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JamesHebishFirstEssay 4 - 24 May 2023 - Main.EbenMoglen
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| | | In many Islamic countries, alcohol is taboo, not just among the Muslims, but among the Christians as well. Shisha, on the other hand, fair game. A lot of this has to do with the contexts in which each drug is consumed: shisha in a relaxed communal setting, and alcohol in a nightclub setting. Accordingly, the moral condemnation reaches alcohol but often creates an exception for shisha. | |
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Perhaps also that the Qur'an prohibits alcohol, while tobacco was unknown to the Prophet (if not also to the Most High) in the 7th century.
| | | In the US, things are not so clear-cut. In 2016, the smoking age in my native California was raised to 21 years old. Technically, this meant that nobody under the age of 21 could be present in a hookah lounge throughout the state. Practically, every hookah lounge in Anaheim (where there is a high concentration of Arabs) disregarded this law. I’ve grew up seeing babies around hookah and at one point was one of those babies myself.
This inconsistency gets at a fundamental difference between shisha culture in the United States and in the Middle East. Throughout the Arab world, cafes are places of congregation and community, where friends go to banter, watch a soccer game, and generally chill–– Hookah is merely accessory to the experience, not unlike tea or coffee. Many places that serve shisha also serve delicious Arab food, my favorite place being a Café called Cairo in Anahiem, CA. | | | Gardenia Terrace is where many of those differences meet, making it a worth investigating further. | |
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This seems rather a good deal to conclude from a single instance. Perhaps a trip to Atlantic Avenue would have yielded different insights. This is rather like judging the meaning of pizza after one trip to Serafina's (or V&T). | | |
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