1. How do you characterize the relationship between the father and his son from the perspective of commitment or-non-commitment to Islam? How does this relationship change during the pilgrimage?
Reda and his father have nothing in common because he is liberal while his father is rigid and very committed to Islam. Reda and his father clash a couple of times because of their differences in commitment to Islam. Reda is more of a secular person and shows no commitment to Islam. His father, on the other hand, is very religious and committed to the Islamic way of life. First off, Reda does not want to accompany his father as he claims he has exams. However, he goes reluctantly since the journey is non-negotiable. Also, his father does not like him driving fast as he says that; ‘those who hurry are already dead’ ("Le Grande Voyage”). As a teenager, Reda is excited to see the different cities, but his father insists that sightseeing was not the aim of the journey. Reda is expected to be committed to Hajj, the religious pilgrimage to Mecca. The final flare happened when Reda brought a dancer to their hotel room. It took a long time for his father to forgive him.
During pilgrimage, their relationship got better, and they learned to understand each other. Later, Reda changed his attitude towards Muslim. He was overwhelmed by the many believers from all over the world on the spiritual adventure. As a result, he was willing to listen to his father about Mecca, which is the only holy place for Muslims. Reda understands the importance of Hajj when his father thanks him for helping him reach Mecca. His father saw it as a religious duty before one dies.
2. How does the father express /practice his religion?
The father does not want to go by plane but by road. The main aim was not to get to Mecca as fast as possible but to have the mental preparation of the pilgrimage to Mecca. He also did not want to sightsee at Venice and Milan because the journey was meant to achieve spiritual purification. During the voyage, the father prayed five times a day and read the Koran regularly. The father did not turn away the woman going to ‘Delic.' He also gave alms to a beggar woman though Reda was against it since they were running out of funds.
3. Do you see an evolution in the Red's (the son) level of understanding of his father’s religion? How do you explain the lack of this understanding previous to the pilgrimage?
Indeed, there is an evolution on Reda’s understanding of his father’s religion. He learned about the massive Blue Mosque, and he even took pictures. He also started listening to his father about Mecca as the only holy place for Muslims. In the end he even gave alms to a beggar.
Reda did not have much understanding of Islam because of what he surrounded himself with. As a teenager, born and bred in France, he is not likely to have much interest in Islam, more precisely the pilgrimage; having a girlfriend would be of more interest to him. Also, in his day and age, not many people recognized the importance of a religious life.
4. What is the impact of the Hajj on Reda? Will he return to France as a changed person?
Hajj had a great impact on Reda. He learned its importance as a religious duty especially from the many believers who were there. Sadly, when his father died, he understood even better why he needed to take his religion seriously. Reda did not return the same to France, especially with his surprising act of giving alms to a beggar before he left. Indeed, he learned a lot from his father and the journey.
5. What are the challenges to maintain some form of Islamic identity within a secular, Western context?
In the Western context, it is quite challenging to keep an Islamic identity. First, people have more interest in getting money and have less respect for God. Second, there is the clothing; in the western world, people wear mostly jeans and sneakers; therefore, adorning Muslim clothes is quite difficult. The pilgrimage to Mecca is not about how fast one gets there, but by what challenges you overcome to get there ("Le Grande Voyage”). People take flights to Mecca, meaning they miss the point altogether. The pilgrimage is meant to be a purification journey.
Work Cited
"Le Grande Voyage", director. Ismaël Ferroukhi, 2004.
