I translated an article!
2018-May-10, Thursday 14:08![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dorchadas
A couple days ago, I found this article (日本語), about a Muslim man who married a Japanese woman and his daughter, and I worked my way through it and thought it would make an interesting short translation project.
Of course, it turns out there's also an English version if you want to compare mine to theirs. I feel like they had access to the reporter's notes or something, because there are parts of it that don't seem like they're in my reading of the Japanese.
Children are raised looking up to their parents. It's the same even for a Muslim family in Japanese society. But, there's no reason to assume that a child born and raised in Japan will become a Muslim like their parents.
Yusuf Saara (22), born in Narashino City, Chiba Prefecture, has never worn a swimsuit even once. Even in summer, she doesn't wear the kind of revealing clothing that women her age do. Her skirts go down below the knee. Though she is not a Muslim, she does it to respect the feelings of Yusuf Ali (56), her Muslim father. Because she's done this since she was young child, she finds revealing Western clothing embarrassing and has no desire to wear it.
Her father Ali was born in Hyderabad, known as the "Perfumed City" of Pakistan, as the seventh of ten brothers and sisters. When the situation in Pakistan got worse in March of 1986, he came to Japan alone. He quickly met and married a Japanese woman in 1991, who became the mother of Saara. But according to Ali, the path from his arrival in Japan to his marriage had some tribulations.
In Pakistan, it is tradition among Pakistani Muslims for parents to choose a marriage partner. A marriage to a Japanese woman who wasn't Muslim seemed completely absurd. Ali tried to send away to Pakistan for the necessary documents for marriage, but though he waited for some time, they never arrived. His parents, opposed to his marriage, were interfering with his request. Therefore, he asked his younger brother to send him the documents and, with them in hand, and got married in Japan without his parents' permission. Though his parents did eventually come to accept his marriage, they have only done so within the last five years.
Soon, Saara and her elder brother was born. According to Ali, Saara led a charmed existence. After graduating from college, she settled into her dream job. When talking about Saara, Ali smiles broadly and seems completely happy and carefree.
"Though I believed the children of a Muslim would naturally become Muslim when they grew up, that doesn't seem to have happened..."
In clothing choice and in diet, while at home they live by the practices of Islam. Of course, they don't eat food with pork, and what's more, squid, crab, octopus, and shrimp are also prohibited, as is alcohol. Ali also doesn't bring his hands together at shrines or at graves, and there are other prohibitions as well. Despite that, Ali never thought of forcing his family to become Muslim.
"My wife was born and raised in Japan, and so were my children. I wanted them to be free to follow Japanese customs and live a Japanese lifestyle. Personally, I like sightseeing at temples, and I would bring my children along to temples and shrines. But, I thought when they became adults, they would embrace Islam. That was a mistake. Even if I were to talk to them about religion now, it's too late."
Ali's feelings are complicated. But in his heart, naturally he wants his children to have the same beliefs as he does. For his eldest son and his wife, this seemed like it would be very difficult, so secretly, he put his hope in Saara.
From a young age, Saara often came with Ali to Muslim gatherings. At the meetings there weren't only Pakistanis, but also Canadians, Indians, and people from other countries. Muslims living in Japan would often bring their family along, and after the religious service, there was a joyful meal, so Saara made many friends. When she grew up, she was idolized by the younger children.
"My mother and brother said they would not go, so I guess I felt like I had to out of a sense of duty. I never really wanted to become Muslim. Since my father's friends' wives and children all came, as a child, I thought it would be so sad if my father had to go alone. Even in the house, I'd keep my father company during morning prayers. But my father never asked me to become a Muslim."
When Saara entered elementary school, Ali reached out to the school so that Saara would have the proper consideration for the child of a Muslim. She received permission to bring her own meal from home on days when the school meal contained pork, and was not required to attend the pool since she didn't wear school swimsuits. Since idolatry is prohibited, drawing figures in art class was off the table, though once for Father's Day, she did draw a portrait of Ali.
These consultations were carried out by Ali alone, without Saara's mother. Before long, Saara's school allowed swimming in her ordinary clothes thanks to Ali's request.
