Islamist do this. The quaran does not condone this. Conservatives have taken this too far.
3. Arabic women are happy and have many rights.
4. George Bush divided the world.
5. Two months after a suicide bombing in Djma ef-fna (2 blocks from them), these men were questioning whether or not September 11 was contrived by George Bush rather than Osama Bin Laden.
6. America knows everything…why did it take so long for them to kill Bin Laden. They knew where he was and then let him live until Bush was out of the way. Why?
7. They feel that Bin Laden may not be dead and if he is why didn’t he receive a proper muslim burial. (what does their news convey to them?}
8. People were doing bad things in the name of Islam but they were not good muslims.
9. Extreme Christianity and Extreme Islam is created by bad people to advance their own respective interests. Good Christians and good muslims have no trouble getting along… but Christians will not go to heaven. There is only one god and that is Allah.
10. He asked Duarte if he was Catholic. He said yes. Then he asked me what I was and I couldn’t answer in a way that he would understand. He questioned this…how could I not be of the same religion as my husband. Then decided that I could make my own decision. I am free but I need to read the Quaran.

Oh my… in the end the Barber, the translator and the young assistant decided that Duarte was a good man. They invited him back to the barber shop next time he visits Morocco…no appointment needed. They also decided that, in fact, he looked a little Arab. Maybe. Maybe not.