pocket guide to north africa

8/3/2019 Pocket Guide to North Africa

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For use 0 1 Military Personnel only. Not tobe republished, in whole or in part, withoul

the consent 0 1 the War DepartmNJt.

Prtp prrJ bySP~CIAL SEIIVICE DIVISION, ARM\' SEIIVICE FOIICES

UNITED STATU AIIM\'

A POCKET GUIDE TO

NO R T HAFRICAWAR AND NAVY DEPARTMENTS

WASHINGTON, D. C.


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P O C K E T G U ID E T O N O R T H A F R IC A

CONTENTSIntroduction.Three Years of StruggleSpringboard to EuropeWe Were There BeforePeople of North AfricaThe Bond of IslamPolitical DivisionsCountry of ContrastsTown and CountryDining With MoslemsCustoms at MealtimeDetails of Native DressShops and MarketsNorth African Social LifeWarning the WomenStudy the LanguageThe Faith of IslamLand of Living SaintsRules for HealthSome General RulesCheck List of Do's and Don'tsOther Arabic Phrases

'3,6'7'9,6,8'93 D3'353 73 943


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INTRODUCTION

YOU are: to do duty in North Africa as a soldier of theUnited States, and this guidebook has been prepared toassist you in serving in a strange country as wen as togive you a more complete understanding of why you arefighting there and to make your service a more worth-while personal experience.

No other American force: has been given a more im-portant mission. After the dose of the First World War,one of the great strategists of Europe: predicted that the


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next great war would b e won in Noah Africa. He fore-saw such a rise in air power as would make the Mediter,ra~ean Sea virtually a defile for all shipping. If their ene-mies were to come into complete possession of the Medi-terranean shores, an almost insupportable strain would beput upon the nations dependent on sea power. On theother hand, if the ~orth African coast could be held bythe sea-power nations=Orear Britain and the UnitedStates-its air and sea bases would become the spring-board to the reconquest of Europe and the final defeat ofthe forces dominating that continent.

THREE: YE:ARS OF STRUGGLIE

FOR more than three years, events have sustained thisprophecy, and the armed forces of the United Nationsand of the Axis ha:e been locked in a tremendous strug_gle for North Afnca. One campaign has followed an,other a~ross. its desert spaces. None was finally successful.For a time It seemed as if the whole of the Mediterraneanand the land which surrounded it would b e lost to ourside. Fighting aga.inst tremendous odds and handicappedby shortages of air power and the necessity for deploy,ing th~i~ war vessels over most of the waters of the globe,the British had to cease convoying through the Mediter-2

ranean except in cases of extreme emergency. Our supplyhad to make the rj.ooo-mile journey around the Cape ofGood Hope to sustain the Allied forces in the Middle Eastand Egypt.

But while the Mediterranean lifeline \\,;1[. strained almost to the snapping point in those difficult years, it neverbroke. At the eastern end the British rallied around thedefense of Alexandria and the Suez. At the western endof the sea the great fortress of Gibraltar held. In the cen-ter, menacing the German-Italian supply line to Africa,the island of Malta maintained one of the most heroicstands of the war supported by convoy moving in attimes from either end of the Mediterranean.

SPRINGBOARD TO EUROPE:

SLENDER though they seemed, Allied hopes for a suc-cessful turning of the war were fixed on these three points.Time is proving that this was the decisive calculation.The strong links in our vital supply line 'are again beingpulled together ~y Allied weapons and manpower. Ourarmed forces ar~ bringing North Africa under control, andfrom this base they will make the entry intu Europe whichwill become the death wound of the Nazi and Fascistdictators and of their forces.You are a part of rhis great enterprise. How well you


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fight and work and how properly you conduct yourself inNorth Africa will mean much in furthering the cause ofyour country and her Allies.

