Eleha, my mothers religion

‘Eleha‘ is how I hear them being referred to. If my spelling (eleha) isn’t correct, I’m open for an education. The first time I saw one was in 2004, during an official trip to Kano State in Nigeria. I was walking, carrying a back-pack and looking left and right for a particular address. I had written the number of the house on a piece of paper. Looking down the street, and at a distance, I saw a head-to-toe black clad figure coming towards me. Honestly, I couldn’t contain my fright; I dashed across the street, was almost hit by an okada and ran into people standing in a bus-stop. Everybody thought something had happened, only for me to turn back and point at ‘that‘, across the street. The people I ran into burst out laughing.

Please correct me if I’m wrong, but from the little information I have gathered so far, they are devotee Muslim women, who cover themselves with a black cloth from head to toe. They even wear black socks, gloves, and shoes as well. My Lagos sojourn has given me the opportunity to see more of such, and yes, they still do scare me. I would rather feel at home with a Nun whose face, arms and legs I can see, regardless of her religious orientation, than with an Eleha whom I have no clue about. Sometimes I wonder how possible it is for just anybody to be underneath those clothes, and yet parading around like an Eleha.

I seriously would like to know the details of their devotion, and why they have to commit themselves to such a terrible lifestyle, considering the weather conditions in this part of the world. Some Christian Nuns even still have some time for a little fashion, but none of such from the Eleha’s I’ve seen.

My major point of concern in this piece has to do with Eleha mothers, who carry their babies at their backs, covered by their devotee costume. The other day, I was at a bus-stop at around 2pm. I saw two Eleha’s standing together and waiting for a bus. One had a baby on her back….at least I could hear a baby’s crying voice from underneath the cloak. I felt so angry, twas as if I was the one underneath the pile of long black garments. I reasoned that perhaps the baby had been asleep, was now awake and was feeling the heat of the sun, compounded by the heat underneath those garments, which provided no space for any amount of fresh air. The little thing was just shaking its head left and right, as if it wanted to dislodge its head from the garment covering it, rubbing over it and making it feel so uncomfortable. The Eleha woman backing the child didn’t even pay a single attention to the pitiable thing. I believe the baby’s hands were tied inside the wrapper; else it could have pulled the garment to one side or the other. Honestly, I felt so bad at how a child could be made to pass through such inconveniences, all in the name of the religion of its mother.

My mind walked up and down: 

• what if the baby could make a choice, would it choose to abide under its Eleha-mothers garments?
• what if the child was suffocating, or needed help in public? how would the mother see her baby and take necessary precautions?
• how could people call the attention of the mother to her child, when neither she or the general public can see what she is carrying on her back?
• I thought about human rights, baby rights, my rights, the rights of the child, child abuse etc.,

It crossed my mind that it was possible for:

• these women or just anybody dressed like an Eleha to carry dead children on their backs around town and no one would ask them questions because we all feel they are ‘Eleha’ – not to be disturbed,
• child kidnapers to carry stolen kids, drugged and asleep, and then transport them from one location to another while under Eleha devotee garments,
• wanted men, wanted women, thieves, armed robbers, and anyone with a dangerous intention and weapon to safely conceal such under this disguise.

If it so happens that evil minded people make use of Eleha garments, we would all be pointing fingers at some innocent faith. I thought about terrorists, I thought about Niger Delta extremists(threatening fresh attacks as from September 3rd)unleashing terror in Lagos, especially in markets and crowded areas, all under Eleha disguise, truly many things really crossed my mind.

I wondered if the Nigerian police are allowed to conduct a body search of Elehas, just like they could demand to search a civilian man or woman. I think I heard something of the child rights act in the news sometime ago. I do not know if this still holds water, and if related-NGOs are thinking about what I’m talking about here.

Questions still bothering my mind:

• can’t these Eleha women be instructed not to carry their babies on their backs, and underneath their garments, especially in public. I do not think it would be too much to consider the ‘right of convenience’ of the child suffering underneath those garments.
• would it be wrong that such Eleha’s would employ a non-Eleha house-maid to help them carry their babies, especially when in public?
• how do we know a real Eleha from a fake one, especially in Lagos state where no one has the time to ‘observe’ he/she who passes by?
• what is the English term/equivalent for Nigerian Eleha’s?
• what makes Eleha’s different from the normal muslim ladies? At what point in the Islamic religion does a non-Eleha sister become an Eleha or vice-versa?
• How do these people get an education? go to the University? how do they survive among normal clothed folks? how do they find boy-friends, fiancées or husbands? I’m just curious on this one.
• And what is the exact reason why their faces are covered, covered with their black cloak?

Mind you, I have a couple of Islamic-faith’d friends, and as much as we’ve exchanged information about our families, I haven’t found someone(a Muslim male/female) whose mother is an Eleha……or perhaps there are, who don’t want to talk about it. Thats why I’ve titled this piece: ‘Eleha, my mothers religion’. What I started with was: ‘Eleha, between religion and human rights’.

Please, I’m just curious.

Happy Ramadan to all my Muslim brothers and sisters.!! I think I heard the fasting starts today?

