The Nativity by Ahdaf Soueif: Egyptian Zar as Heterotopic Space

Abstract

Ayse Circir uses fiction to explore, in more depth, elements of religiosity from the experiences of women migrants in contemporary Britain. The last story in Aisha, "The Nativity", demonstrates a religious ceremony with scathing elegance. The story describes z (a) over bar, a female-only ritual, and at the centre of the depictions are biblical, Islamic, and mythological overtones and perennial contradictions. Aisha, a childless woman, also a graduate of English Literature, returns to her native land Egypt after spending some time in England. She visits the mosque of Sidi Abul Suoud, the Healer of Hearts, to break the knot and thus have a child. Her nurse Dada Zeina, a lower-class character, encourages and presses her to visit the saint to overcome her childlessness. Aisha attends za (a) over bar and presences, recites English Romantic poetry during zikr and dance, whispers verses from the Qur'an while thinking about sacrificing sheep for the saint and questions the suggestion of bribery. There are paradoxes in the story, cathedrals and mosques, Bacchanalia and Islamic recitations, the city of the living and the City of the Dead, jinni and human beings, withdrawal and rape, and life and death. Fittingly titled "The Nativity", the story looks at birth, death, and fertility and, as a Muslim woman, Aisha realises that she can neither set up a zar of her own, nor join the z (a) over bar of others. She is trapped in-between, just like the jinni who wants to own her but has to destroy her in doing so. In closer focus, the reader recognizes that the story is narrated by a jinni who obsessively follows Aisha, the narrative actually starts with a prologue. Although the ending is tragic, she draws attention to the fact that z (a) over bar is constructed as a liberating space. As lived religion, z (a) over bar has provided solidarity and support for women since colonial invasion and, by looking at religion from this perspective, Soueif shows that an activity that is described as irrational could be subject of literature. In this light, Dr. Circir's study argues that z (a) over bar in "The Nativity" is addressed not only as an answer to the patriarchal and hegemonic discourse of official Islam, but also as subject of English Literature. Fact and fiction in this chapter are interlinked. Although written in the past, "The Nativity" continues to bear relevance with today's British women. The debate continues on Muslim women wearing the veil. Conflict, in Syria has seen many leave their homes in search of safety. Yet how many feel a sense of belonging in their new countries? How many are viewed as a threat, or are othered? We can learn much from the pages of a book, be it fact or fiction.