WE WERE THERIE .Ef'ORIE

IT is not strange ground for an American fighting man.More than 100 years ago, in the early days of the Republic,Americans fought over this same soil for their country'shonor and on behalf of the principle of freedom of theseas. "To the shores of Tripoli" is a refrain sung proudlyby American Marines. The American Bag flew above thefortress of Derna in Libya in 1805, put there by an Ameri-can soldier who. campaigned through the desert to winrespect for the United States. One of the first of our for-eign wars resulted from the attempt by rulers of the Bar.bary States to hijack our ships when we were a weaknation. Even' in that early' day, the defense of the UnitedStates meant defending the right of our commerce tomove freely through the most distant waters.

Now we have returned in strength to fight a muchmightier enemy, but we are defending the same prin-ciples. So long as we maintain them, men will be freeand humanity will have the chance for a decent exist-

The North African shore is as desolate and the

interior is as uninviting now as when the fighting menunder Preble and Decatur attacked Tripoli and WilliamEaton's scratch army of Americans and natives marchedinto Cyrenaica. But hardship did not stop Americansthen and it will not stop them now.

Instruction in how to cope with the natural difficultiesof your position, including how to maintain yourself indesert country and how to deal with your enemies, isprimarily the responsibility of your commanders. Thepurpose of this book is to keep you from making mis-takes in your dealings with the people of North Africa sothat the United States will have their friendship and itsarmed forces will have their cooperation.

PIEOPLE OF NORTH AFRICA

OF the 17 million people living in North Africa, about one-tenth are Europeans and their customs and traditions inthe majority are those of the French and Italians of con-tinental Europe. Your chief concern is with the nine-tenthswhose ancestors have lived along this coast for centuries,and whose life i, still regulated by ancient traditions andbeliefs. For the most part, they are a fair-skinned peoplethough some have the swarthiness which is commonly as-sociated with a near-tropical climate. They are fullyclothed-in fact. better dad than we are, if garments are


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measured by the yard. They worship the same God as theChristians and the Jews, and speak with reverence ofAbraham, Moses, and Jesus. Except for their religiousleaders, most of them cannot read or write. Their opinionsare formed on what they see and hear. Their experiencehas been that the European soldiers, officials, and colonistshave often been domineering and unprincipled, and theirnatural inclination is to regard any invading force withsuspicion until its good intentions are proved beyond areasonable doubt.The Nonh Africans have no tanks or airplanes, and fewmachine guns. But they are producers of food, and theycan either supply us water or poison the wells, guide usthrough mountains and desert or lead us astray. They cantell us what the Germans and Italians are doing if theylike us or they can tell the Germans and Italians what weare doing' if they dislike us. Winning their friendship istherefore an important step in the winning of the war.

THE BOND 0 .... LAM

AS you move through North Africa you will be struckby the great variety of its peoples. You will hear a dozentongues spoken in the course of an afternoon stroll or seeas many different tribal costumes during a visit to onemarket place. Consequently, it is not possible to make

many generalizations about the population; The one bondwhich touches nearly all, however, is the religion foundedby Mohammed. The people do not wo~ship Mo~ammedas Christians worship Christ; they think of him as aprophet, like those of the Old Testament. The religionis called Islam (i.SLAM, meaning "submission to God")and the believers are called Moslems. Their Bible isthe Koran.

Twelve centuries ago Moslems from Arabia swept overNorth Africa and fixed their religion on the inhabitants.While not all of the people absorbed the new beliefs intheir entirety and clung to remnants of their old religion,Islam became the principal unifying force in North Africa.The Moslems swept on to Conquer most of Spain, theirgreat Empire reaching its zenith in the Middl~ Ages andbeginning its swift decline just .before the discovery ofAmerica. The present day North Africans have not for-gotten their period of glory and they are as proud of theirhistory as any democratic people.

POLITICAL DIVISIONS

mERE are four political divisions to North Africa, fromwest to east-Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya. TheMoroccan pan of Casablanca is almost 2,000 miles in a


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direct line from the western border of Egypt which meansthat our forces are bringing under control a shore line asextended as our own Atlantic Coast and Gulf Coas't com-bined. But away from the coast there is little populationor activity, and it is more than 1,000 miles from the Medi.terranean to that part of the African interior where dwellthe negro tribes.