Tags: Eleha, Islam

she’s not a serious Muslim, maybe she’s becoming a Christian

A friend was still updating me on the court case of Pastor/Rev. Dr. Emeka Ezeuko Kinglsey, the guy who made a name for himself and burnt his church members to death. I was still thinking he would be made a public example, at least after his arrest, but the story that filtered into my ears was that he got some Lawyers who had him released. I was like…released? – after how many witnesses. My guy replied: ‘witness? for Nigeria?‘ I remember, then, after reading the initial story in a newspaper, I asked myself: is this man also a Christian? I concluded my thoughts with: God must be a very patient God.

I was having lunch sometime a week ago, when this happened. A man(late 40’s) at another table was having his lunch with his friend, and happened to notice a lady he knew, at the counter, buying a bottle of coke. He called out to her, she came in and greeted him. After all the ‘greetables‘ – in Yoruba language….the man asks the young lady if she was at the mosque last Friday. She answered: ‘No sir’. He then asks: ‘why’…..She replied that she had to go somewhere, etc, which took her time and she couldn’t make it. He again asked her when last she visited the mosque. The lady kept quiet, and all she could do was smile, look up, down and around. The man asked her if she was becoming a Christian little by little, and the lady replied ‘not like that, its just that I have not had time between work, and school etc…..p.s(they conversed entirely in Yoruba).

What struck / bothered me was the statement the man made to his friend, after the lady left them. He said in Yoruba…..she’s not a serious Muslim, maybe she’s becoming a Christian….. that’s how they behave when they are becoming Christians……(he said some other things)…..when they are changing, thats when they begin to wear all these useless clothes, that a human being should not wear….’awon aso osi’ Can you see how she dressed……he continued…….

The man’s statement was apparently in reference to her tight-fitting blouse, with a low-cut neck, and a tight-fitting jeans trousers, I was quite bothered by the idea/relationship of becoming a Christian and ‘wearing useless clothes, that a human being should not wear’. I concluded my thoughts later in the evening by laying the blame on professing Christians, especially women, whose physical attire/s have nothing to do with Christ, purity, decency and moderacy. When Moses dressed like an Egyptian, people thought he was an Egyptian. My question is: when a Muslim bred lady begins to dress scantily, is she becoming a Christian little by little?

Yes, I never cease to wonder how some women can fit themselves into all these size-1 skirts, blouses, t-shirts and jeans trousers – all which leave nothing to the imagination of male lusting eyes. I usually wonder if these women don’t have mirrors at home, and if they do, whether or not their mirrors give them the correct information as per when a piece of clothing crosses the boundary of decency into indecency. Worse and more annoying are the pastors(male and female) of the Churches such women attend and claim membership of. Yes, God must be a very patient God.

Now, all these female Rev. Bishops and Pastors laying hands on people and praying for them with micro-minis, body-hugging clothes that emphasize their delicate parts, and low-neck blouses with boobs threatening to spill out, so they are also worshipping the holy God? The strangest thing I have seen in this age is the futile attempt by people to worship a holy God in a most ungodly and unholy manner. Some “pastors” of “modern churches” encourage their members to wear horribly revealing dresses to Church (weddings have turned into breast exhibitions!), and some men in the Church have been seduced by these ungodly displays and lusted in their hearts, while some others have gone to commit fornication, after ogling them. All happening in a place they claim is the house of the holy God!

Now, Jesus’ word that a man who looks at a woman to lust after her, has committed fornication with her in his heart, also has some implications for women. If a woman, by her revealing dress seduces men into immoral thoughts and acts, she too is guilty of the same sin. It takes two to commit fornication. Moreover, Jesus’ words that whoever causes one of those people that believe him to offend, that it would better that a milestone is hung on the person’s neck and he dumped into the sea, is one of the most popular Scriptural verses.

Unfortunately, many of the people we call pastors and preachers today are mere motivational speakers who just manage to spice up their lectures with some Scripture verses. Others are mere magicians in active business. They hardly know anything about how a man can be saved from sin and prepared for the coming of Christ. In fact, that is even not in their agenda. But the consolation is that before the trumpet sounds, God, in answer to the prayers of His genuine children, will overthrow many places of false religious practices and rescue the multitudes trapped there by miracle exhibitions or teachings about Godless prosperity.

Between ’sexy’ and ‘decency’, I wonder what the average woman would choose. My experience at my food joint really made a note on me. I’m asking: have Christians not destroyed their reputation?

featuring Fred at eikonworld dot com

Peeps, I just found this site: Fred at http://www.eikonworld.com/ is quite impressive as a photographer.

he says that he:

Fred works with a passion, focused unswervingly on capturing images which tell something about what lies behind the smiles and laughter. He looks for the glance, the moment of relief, the tiny smile, and yes, the tears. He also looks at the bigger picture of the day with all its excitement, colour and glamour

Imagine putting together photography skills and web-design all into one package for your bridal party…hhhhhmmmm.

Please, check out his site, especially the gallery, featuring a whole lotta brides, grooms, group-pictures, ‘qute’ couples etc. I particularly enjoyed the concept-pics, etc, from which I have picked out these few.

It appears the last time the site was updated was early last 2007, but all the same I think Fred is doing a good job:

Check out Fred at eikonworld.com, and just in case you need his services, p.s im not a marketter. I just love good pictures.