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The perils of joy : contesting mulid festivals in contemporary Egypt / Samuli Schielke.

By: Material type: TextTextSeries: Contemporary issues in the Middle EastPublication details: Syracuse, N.Y. : Syracuse University Press, 2012.Description: 1 online resourceContent type:
Media type:
Carrier type:
ISBN:
  • 9780815651918
  • 0815651910
  • 0815633009
  • 9780815633006
Subject(s): Additional physical formats: Print version:: Perils of joy.DDC classification:
  • 297.3/6 23
LOC classification:
  • BP186.34 .S35 2012
Other classification:
  • online - EBSCO
Online resources:
Contents:
Introduction -- At the mulid -- Festive experiences -- Against ambivalence -- An "other" of modern Egypt -- A cultural icon -- Legitimizing celebration -- Transformations -- Conclusion : a complete life.
Summary: Mulids, festivals in honor of Muslim "friends of God," have been part of Muslim religious and cultural life for close to a thousand years. While many Egyptians see mulids as an expression of joy and love for the Prophet Muhammad and his family, many others see them as opposed to Islam, an expression of a backward mentality, a piece of folklore at best. What is it about a mulid that makes it a threat to Islam and modernity in the eyes of some, and an expression of pious devotion in the eyes of others? What makes the celebration of a saint's festival appear in such dramatically different contours? This book offers an investiga­tion, both historical and ethnographic, of conflicting and transforming attitudes towards festivals in Egypt.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction -- At the mulid -- Festive experiences -- Against ambivalence -- An "other" of modern Egypt -- A cultural icon -- Legitimizing celebration -- Transformations -- Conclusion : a complete life.

Mulids, festivals in honor of Muslim "friends of God," have been part of Muslim religious and cultural life for close to a thousand years. While many Egyptians see mulids as an expression of joy and love for the Prophet Muhammad and his family, many others see them as opposed to Islam, an expression of a backward mentality, a piece of folklore at best. What is it about a mulid that makes it a threat to Islam and modernity in the eyes of some, and an expression of pious devotion in the eyes of others? What makes the celebration of a saint's festival appear in such dramatically different contours? This book offers an investiga­tion, both historical and ethnographic, of conflicting and transforming attitudes towards festivals in Egypt.