The French have controlled Algeria for more than ahundred years, Tunisia for 60 years, and Morocco forthe last 30 years. Spain administers a part of northernMorocco and the far southern part. Libya was an Italianpossession when the war began. None of these conquestswas easily made and although European exploitation hasbeen in process for more than a century, there have beenintermittent wars and resistant elements among the nativepopulations in all of the North African states' right up tothe present time. .

Many of the tribesmen are now first-class guerilla fight-ers, as reedy to fight for their families or villages as fortheir tribe. Confronted by a common danger, the tribesmight even join forces, or rally to a call to fight for Islam.But the alliance would probably dissolve as quickly as thefight was over, since there is no national unifying forceamong the tribes. This fact has been of main assistance topenetration by European powers.

COUNTRY OF CONTRASTSNORTH AFRICA is a country of pronounced geographicand climatic contrasts. Along the coast the land is almostas pleasant as Southern California, with hot, dry summersand consistently heavy rains in winter. The forested moun-tains of Morocco and Algeria have a heavy winter snow-fall, and excellent skiing grounds. Temperatures in thehigher altitudes of all the coastlands fall below freezing onwinter nights. South of the mountains and plateaus thetrue desert begins.

It is not a continuous sea of sand such as is pictured inHollywood movies about the French Foreign Legion.Some parts of Sahara are great stretches of these pictur-esque dunes, but others are rim rock and gravel, and onemay travel for days and see scarcely any sand. In placesthe horizon is perfectly flat while elsewhere the skylinemay be broken by jagged hills or tablelands not unlikethe mesas of New Mexico and Arizona.

Most of the desert is too barren of vegetation to supportcattle grazing, though camels and goats may subsist uponit. Rain falls but rarely, though then in such large dosesthat bivouac commanders should take care not to makecamp in a ravine or in the bottom o f a desert valley. Aftersunset the desert cools off rapidly. The warmth of the


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winter sunshine is usually tempered by a steady wind, andthe winter nights-especially in the highlands of the cen-rral Sahara or on the Libyan Plateau-are bitterly cold.,

NORTH AFRICA has but a few important cities- Tan-gier, Casablanca, Fez, and Marrakech in Morocco, Algiers,Oran, and Constantine in Algeria, Tunis in Tunisia, andTripoli and Bengazi in Libya, the largest of which areabout the size of Birmingham or Dallas. As most of thehouses are crowded closely together along narrow streets,the towns cover less ground than American communitieswith a population. The new European set-

clements, however, are usually built separate from the oldMoslem sections and are more cleanly and spacious.

The coastal plains and the valleys are the farmingsections. In northern Morocco and Algeria, you will seevast expanses of well-farmed country, mainly grain fieldsand vineyards belonging to the French. The Moslems farmon a more modest scale; their fields are small and irregularand their implements crude. Because of the uncertaintyof rainfall, most of them specialize in fruit trees whichcan withstand drought. They raise large quantities of figsand olives, extracting the olive oil by hand processes, anddrying the figs for export.


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A more' highly specialized type of farming has devel-oped around the oases of the Sahara. These desert com"munities were founded in the Middle Ages when caravanswere crossing the wastes bringing slaves, ivory, and othertreasure from the interior. The North African coastlandswere then wracked by incessant tribal wars and refugeesby the thousand moved south into the desert. They tookpossession of small spring-fed water holes, dug wells, andinstalled irrigation systems. In these surroundings thedate palm flourished as nowhere else. When the slave tradewas suppressed and the commerce. of tropical Africa wasdiverted away from the Saharan routes to America andEuropean markets, the oases suffered a depression fromwhich they have never recovered. Those in the north sur-vive pretty well, however, on their export of dates.