But, from her graduation to middle school to her time in high school, Saara started to feel more and more out of place. The meetings her father brought her too were deeply religious and everyone there took their worship seriously, including the friends she had made there. But Saara didn't have their faith. And one day, a friend of her father's from India said to her:
"We're happy that you always come, but coming here is about understanding the words of Islam and reading the Koran. If you are only putting in motions, maybe it would be better not to come."
She was shocked, but she realized that she had been wondering herself whether she was out of place there. Without telling her father about the conversation with his friend, she said, "I don't have any desire to become a Muslim, so maybe it's best if I stop going." Ali's reply was only, "Alright. I understand."
As Saara put it, "I'm a Japanese person, born and raised in Japan. I love my father, but the culture and mentality of Muslims is very different from mine. If it were only food it would be okay, but the lifestyle is very difficult to adhere to as a Japanese person. I never spent any time memorizing the words, I can't read the Koran, and I've never been to Mecca. Maybe if I had done these things when I was younger, but too much time has passed now."
Saara feels like Muslim men feel that women are a matter of great importance. She understands that Ali treasures her, but she feels like she should not be shut up at home for her protection or remain inside the house.
"I understand my father's feelings, but I don't think remaining shut up indoors is compatible with modern Japan. I have a job that I chose. Because of the desire to conceal their beauty, Muslim women wear hijabs, but I can't do that. I can't follow my father's hopes."
In the end, Saara did not become a Muslim.
Though this was heartbreaking for Ali, we asked him a difficult question:
"Saara will eventually want a marriage partner, and not too far in the future. The odds that he'll be a Muslim are very small. In Japan, most wedding ceremonies are Christian or Shinto. Ali, what will you do?"
Ali, with a very uneasy look on his face, eventually answered:
"Well...since I went against my parents' wishes to get married, I guess I have to allow it. But, I don't want to think about that right now."
In the future, Saara might be asking the same question.
"That's why I haven't really wanted a wedding ceremony for a long time, out of consideration for my father. Wedding ceremonies are all tied up with religious meaning, and I don't want it to be trouble. But if my husband's parents want a ceremony, it'll be a problem."
For the resolution between a Muslim father and his daughter, it seems there is still a little longer to wait.
Of course, it turns out there's also an English version if you want to compare mine to theirs. I feel like they had access to the reporter's notes or something, because there are parts of it that don't seem like they're in my reading of the Japanese.
The Daughter, born and raised in Japan, and her Muslim Father
Children are raised looking up to their parents. It's the same even for a Muslim family in Japanese society. But, there's no reason to assume that a child born and raised in Japan will become a Muslim like their parents.
A marriage against his Pakistani parents' wishes
Yusuf Saara (22), born in Narashino City, Chiba Prefecture, has never worn a swimsuit even once. Even in summer, she doesn't wear the kind of revealing clothing that women her age do. Her skirts go down below the knee. Though she is not a Muslim, she does it to respect the feelings of Yusuf Ali (56), her Muslim father. Because she's done this since she was young child, she finds revealing Western clothing embarrassing and has no desire to wear it.
Her father Ali was born in Hyderabad, known as the "Perfumed City" of Pakistan, as the seventh of ten brothers and sisters. When the situation in Pakistan got worse in March of 1986, he came to Japan alone. He quickly met and married a Japanese woman in 1991, who became the mother of Saara. But according to Ali, the path from his arrival in Japan to his marriage had some tribulations.
In Pakistan, it is tradition among Pakistani Muslims for parents to choose a marriage partner. A marriage to a Japanese woman who wasn't Muslim seemed completely absurd. Ali tried to send away to Pakistan for the necessary documents for marriage, but though he waited for some time, they never arrived. His parents, opposed to his marriage, were interfering with his request. Therefore, he asked his younger brother to send him the documents and, with them in hand, and got married in Japan without his parents' permission. Though his parents did eventually come to accept his marriage, they have only done so within the last five years.
I've grown used to the practices of Islam, but...
Soon, Saara and her elder brother was born. According to Ali, Saara led a charmed existence. After graduating from college, she settled into her dream job. When talking about Saara, Ali smiles broadly and seems completely happy and carefree.
"Though I believed the children of a Muslim would naturally become Muslim when they grew up, that doesn't seem to have happened..."
