Aujourd'hui, je voudrais parler de quelques personnes que j'ai côtoyées et qui ont contribué à me donner une très belle vision du monde arabe en général et de l'Islam, à cent lieues des clichés véhiculés par la télévision nationale et les films catastrophes. Je crois que j'ai eu tout simplement la chance de rencontrer des gens droits et de bon cœur, et je ne saurai jamais si leur gentillesse était une résultante de leur culture ou la manifestation d'une conviction bien plus profonde.
Today, I'd like to introduce you to some people I met in the past and who contributed to the beautiful vision I've built about Islam and the Arabian world in general. My vision is as you know very different from the clichés of national TV or American dramas, and I find myself lucky to have met so many honest and good-hearted people, even if I'll never really know if their kindness was an outcome from their culture or a sign of a deeper faith.
Today, I'd like to introduce you to some people I met in the past and who contributed to the beautiful vision I've built about Islam and the Arabian world in general. My vision is as you know very different from the clichés of national TV or American dramas, and I find myself lucky to have met so many honest and good-hearted people, even if I'll never really know if their kindness was an outcome from their culture or a sign of a deeper faith.
Tout a commencé au collège avec Fouzia, qui était dans ma classe et que j'aidais de temps en temps avec ses mathématiques. Rien de bien extraordinaire mais j'étais heureuse de lui préparer des exercices et elle me le rendait bien en m'accordant son amitié. Plus ou moins à la même période, j'ai rencontré Yasmina et Sabah qui hélas étaient les seules camarades de classe à bien vouloir me parler gentiment et sans préjugés. Peut-être était-ce parce qu'elles étaient aussi isolées que moi parmi des élèves de mentalité et de milieu social très différents.
All started in middle-school with Fouzia, a classmate I sometimes helped with her mathematics. Nothing extraordinary, but I was happy to take time to prepare exercises for her and I got her friendship in return. Around that time I met Yasmina and Sabah, who were alas the only two classmates to talk to me nicely and with no judgment. May be it was because they felt as isolated as I was amongst students whose background and ways of thinking were sometimes very different from us.
All started in middle-school with Fouzia, a classmate I sometimes helped with her mathematics. Nothing extraordinary, but I was happy to take time to prepare exercises for her and I got her friendship in return. Around that time I met Yasmina and Sabah, who were alas the only two classmates to talk to me nicely and with no judgment. May be it was because they felt as isolated as I was amongst students whose background and ways of thinking were sometimes very different from us.
En math sup j'ai rencontré Sofia qui est devenue et demeure à ce jour l'une de mes plus chères amies. De cette relation je ne saurais parler au passé puisque en dépit de la distance qui nous sépare - une mer et un pays - nous nous voyons toujours régulièrement et qu'il s'agit de quelques mots pour que la complicité surgisse. Je lui dois beaucoup et l'héroïne de mon roman a même hérité de sa grande intelligence.
The first year of prep classes, I met Sofia who soon became - and still is - one of my dearest friends. It impossible for me to speak about this relationship in the past because we see each other regularly in spite of the distance (between us there are a sea and a country), and when we're together only a few words suffice to make the complicity arise. I owe her a lot and I poured her great intelligence into the heroin of my book.
The first year of prep classes, I met Sofia who soon became - and still is - one of my dearest friends. It impossible for me to speak about this relationship in the past because we see each other regularly in spite of the distance (between us there are a sea and a country), and when we're together only a few words suffice to make the complicity arise. I owe her a lot and I poured her great intelligence into the heroin of my book.
De mes voisines de chambre de l'époque, Intissar, Sara et Yousra, je ne sais pas grand chose, car il est vrai qu'en prépa, je sortais rarement le nez de mes bouquins. Néanmoins, occupant la chambre contiguë à la cuisine, j'ai le souvenir des effluves qui passaient bien avant l'aube sous la porte de ma chambre durant Ramadan, et de l'hospitalité d'Intissar lorsque je venais lui demander des explications sur un énoncé.
I don't know much about my three neighbors at student residence: Intissar, Sara and Yousra, because in prep classes, especially in first year, I barely took the eyes off my books. But I had settled in the closest room to the kitchen so I still remember very well the wonderful smell that travelled all the way to my bed before dawn during Ramadan. I also remember Intissar's hospitality when I knocked at her door, asking for help in math or physics.