In the Sahara the nomadic peoples depend on camels fortransportation and as a source of milk. Though i11-tempered and subject to various sores and diseases, thecamel is pretty nearly indispensable, for it can travel upto five days without water or pasturage and is a stoutfreight carrier. The nomads value their camels ~n? horsesabove all other possessions. Raising camels, stealing camelsand riding camels into a fight are regarded as the mosthonorable of employments. Many camel riders of theSahara are professional bandits. It is a natural reaction12

to their surroundings. The country offers them very littleother chance for success. They believe that property belongsto the strongest claimer and they like the fighting life.

DINING WITH MOSLEMS

AS to food, if a Moslem asks you to dinner, you willprobably be served barbecued sheep, mutton stew, chicken

. or squab. That will be a sign that you are rated an honored

. guest, for most Moslems eat very little meat. Animals arealmost too precious to kill, and meat is hard to preservebecause of the lack of refrigeration.

The mainstay of most Moslems is grain, made intoeither bread or mush. Also the Moslems make the graininto a fluffy dish caJled kuskus (KOOS.koos) or seksu(SEK-soo), which is tasty when seasoned with pepper orcinnamon. Kuskus is to be eaten neatly with the fingersof the right hand, though it is advisable not to drinkmuch liquid after eating it as the grain is only partlycooked and bloating will result.

North Africans are great eaters of bread. If you enter abakery, leave your shoes at the door, as. the baker slidesthe loaves out of the oven onto the floor and the customersobject to having dirt tracked in from the street.Fruits come second on the list of staple foods. Figs,dates, grapes, and apricots are probably the most common

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and are eaten fresh in season or dried for use during therest of the year. As with all fruits, dates should be skinnedbefore eating. This can be done by clipping off one end ofthe date and squeezing it out of its skin. If the dates havebegun to dry, you had better boil them in water for afew minutes and then let them cool.

Vegetables are plentiful, especially onions, tomatoes,turnips, okra, peppers, and string beans. Dried lentilswhich look like split peas are used for soup.

Among the Moslem nomads goat's milk is an importantfood. Most of it is curdled, or made into butter and cheese.You may not like the taste of sour milk, but it is refresh-ing on a hot day. Fresh milk should always be boiled be -fore drinking.

Thick coffee served in small CUP! is drunk in the largetowns where Turkish customs prevail though in most ofNorth Africa the favorite beverage is green tea. It is servedsweet, and flavored with mint. If offered either drink bya native host, you should not refuse it or throwaway anypart of it. The polite thing is to accept three cups if theyare offered, but under no circumstances to accept a fourth.To drink less than three is considered as ill-bred as to takemore than that.

Though their religion forbids the use of intoxicants,some Moslems take a drink on occasion. A liquor called1 4

legbi or lebqi (LEG-bee or LEB-kee) is made from thefermented sap of the date palm; grape wines are alsocommon to the region. Most Moslems smoke tobacco,though it is prohibited by some of the religious brother-hoods and outsiders are advised not to smoke in the pres-ence of sacred things such as a mosque, the tomb of a saint,or a religious book. American cigarettes are much appre-ciated by both men and women.

You will also see.Moslems smoking an herb which theycall ked. It is a variety of Indian hemp, the powderedleaf of which is known in our country as marihuana, Itmakes the smoker careless and talkative, is h!bit-forming,


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and produces rapid moral deterioration in the smoker.Moslem authorities condemn it. French law prohibits it,but there is a large bootleg traffic in keef.

In general, it is dangerous for a soldier in North Africato eat or drink anything offered him by a stranger on thestreet, or to go to cafes or resorts of any kind with aMoslem who has not been properly vouched for.

ClISTOM' AT MEALTIME

BUT if a reputable Moslem is entertaining you in hishome, you should cat and drink a little of everything thatis offered. This may require some hardihood, especially ifyou suspect !hat any of the food handlers may be diseased.But it would not be possible to explain your fears to yourhost without insulting him; to refuse what he offers is tomake him suspect that you fear being poisoned.

When invited to a meal, you should sit on the Boorwith the rest. After grace (Bismillah) is said, you waitfor the host to dip into the food before making your:;V~tt~~ ~:~ta~i~~e f::!;t~::~:e ~:!e~sn~e~seru~:~exclusively in attending to a call of nature. These othersimple rules will enable you to play well your part asguest at a Moslem meal.

