Berkley Center

Through my Middle Eastern eyes, religion only seems to have eclipsed in this idyllic small town of St. Andrews, Scotland. With its medieval setting and a cathedral that lies in ruins, the only remaining traces of devoutness seem to have been forever locked in the relics. Quite pleasantly, religion seems to have been relegated to a much more leisurely realm; to light-hearted Christmas carols and hymns at church choirs. Patrick Hamilton’s initials set into the cobblestone right outside one of the university’s main buildings marking his place of execution as a heretic only whisper of this era when religious passion was once vigilant; a whisper that seems to rather drown amidst the more nonchalant popular myth amongst the university students that stepping on his initials would make you fail your degree.

The ostensible lack of religion in public discourse lies in sharp contrast to the situation back home. Even the more highbrow detached discussions about religion that I would deem quite leisurely seem to have been surpassed, not to mention the heated religious discussions that are rather ubiquitous back in the Middle East. Out of curiosity, I have indeed on several occasions consciously ventured to veer a conversation towards the realm of religion, but my efforts have always seemed to come to a naught. With a growing number of youth not even sure which exact religion they, in the most theoretical sense, belong to, it is only natural that chances for such discussions remain slim. It certainly still makes it eccentric; however, how one only needs to dabble with the topic in the Middle East to incite a lengthy debate, zealous at times.

It is definitely not a novel insight of any sort that secularism is deeply entrenched in Western European civilization, but it is the erosion of religion even from the basic cultural mindset of the people that I still find remarkable. You see, in the Middle East, religion is supremely hegemonic over the culture. Even putting the recent waves of religious resurgence aside, religion simply forms a solid basis in the cultural mindset, even of the non-religious. Regardless of the different religions, notions of ethics and morality are primarily wrapped around a basic belief in the Divine. Grounded beliefs in God'’s will, fate, predestination, and even divine intervention are taken for granted as a backdrop for even the most mindless chatter, and the very name of God is invoked in even the most mindless everyday murmurs: “"God willing" and "“thank God.”"

Glimpses from the Arab world, however, seem so far removed that the cultural notions I have taken for granted are relentlessly accentuated as exotic peculiarities. After all, in a cosmopolitan, albeit small, town such as St. Andrews, I am simply forced to reflect more upon the Middle East than Scotland. As a university town, and a meeting point for an international mix of students— (primarily Westerners), however,— I am encountered by a very peculiar culture which would be intellectually dishonest to pinpoint as Scottish. The town accentuates more what it is not that what it is; it accentuates the other, which for me is home in the Arab world. Perhaps St. Andrews is indeed representative of the Scottish society and its outlook on religion; perhaps it is merely European. Only time will tell, and I am hoping that my yearlong stay would provide me with more clarity.