The Beginner's Guides to L Ron Hubbard, Islam and Hinduism
The Beginner's Guide to Islam
At 16, Peaches Geldof has no god to answer to and access to everything a secular consumer society can offer. But Islam is on everyone's mind and she's curious to find out what a life guided by religion entails.
Rejecting Iran, Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan, she opts to travel to Morocco to stay with girls her age and live by their demanding religious rules. First she has to go shopping for clothes, Muslim style. She's not impressed with the dresses, called djalabas, 'which leave all to the imagination' and is surprised that her new outfit generates catcalls from approving males.
Peaches is taught the basic beliefs and practices of Islam including the ritual washing before praying five times a day. She joins in the preparations for a wedding – the bride says she will know if she has chosen the right man only after the marriage, but will not accept him taking more than one wife.
Having experienced some of Islam's day-to-day rules, Peaches has a lesson from an Imam in a religious school where boys learn the Qur'an by heart – but that doesn't stop them being football mad.
Her new hostess is a Sufi Muslim, who practises a mystical form of the religion. She takes her guest to an isolated mountain retreat to forget about material things and learn silent meditation, but Peaches can only think about shopping.
In Fez, the spiritual capital of Morocco, it's Eid el-Adha, the festival of sacrifice. Vegetarian Peaches turns away from the ritual killing of the sheep and eats bread while surrounded by an extravaganza of meat, some of which is given away to the poor.
Back home in London, she reflects on what she has learnt. She still doesn't believe in God but realises that Islam is a peaceful religion, and does not match the stereotype of 'psychotic fundamentalists'. But she appreciates her life in London where she can express herself in her own way, and believes she has encouraged her generous hostesses to speak more openly, too.