Eat with your fingers and out of the same bowl.16

Do not cut native bread with a knife, but tear it withyour fingers.

Observe the other guests, and try to follow their.example.

DETAILS OF NATIVE DaEIS

THE study of costumes and of native dress is one key toan understanding of the people. While the Moslems ofMorocco and Libya do not as a rule wear western dress,many in Algeria and Tunisia do so, adding a red fel totheir attire to indicate that they are not Christians. Awayfrom the towns, one rarely sees European dress and it isusual!y easy to guess from a man's costume the part o fNorth Africa or .the tribe to which he belongs.

The camel riders of the southern Sahara, Tauregs, weara dress of indigo blue with a turban which is woundaround the lower half of the face to shield the mouth andnostrils from blowing sand and the desert wind. The menof the Taureg tribe wear a face veil as a matter of modestyand custom. In the mountains of Morocco and Algeriathe commonest garment for the men is the jellaba(jel-LAB-a) which is a coat of coarse wool with a pointedhbod dropped over one shoulder. A man can carry several'day's rations in this hood and the color blends puect lywith the landscape.

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Among the Libyan nomads the typical apparel is tbe"geed," a rectangular woolen cloak about I2 feet long by5 feet wide which is tied over the left shoulder andwrapped around the body. In winter it protects the wearerfrom the cold, and at night can be used as a blanket. It canbe drawn across the face to shut out sand or strong sun-light, and its folds can easily conceal a knife or a gun. InLibya wealthy men wear a gerd like that of the nomadsbu) made of nne white silk instead of wool.

When seen in public, a Moslem woman is usuallycovered from head to foot in a plain white wrapper, witha white veil stretched across her face just beneath theeyes. But under this unattractive costume, the womenwear garments of very bright colors which are revealedonly in the privacy of their homes, the idea being that aMoslem woman is not supposed to look attractive inpublic. The veil likewise is a sign of respectability, dis-tinguishing ladies from scrub women. In the countrydistricts, where women do the heavy labor of the farmand household, they seldom cover their faces. Oddlyenough, however, when a girl from the red-light districtwalks abroad, she is mull.ed to the eyes in white wrapperand veil. These few rules are to be strictly observed withrelation to the Moslem women:

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Never stare atone.Never jostle her in a crowd.Never speak to her in public.Never try to remove the veil.This is most important. Serious injury if not death

at the hands of Moslem men may result if these few rulesare not followed.

SHOPS AND MARK'ETS

AS to your dealing with the tradesmen, it is wisdomto greet the shopkeeper as ceremoniously as if he wereyour host. Bargaining and haggling over prices are theexpected thing. By accepting it as a game, you sho~ld beable to get from one to two-thirds knocked off the anginalasking price. But bargaining is always to be done politelyand abusiveness is a sure way to provoke the hostility ofeven the humblest Moslem.

In the towns the permanent market is usually builtaround an open square. Many viliagesl especially in Mo-rocco and Algeria, hold a market once a week and someare named according to the day, for example Suq elKhamis (sooq-el-kha-MEES) meaning Thursday Market..The market is both a trading and social center wheregoods are bought and exchanged, marriages are arrangedand political deals are made. Life throbs there as nowhere

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else in the North Africa countryside. Dancing girls andboys, singers, jugglers, fortune tellers, magicians, pitch.men, and pickpockets all contribute to the excitement.

During religious festivals such as Mulid en Nebi(MOO-liden NEB-i) meaning the Prophet's Birthday,which comes February 10 to 19, 1943, and January 30 toFebruary 7,1944, every large town holds a fair. Your tourof duty will be more enjoyable if the situation permits youto participate in the North African fairs and markets. Itgoes almost without saying that your conduct must bediscreet at all times, and you are best advised never to dis-cuss the military situation with Of within the hearing ofany of the inhabitants, as the market is a clearing groundfor rumors and any told is given a wide circulation.The Axis may be expected to have planted agents in NorthAfrica before our forces arrived. They may be still oper-ating, so conversations on military subjects anywhereshould be well guarded.