In clothing choice and in diet, while at home they live by the practices of Islam. Of course, they don't eat food with pork, and what's more, squid, crab, octopus, and shrimp are also prohibited, as is alcohol. Ali also doesn't bring his hands together at shrines or at graves, and there are other prohibitions as well. Despite that, Ali never thought of forcing his family to become Muslim.
"My wife was born and raised in Japan, and so were my children. I wanted them to be free to follow Japanese customs and live a Japanese lifestyle. Personally, I like sightseeing at temples, and I would bring my children along to temples and shrines. But, I thought when they became adults, they would embrace Islam. That was a mistake. Even if I were to talk to them about religion now, it's too late."
In consideration for my father, I went to meetings
Ali's feelings are complicated. But in his heart, naturally he wants his children to have the same beliefs as he does. For his eldest son and his wife, this seemed like it would be very difficult, so secretly, he put his hope in Saara.
From a young age, Saara often came with Ali to Muslim gatherings. At the meetings there weren't only Pakistanis, but also Canadians, Indians, and people from other countries. Muslims living in Japan would often bring their family along, and after the religious service, there was a joyful meal, so Saara made many friends. When she grew up, she was idolized by the younger children.
"My mother and brother said they would not go, so I guess I felt like I had to out of a sense of duty. I never really wanted to become Muslim. Since my father's friends' wives and children all came, as a child, I thought it would be so sad if my father had to go alone. Even in the house, I'd keep my father company during morning prayers. But my father never asked me to become a Muslim."
No pork in school lunches or swimsuits
When Saara entered elementary school, Ali reached out to the school so that Saara would have the proper consideration for the child of a Muslim. She received permission to bring her own meal from home on days when the school meal contained pork, and was not required to attend the pool since she didn't wear school swimsuits. Since idolatry is prohibited, drawing figures in art class was off the table, though once for Father's Day, she did draw a portrait of Ali.
These consultations were carried out by Ali alone, without Saara's mother. Before long, Saara's school allowed swimming in her ordinary clothes thanks to Ali's request.
But, from her graduation to middle school to her time in high school, Saara started to feel more and more out of place. The meetings her father brought her too were deeply religious and everyone there took their worship seriously, including the friends she had made there. But Saara didn't have their faith. And one day, a friend of her father's from India said to her:
"We're happy that you always come, but coming here is about understanding the words of Islam and reading the Koran. If you are only putting in motions, maybe it would be better not to come."
Existence as a Japanese person
She was shocked, but she realized that she had been wondering herself whether she was out of place there. Without telling her father about the conversation with his friend, she said, "I don't have any desire to become a Muslim, so maybe it's best if I stop going." Ali's reply was only, "Alright. I understand."
As Saara put it, "I'm a Japanese person, born and raised in Japan. I love my father, but the culture and mentality of Muslims is very different from mine. If it were only food it would be okay, but the lifestyle is very difficult to adhere to as a Japanese person. I never spent any time memorizing the words, I can't read the Koran, and I've never been to Mecca. Maybe if I had done these things when I was younger, but too much time has passed now."
Saara feels like Muslim men feel that women are a matter of great importance. She understands that Ali treasures her, but she feels like she should not be shut up at home for her protection or remain inside the house.
"I understand my father's feelings, but I don't think remaining shut up indoors is compatible with modern Japan. I have a job that I chose. Because of the desire to conceal their beauty, Muslim women wear hijabs, but I can't do that. I can't follow my father's hopes."
In the end, Saara did not become a Muslim.
What about the marriage ceremony?
Though this was heartbreaking for Ali, we asked him a difficult question:
"Saara will eventually want a marriage partner, and not too far in the future. The odds that he'll be a Muslim are very small. In Japan, most wedding ceremonies are Christian or Shinto. Ali, what will you do?"
Ali, with a very uneasy look on his face, eventually answered:
"Well...since I went against my parents' wishes to get married, I guess I have to allow it. But, I don't want to think about that right now."
In the future, Saara might be asking the same question.
"That's why I haven't really wanted a wedding ceremony for a long time, out of consideration for my father. Wedding ceremonies are all tied up with religious meaning, and I don't want it to be trouble. But if my husband's parents want a ceremony, it'll be a problem."
For the resolution between a Muslim father and his daughter, it seems there is still a little longer to wait.
no subject
Date: 2018-May-21, Monday 03:47 (UTC)