This chapter covers forty years. First, there are Zarathustrans in Persia. Then:
"...afar in Makkah Muhammad ibn Abdallah saw visions, preached..." (7, p. 88)
The text summarizes how the Prophet flees, prevails, renames a city and dies:
"...as master of Arabia." (ibid.)
Khalifa Omar's troops capture Jerusalem, subjugate Syria and penetrate deep into Persia.
Against this historical background, Aliyat becomes a great-grandmother yet remains physically young and realizes that:
"...a new city lay ahead, and beyond it all the world and time.
"A woman who was ageless had one way, if none else, to live onward in freedom." (p. 107)
There is more than this to Aliyat's story but not tonight.
4 comments:
Serious disadvantage to be a woman; even more in that time and place.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
I thought of that as well. And still is, in many parts of the world, esp. in Muslim countries.
Ad astra! Sean
Sean: one of the disadvantages for a religion having a founder who was a warlord and monarch, rather than an obscure member of a subject people. You get specific laws attached, and they're difficult to discard when circumstances change. Rather than general principles.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
I agree. Which is why we see things like women being chased thru the streets of Kabul with whips for daring to protest things like schools being closed to them.
And I believe God deliberately chose to have Christianity founded by an obscure Member of a subject people, so that Faith would not become like Islam.
Ad astra! Sean
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