You will find several different money systems used inNorth Africa and you should know something aboutthem. There are four chief kinds of currency: two forFrench Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia, one for SpanishMorocco; and one for Libya.

( 1 ) F li n ch C o n t r o ll e d C u r r e nc y . This includes paper francsand metal piecesof the protectorates of Morocco and AI2 2

geria, and money issued by the Bank of Algeria. Themetal pieces are issued in denominations of 5, 10, 25, and50 centimes, and I and 2 francs. Most of the old coppercoins for 5 and ro centimes have been withdrawn. Thenewer coins of 5, ro, and 25 centimes look like an Ameri-can nickel, but have a hole in the center. They are corn-posed of light aluminum alloy. Coins of 50 centimes, 1franc, and 2 francs have a light gilded appearance andare probably made of a copper-aluminum alloy. Papernotes, in various colors, are issued for 5, 10, 20, 50, 100,500, and 1,090 francs.( 2 ) Spanish C u r r e n c y . This is used in the Spanish Zoneand the International Zone of Morocco. It is ordinarySpanish money, consisting of 5 and 10 centimo coins, madeof a copper aluminum alloy, and of paper notes r, 2, 5,JO, 25, 50, 100, 500, and r,ooo pesetas. The peseta is dividedinto roc centimos.(3) Italian C u r r e n c y . Before the Italian conquest of Libya;Egyptian and Turkish coins were used throughout Libya,and they may still be circulating in some of the moreisolated district. The official coin of Libya is now the Italianlira, which is divided into 100 centesimi. Silver coinsare issued in denominations of 5, 10, and 20 li re; nickelcoins in denominations of 20 centesimi, 50 centesimi,I lira, and 2 lire; and bronze coins of. 5 and 10 cen-

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tesimi. Since 1936, Italy has issued "Imperial" coinsof the same denominations as above, with the additionof 50- and reo-lira gold pieces. Italian paper money isissued in state notes of 10 lire, and in bank notes of 50,100, 500, and 1,000 lire. The to-lira notes have recentlybeen issued to replace the 10- and ao-lira silver coins. A fewof the latter may be still in circulation. The Moslems ofLibya still feel that precious metal-especially gold-isthe best material for money, and they may refuse to acceptpaper currency when large payments are to be made.(4) T h e "Hassanl" (be-Sa-nee). This is a coin used inMorocco before the French took control. It is either silveror copper. The silver coin is based on the value of thesilver in it. Hassani money has been official1y withdrawnfrom circulation for many years, but people in some re-mote parts of Morocco still use it.

The local names for currency are often different fromthe French and Spanish. The North Africans call 5 francsi rial (ree-YAL). For them, the rial consists of 100 soldi(Sol-dee), each soldi being thus 5 French centimes. Thesame is true of Spanish money; the North Africans con-sider 5 pesetas to be Irial.

It is impossible to give the exact rates of exchange forthese different types of money, since many differentrates, such as official, free, draft, currency, etc., are in2 4

existence, and these rates vary considerably from umeto time. The official rate for the franc in French NorthAfrica is 2.28 American cents and for the peseta inSpanish Morocco 9.I3 American cents. The Italian lirahas recently been worth about 5\1.. American cents. Gen-erally speaking, possessors of American money can usuaJ!ymake purchases at a great advantage, especially since theNorth Africans are often willing to pay high exchangerates for American currency.

The system of weights generally used in North Africantowns is the metric system. The metric kilogram is about2.2 (two and one-fifth) of our pound.

Measures of distance are also metric. The meter is39-37 inches. A thousand meters is a kilometer or justabout five-eighths of a mile. All highway distances arecalculated in kilometers. The meter is divided into 100centimeters which are something less than half an inch.A centimeter in turn is 10 millimeters.

Liquids in the metric system are usually measured inliters which unit is a little more than one of our liquidquarts.

