The Hodja
She was watching the Hodja, the preacher, as she performed her belly dance routine. She knew her job perfectly, executing each of the figures of style to perfection. But, above all, her look was one that lost men, eyes that shamelessly promised the delights of love. All this was embarrassing, far enough from a call to prayer. The Hodja's television channel offered, again this evening, a very singular spectacle. The Hodja's program of religious and philosophical preaching had indeed become popular thanks to this kind of performance that wanted to prove that one could be a Muslim and live in the modern world. These erotic entertainments and the Hodja's spiritual advice were meant to defend the image of a modern and uncomplicated Islam. Whatever one may think of his methods, the Hodja had become a famous preacher and his works were distributed throughout the Muslim world. In front of the camera, against a backdrop of flowers and precious wooden furniture, the Hodja's d...