﻿540 
  ANNUAL 
  REPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  1943 
  

  

  dad, 
  and 
  Aleppo. 
  There 
  are 
  no 
  Jewish 
  village 
  communities. 
  By 
  the 
  

   end 
  of 
  the 
  Roman 
  rule 
  in 
  the 
  Middle 
  East, 
  Christianity 
  had 
  become 
  

   the 
  predominant 
  religion, 
  spreading 
  widely 
  among 
  city 
  and 
  village 
  

   people. 
  Toward 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  the 
  seventh 
  century, 
  conquest 
  of 
  the 
  

   territory 
  by 
  the 
  Arabs 
  took 
  place, 
  and 
  their 
  religion 
  of 
  Islam 
  pre- 
  

   vailed. 
  Many 
  Christian 
  communities 
  embraced 
  the 
  new 
  religion, 
  

   and 
  new 
  Muslim 
  settlements 
  increased. 
  At 
  present, 
  except 
  in 
  the 
  

   predominantly 
  Christian 
  Lebanon, 
  Christian 
  villages 
  constitute 
  a 
  

   small 
  minority 
  in 
  the 
  various 
  countries 
  of 
  the 
  Middle 
  East. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  light 
  of 
  this 
  background, 
  a 
  description 
  of 
  the 
  religious 
  

   organization 
  of 
  the 
  village 
  community 
  will 
  now 
  be 
  attempted. 
  The 
  

   first 
  distinctive 
  feature 
  to 
  be 
  noted 
  is 
  that 
  religion, 
  like 
  agriculture, 
  

   is 
  a 
  way 
  of 
  life 
  in 
  this 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  world. 
  It 
  is 
  so 
  old 
  and 
  so 
  deep- 
  

   rooted 
  an 
  institution 
  that 
  it 
  has 
  permeated 
  all 
  aspects 
  of 
  community 
  

   life 
  and 
  become 
  inseparable 
  from 
  them. 
  A 
  visit 
  to 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  old 
  

   Christian 
  monasteries 
  on 
  the 
  Lebanon 
  heights 
  is 
  sufficient 
  to 
  give 
  one 
  

   the 
  impression 
  of 
  a 
  religion 
  that 
  does 
  not 
  lend 
  itself 
  readily 
  to 
  the 
  

   forces 
  of 
  change. 
  It 
  must 
  also 
  be 
  remembered 
  that 
  the 
  central 
  core 
  

   or 
  primary 
  motive 
  in 
  the 
  Arab 
  wave 
  of 
  conquest 
  was 
  their 
  religious 
  

   message 
  — 
  a 
  call 
  to 
  all 
  peoples 
  to 
  embrace 
  Islam, 
  the 
  religion 
  of 
  sur- 
  

   render 
  unto 
  Allah. 
  Through 
  such 
  surrender, 
  the 
  various 
  aspects 
  of 
  

   life 
  took 
  shape 
  and 
  color. 
  Consequently, 
  in 
  the 
  village 
  community 
  

   of 
  today 
  everybody 
  is 
  born 
  into 
  its 
  church 
  (Muslim 
  or 
  Christian) 
  

   and 
  is 
  expected 
  to 
  remain 
  in 
  it 
  for 
  the 
  rest 
  of 
  his 
  life. 
  He 
  may 
  not 
  

   know 
  much 
  about 
  its 
  dogmas 
  or 
  subscribe 
  to 
  their 
  letter, 
  but 
  he 
  con- 
  

   forms 
  loyally 
  to 
  the 
  community 
  folkways 
  and 
  mores 
  which 
  have 
  been 
  

   inspired 
  mainly 
  by 
  the 
  rules 
  of 
  the 
  church. 
  Every 
  seventh 
  day 
  of 
  

   the 
  week 
  (Friday 
  for 
  the 
  Muslims) 
  and 
  during 
  the 
  many 
  religious 
  

   festivals 
  of 
  the 
  year, 
  village 
  people 
  stop 
  work 
  and 
  indulge 
  in 
  social 
  

   visiting 
  and 
  other 
  recreational 
  activities. 
  Recently 
  in 
  Palestine 
  im- 
  

   portant 
  religious 
  festivals 
  have 
  been 
  successfully 
  transformed 
  into 
  

   occasions 
  for 
  political 
  demonstration. 
  The 
  Haj 
  (pilgrimage 
  to 
  

   Mecca) 
  is 
  a 
  dominating 
  factor 
  in 
  the 
  life 
  of 
  the 
  fellah. 
  He 
  may 
  

   never 
  be 
  able 
  to 
  accomplish 
  such 
  a 
  religious 
  trip, 
  but 
  he 
  is 
  always 
  

   planning 
  for 
  it. 
  When 
  he 
  succeeds, 
  his 
  departure 
  and 
  his 
  return 
  are 
  

   occasions 
  for 
  celebration 
  by 
  the 
  whole 
  community. 
  And 
  when 
  the 
  

   elements 
  of 
  nature 
  fail 
  him 
  and 
  his 
  crops 
  are 
  threatened 
  with 
  ruin, 
  he 
  

   turns 
  to 
  the 
  village 
  church 
  as 
  a 
  final 
  resort. 
  It 
  has 
  prayers 
  to 
  bring 
  

   down 
  rain, 
  to 
  bless 
  the 
  produce, 
  and 
  to 
  ward 
  off 
  the 
  evil 
  eye. 
  Never 
  

   would 
  a 
  fellah 
  talk 
  about 
  his 
  children, 
  livestock, 
  land, 
  or 
  produce 
  

   without 
  uttering 
  at 
  frequent 
  intervals 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  Allah 
  in 
  a 
  variety 
  

   of 
  phrases. 
  No 
  marriage 
  is 
  considered 
  possible 
  unless 
  it 
  is 
  sanctioned 
  

   by 
  the 
  regular 
  religious 
  ceremony. 
  Circumcision 
  and 
  baptism, 
  two 
  

  

  