In me country districts you will find few Moslems whoknow this metric system. Their own weights and meas-ures vary locally and are seldom applied with precision.. The North Africans reckon longer distances in terms

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of days' journey. They will tell you that it is so manydays' march from plate A to place 8. This means that ifyou walk fairly rapidly, as they do, from sunrise to sunset,with a little time out for a nap at noon, you will just aboutget there.

North Africans tell time in the same way ~e do-whenthey have docks and watches. Many of them, however. arevery vague on the subject. They will say that a certainthing will happen at dawn, mid-morning, noon, mid-after-noon, sunset, midnight. Even then these are vagueapproximations.

THE social life of North Africa is very different from ourown, not only because of its leisurely character, but be-cause Moslem men do not make companions of theirwomen. A man's wife attends to the home, bears children,and may work in the fields, but she is in the position ofa chattel. If her husband cannot afford to support morethan one wife, he still can divorce her with ease and befree to marry again.It is not conventional for men and women to make

dates. Should a respectable woman be found conversingwith a man not of the family, scandal will result and sud-den death is apt to overtake one or both .parties. When2 6

a woman walks abroad with a man--even thougn he be amember of the family-she keeps several paces behindhim so that people will not notice them together. Ladiesnever attend parties with men and seldom eat or drinkwith them even in the family. Feasts at the time of wed-dings or circumcisions are enjoyed by men and women inseparate groups in separate parts of the house.

When Moslem men want the company of women at aparty, they engage a troupe of professional dancing girls.These professionals have a unique social position. not as


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low as thar~f the prostitute, but still somewhat degraded.They arc s,a!d to be more interesting company than theMoslem WIfe because they get around a great deal andknow all the answers. They dance for the men, not withthem. Men have dances of their own, but when a Moslemgentleman is seen dancing it is usually a sign that he is abit plastered.

Mosl~m house.s are arranged to obtain the greatest pos-sible pnvacy. Wmdows are small and high. The rooms ofthe larger houses are grouped around a patio where thewomen -work in the open air. The Hatvroof serves as aprivate terrace where the family can get the sun in winterand sleep on the warm summer nights.

Moslem h.osts do not show their guests into the bedroomt?leave their coats and hats. If you are invited to dinner,vrsu the rear before you go, since your host will neveroffer to show you to the toilet and a request to be takenthere w~uld ~ause confusion. ?nly the room in which youare received IS cleared for visitors.

WARNING THE WOMEN

IN towns such as Fez where small houses are scarce, sev-eral families may occupy the same dwelling. The variousfemale occupants will then mingle freely in the courtyardand on the roof but the males are restricted to their own2 8

family apartments. Upon coming to the main entrance atany time they give warning to the women. You will wantto know how this is done, since in case you need to gothrough a Moslem home for any purpose, it 'will be neces-sary for some member of the family to remove all of thewomen beforehand. \Vhen you are about to enter a houseor a yard, call out to the women to cover their bees orget out of the way. There are conventional ways of doingthis in most of the towns, but if you have not learned thelocal custom, you may use the word taghattu (la-GHAT-too) which means: "Cover up!"

STUDY THE LANGUAGEI

THE original language of North Africa is called Berber.It is still spoken by thousands of people in Morocco andby scattered communities in Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya.The Arabic language which spread over North Africawith the Moslem religion, is now undersrodd almost every-where except in the remote mountain villages. Even wherethe women and children speak only Berber, you will al-ways find men who can speak Arabic. You do not need toknow many words to get by in Arabic; a few will go along way. Talk to the North Africans in their own lan-guage. They will like you for it and will not b e offendedat pecularities in your pronunciation.

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TO understand the Moslem you will need to know some-thing of his religion. Islam developed against a back-ground of Christianity and of the religion of the [ews,Mohammed tried to draw the people back to the teachingsof the prophets. He declared that there is only one God towhom every man is directly responsible without priestsor intermediaries of any kind, and he condemned the useof images and elaborate rituals, and preached against thesame vices which are the targets 'of the average Americanevangelist. His teachings are reflected in Moslem practice.The mosques are not temples but meeting houses wherethe congregations foregather for prayers and meditation.There are no priests. The main religious obligations-toproclaim the oneness of God, to give alms to the poor. topray, and to fast-are fulfilled by a high proponion ofthe people.

