Idealistic slogans that resonate and a harsh contrasting reality - between dream and truth
Sayings Proverbs, wisdom, and expressive phrases are part of every culture in this world… Different cultures distinguish themselves by the ability of the societies belonging to these cultures to shape their daily lives, the course of society, the relationship of individuals to this society, and individuals to each other according to the philosophy of their sages, their famous sayings, popular proverbs, and adherence to them… The credibility of different societies with themselves is measured by their ability to live according to the standards of their popular sayings and established words… The relationship between credibility in daily life and mutual interaction according to the culture of society in its complexities is a direct relationship with the distance or proximity of this society to modernity.
In Islamic culture, to which many societies belong, the largest and most important of which is the Arab society with all its components, there are many countless proverbs, among the most important is the phrase most circulated among individuals and groups in private and public spheres: cleanliness is part of faith.
I Do not want now to enter into a discussion about faith, religiosity, and the dialectic between them, as this is a complex social philosophical topic… But it must be noted that the Arab East, with its different societies and diverse cultures, for a long time, no longer distinguishes between faith, religiosity, and the manifestations and features of each. The use of the two terms by both the general public and elites interchangeably has become normal. The signs of excessive religiosity and lack of faith are observed and monitored every day, in every corner, and in every country. Whether cleanliness is from faith or from religiosity will not change the harsh reality in most cities and villages of the Arab East (here I exclude the Gulf cities).
I do not want now to link the lack of cleanliness in private and public spheres to increased religiosity because this assumption is slanderous and unscientific… But what I can assert is that the Arab East, as a geographical area and societies, has come to occupy a prominent place among the peoples of the world and its geography for lack of cleanliness… Unfortunately, garbage has become the dominant image of the culture of the East.
If the expressive and famous phrase: cleanliness is part of faith is correct, and I do not doubt that, then the first conclusion must be that the lack of cleanliness stems from lack of faith!
I am fully convinced that anyone you speak to on this subject will respond with insistence and high confidence that the noble Islamic religion and its great Prophet have instructed us on cleanliness… but the reality is completely different from this statement, and this is what we observe and monitor in most of the Arab geography… The truth is that Islam emphasized cleanliness of the body, soul, mind, intentions, and environment… but this remains a dream after fourteen centuries, and the reality on the ground shows us a different picture despite increased religiosity and possibly increased faith among individuals… Streets filled with waste, mosque courtyards, cemeteries, and public places filled with plastic bags, old furniture, refrigerators, and other waste… The gap between what the noble religion recommended and the reality grows day by day despite the increase in religiosity and its manifestations in all Arab societies.
The question that must be asked now: Why do we live this harsh reality? And why has waste become the most prominent image of our Arab culture in the minds of all those who have visited us from other cultures and societies?
The answer is simple and straightforward… Unfortunately, waste has become an overwhelming part of Eastern Arab culture, and no one pays enough attention to this issue despite everyone complaining about the reality… Neither individuals, institutions, nor officials care about this matter… Everyone is equally responsible, and everyone is required to start changing the reality… But how?
Mauritania, the Arab Islamic country, was a pioneer in banning the use of plastic bags, most of which used to accumulate in the sea and pollute it and the fish wealth that many of its people depend on for their livelihood. A few weeks ago, Egypt followed the same path and banned the use of plastic on the coasts of the Red Sea…
These are positive steps moving in the right direction, but they are not sufficient… The Arab citizen still does not feel that the public space is part of him and deals with it as if it were a large waste container… Cleanliness is part of faith and must transform from a catchy slogan into a reality lived by Arab Islamic peoples, dealt with by the elite, and made an essential part of their culture.
Yes, I am fully convinced that the lack of true citizenship in the countries of the Arab East is a fundamental reason for the citizen’s indifference in dealing with public spaces and their cleanliness… The citizen does not feel that he belongs to the state he lives in and considers the public space the property of the political elite who plunder the citizen and strip him of his personal and human rights, controlling him and his future dictatorially. The ordinary citizen deals with the public space as if punishing this elite by polluting what they own.
Poverty as a cause of environmental pollution, which some bring up when talking or writing about this disgraceful phenomenon, is only half the truth since there are peoples in various cultures living at a much lower standard of living than Arab societies, yet when you visit their villages, you find them cleaner than most Arab capitals, despite the poverty and scarcity these peoples live in... The reasons for this reality in these cultures are very simple... Everyone, peoples and elites alike, bear the responsibility of maintaining cleanliness in both private and public spaces, and cleanliness has become an essential part of their culture, while in the East we still only chant slogans.
To confront this overwhelming scourge, loud slogans are no longer enough, nor is pointing to religion and the sayings of the great Prophet, and days of voluntary work to clean streets, public squares, and cemeteries, despite their importance, are insufficient...
We, as peoples and elites, must undergo a radical transformation in this field to change reality and begin living in our societies according to our wise sayings and values that we adopt but which remain mostly ink on paper.
The steps are very easy and can be summarized as follows:
First, we must start as individuals by applying the slogan 'cleanliness is part of faith' in our daily lives and return to the culture we were raised on by our ancestors when we were agricultural societies before transitioning to transitional societies... neither agricultural nor industrial service-based... At that time, throwing a plastic bag on the ground was a disaster because that bag blocked life from the earth and nothing would grow on it... At that time, the Arab geography was cleaner, and respect for public space was part of self-respect.
Second, it is no longer enough to educate students in schools and homes about the importance of cleanliness and the environment, only to see moments later the child and youth observe teachers and parents throwing their cigarette butts in the garden or on the road, or see a mother coming from the market with dozens of plastic bags and throwing waste from the garden behind the fence, while children watch how their families throw old refrigerators and animal entrails among olive trees... What is required is not just educating children but that adults, parents, and educators be role models in this field.
Thirdly, it is no longer sufficient for municipalities and local councils to hang hundreds of signs demanding the preservation of cleanliness and the environment while these official bodies do the bare minimum to maintain cleanliness... Public waste containers, if they even exist in villages and cities, are neglected and emptied only seasonally... I have visited many Arab villages and cities across the Arab world, and in most of them, I did not see a single public waste container... Observe this matter in your locations to see that the reality is bitter and harsh.
Fourthly, the people who most glorify and remember their dead are the Arab peoples, and this is a noble trait that must be preserved... But a brief visit to the cemetery near you will show you that these peoples, individuals and institutions alike, excel in deception... Most cemeteries in the Arab world resemble dumps... Only the graves of leaders are maintained, kept clean, and revered... Peoples who respect themselves and their history are those who respect their dead... Cemeteries in many societies resemble gardens where citizens go to walk and enjoy nature... But in the Arab world, people flee after burial to avoid the ugly sights in cemeteries.
The list of steps that individuals and institutions can take to rid ourselves of this bitter reality is very long and cannot be contained in a modest small article... What we, individuals and institutions, must do is start applying our well-known sayings and move away from mere slogans... 'Only your fingernail scratches your own skin'... This authentic rural Arab proverb, you all must immediately begin to apply it... Start in your homes, gardens, and surrounding streets, and demand that officials fulfill their duties