I don't know much about my three neighbors at student residence: Intissar, Sara and Yousra, because in prep classes, especially in first year, I barely took the eyes off my books. But I had settled in the closest room to the kitchen so I still remember very well the wonderful smell that travelled all the way to my bed before dawn during Ramadan. I also remember Intissar's hospitality when I knocked at her door, asking for help in math or physics.
L'année de ma deuxième sup, ce fut la même chose : j'avais changé d'école mais les camarades étaient toujours aussi sympas. Cette année-là, j'ai rencontré quelqu'un qui m'a beaucoup inspirée, même si je ne l'ai connu que de loin : il s'agissait de Youness, qui non seulement était franchement agréable à regarder mais dont l'âme était, de ce que j'ai pu en juger, bien tendre. C'est indirectement qu'il a attiré mon attention à l'occasion d'un voyage de classe, car de mon souvenir c'était un garçon très discret et particulièrement réservé.
When I doubled first year of prep classes, I changed school but my new classmates were as nice as the old ones. That year, I met someone who had a great influence on me - although he never found out about it because we were not close enough for me to tell him. Youness was really handsome but he also had a gentle soul, from what I could witness. My attention got caught during a school trip to the hills. If it hadn't been for the trip, I think I'd never have noticed him because he was as discrete as reserved.
Nous étions pour la plupart très immatures et cela chahutait dans les couloirs de l'auberge de jeunesse où nous passions la semaine ; j'ai débarqué en courant dans l'une des chambres et un camarade qui se trouvait là m'a intimé gentiment le silence. Je ne comprenais pas mais il m'a fait signe de me tourner : j'ai alors aperçu Youness qui, sans se soucier du vacarme environnant, était en train de prier. D'autres camarades sont arrivés derrière moi et, soudainement dégrisée, je leur ai à mon tour demandé de se taire ; le message n'est pas vraiment passé, l'un d'eux m'a carrément répondu "et alors ?" lorsque je lui ai dit que l'on perturbait la prière. J'ai trouvé cette réaction puérile et particulièrement mal élevée ; aussi plus tard ai-je ressenti le besoin d'aller voir Youness et de m'excuser pour notre comportement irrespectueux. Même si à l'époque j'étais en froid avec la religion, j'avais du respect pour ceux dont les convictions étaient ancrées au point de se contreficher du regard des autres. Sa réponse m'a stupéfiée : car non seulement il était tellement concentré sur sa prière qu'il n'avait rien entendu du vacarme, mais quand bien même nous l'aurions dérangé, ce n'était pas une raison pour nous en vouloir.
We were staying at a youth hostel for one week. Most of the classmates were very immature, and so was I. We were teasing each other in one of the rooms when I started running into a corridor and burst in another room. There, a classmate asked me to keep quiet for a moment. First I didn't understand and stared at him but then he pointed out something behind me and I turned around. I instantly froze and hold my breath: Youness was praying in silence, totally ignoring the noise and bustle. When some other classmates arrived running too, I took my turn in asking them to be silent but one of them didn't appreciate my request. He clearly didn't see why he should remain silent for a prayer and answered "he's praying and so what?" In spite of my lack of maturity at that time and even if I had been the first to disrupt, I found his reaction selfish and childish. So after everyone had left the room, I apologized to Youness for our noisy behavior and inappropriate reaction, and I told him I'd tried to be more considerate in the future. In fact, seeing him pray so earnestly had stroke a chord in me: at that time I was struggling with my own spiritual path but I felt respect and admiration for people who bore feelings so strong they didn't care about the look of others. His answer astonished me: not only had he been so focused on his prayer that he hadn't heard a bit of what was happening, but he added that even if we had been annoying, that was no reason for him to argue.
Tout cela n'était que détail mais sans le vouloir, Youness m'a donné une leçon de maturité ; j'ai mesuré le fossé qui le séparait de certains de nos camarades et j'ai discerné en lui une profondeur que je ne soupçonnais pas dans le contexte superficiel que sont les études. Hélas la fin d'année est arrivée trop vite et à mon grand regret je n'ai pas pu réellement faire sa connaissance ; néanmoins je n'ai jamais oublié son sourire doux, son regard chaleureux et la patience que l'on devinait dans chacun de ses actes. Autant de qualités dont mon principal héros a hérité, cela va sans dire.
This story may just be a detail for you but Youness taught me that day a lesson in maturity and tolerance; the gap between him and some of our classmates was huge. In addition I had discovered in him a profoundness I didn't expect due to the superficiality of school relationships. I wanted to get to know him better and I shyly talked to him a few times but unfortunately the school year was already over. However when I close my eyes I can still see his sweet smile, his warm look and the infinite patience I could sense in all his gestures. As a result I poured all these qualities into my favorite male character.
When I doubled first year of prep classes, I changed school but my new classmates were as nice as the old ones. That year, I met someone who had a great influence on me - although he never found out about it because we were not close enough for me to tell him. Youness was really handsome but he also had a gentle soul, from what I could witness. My attention got caught during a school trip to the hills. If it hadn't been for the trip, I think I'd never have noticed him because he was as discrete as reserved.
Nous étions pour la plupart très immatures et cela chahutait dans les couloirs de l'auberge de jeunesse où nous passions la semaine ; j'ai débarqué en courant dans l'une des chambres et un camarade qui se trouvait là m'a intimé gentiment le silence. Je ne comprenais pas mais il m'a fait signe de me tourner : j'ai alors aperçu Youness qui, sans se soucier du vacarme environnant, était en train de prier. D'autres camarades sont arrivés derrière moi et, soudainement dégrisée, je leur ai à mon tour demandé de se taire ; le message n'est pas vraiment passé, l'un d'eux m'a carrément répondu "et alors ?" lorsque je lui ai dit que l'on perturbait la prière. J'ai trouvé cette réaction puérile et particulièrement mal élevée ; aussi plus tard ai-je ressenti le besoin d'aller voir Youness et de m'excuser pour notre comportement irrespectueux. Même si à l'époque j'étais en froid avec la religion, j'avais du respect pour ceux dont les convictions étaient ancrées au point de se contreficher du regard des autres. Sa réponse m'a stupéfiée : car non seulement il était tellement concentré sur sa prière qu'il n'avait rien entendu du vacarme, mais quand bien même nous l'aurions dérangé, ce n'était pas une raison pour nous en vouloir.
We were staying at a youth hostel for one week. Most of the classmates were very immature, and so was I. We were teasing each other in one of the rooms when I started running into a corridor and burst in another room. There, a classmate asked me to keep quiet for a moment. First I didn't understand and stared at him but then he pointed out something behind me and I turned around. I instantly froze and hold my breath: Youness was praying in silence, totally ignoring the noise and bustle. When some other classmates arrived running too, I took my turn in asking them to be silent but one of them didn't appreciate my request. He clearly didn't see why he should remain silent for a prayer and answered "he's praying and so what?" In spite of my lack of maturity at that time and even if I had been the first to disrupt, I found his reaction selfish and childish. So after everyone had left the room, I apologized to Youness for our noisy behavior and inappropriate reaction, and I told him I'd tried to be more considerate in the future. In fact, seeing him pray so earnestly had stroke a chord in me: at that time I was struggling with my own spiritual path but I felt respect and admiration for people who bore feelings so strong they didn't care about the look of others. His answer astonished me: not only had he been so focused on his prayer that he hadn't heard a bit of what was happening, but he added that even if we had been annoying, that was no reason for him to argue.
Tout cela n'était que détail mais sans le vouloir, Youness m'a donné une leçon de maturité ; j'ai mesuré le fossé qui le séparait de certains de nos camarades et j'ai discerné en lui une profondeur que je ne soupçonnais pas dans le contexte superficiel que sont les études. Hélas la fin d'année est arrivée trop vite et à mon grand regret je n'ai pas pu réellement faire sa connaissance ; néanmoins je n'ai jamais oublié son sourire doux, son regard chaleureux et la patience que l'on devinait dans chacun de ses actes. Autant de qualités dont mon principal héros a hérité, cela va sans dire.
This story may just be a detail for you but Youness taught me that day a lesson in maturity and tolerance; the gap between him and some of our classmates was huge. In addition I had discovered in him a profoundness I didn't expect due to the superficiality of school relationships. I wanted to get to know him better and I shyly talked to him a few times but unfortunately the school year was already over. However when I close my eyes I can still see his sweet smile, his warm look and the infinite patience I could sense in all his gestures. As a result I poured all these qualities into my favorite male character.
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