A!! true Moslems observe a month of fasting each yearcalled Ramadan (ra-ma-DAN) which is similar to ourLenten period. During Ramadan the Moslems do noteat, drink, or smoke between sunrise and sunset. Theirtempers are accordingly short and they have to be treatedwith extra consideration. As to special precautions, these.pcints are worth remembering:3 0

Moslems should not be offered food, drink, or smokesduring Ramadan except after dark.

They will not permit any substance to be put into theirbodies during the days of Ramadan.

Any accident to a Moslem which results in the drawingof blood is apt to have especially serious consequences inthis period.

They should not b e asked for sustenance of any kind.In North Africa the Moslems have somewhat elaborated

Mohammed's original teachings. One of the added touchesis a belief in what is called "el 'Ain," or the Evil Eye.People may have this power without knowing or wishingit, and it is supposed they put a curse upon anyone onwhom they look with envy. Because of belief in the EvilEye a Moslem hates to have you say to him: "How wellyou look today!" or "What a fine son you have todayl"Compliments of this kind if expressed at all should b e :preceded by "E1 hamdu li.'allahl" (e\ HAM-doo Iii-LA)meaning "Praise be to God!" which takes the curse off it.Some Moslems resent having their pictures taken, becausethey believe that the camera is an instrument of the EvilEye. LAND 0,. LIVING SAINTSANOTHER important practice is the worship of saints.Mohammed didn't hold with this idea yet saints' tombs

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and habitations adorn the landscape from Morocco toEgypt. Saints are of all kinds. They may be living or dead.They may belong to saintly families whose reputation forpiety goes far back or they may be simply very cleverand religious people with a capacity for leadership-likeSister McPherson or Father Divine. Again they may beidiots since North Afticans tend to believe that humanswho cannot keep their minds on earthly things may havea divine spark.

A male saint is called "rnarabur" (ma-Ra-bur) and afemale "marabuta" (ma-Ra-be-ta). They alike are sup-posed to possess a mysterious power called "baraka"(Ba-ra-ka). Devout people approaching a saint bow and3 2

kiss his hand believing that the touch will do them goodalong such lines as curing the sick, making barren womenfertile, or providing a charm against some danger. Eventhe tomb of a saint is supposed to be capable of miracleworking, and offerings of food and incense are broughtto it.

The most religious Moslems in North Africa are organ-ized as brotherhoods which owe allegiance to a livingleader. The largest and best-known of these brotherhoodsin the eastern part of North Africa is the Sanusi (see-NOOsee) which was founded about l50 years ago. Itaimed to purify the Moslem religion and taught its mem-bers to live temperately. Coffee and smoking were fer-bidden. Missionaries led by members of the Sanusi familyset up hundreds of religious schools (each one called aZA.wia) throughout Libya and the eastern Sahara. Theysettled and cultivated several large oases. Most of Libyacame under their control.

But they lacked the means to hold their country againstarmored cars, planes, and machine guns. By 1935 theItalians had taken their land and massacred the peopleby thousands. With our help the Sanusi may stage a come-back. They are an exceptionally fine people.

The deep religious faith of Moslems is especially evidentin their feeling about their places of worship---the mosques

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and the tombs of saints. Keep away from mosques and thetombs of saints. The Moslems will not tolerate Christiansinside of them.

Most of the attitudes of North Africans are of religiousorigin. Like all firm believers they feel that the souls ofthose of other faiths wilJ not be saved. It follows that non-believers are inferior people-if not in this world cer-tainly in the next. Consequently Christians or Jews are con-sidered inferior by every true Moslem. In recent times,however, Moslems have had little opportunity to expresstheir feeling of superiority toward Christians, but theyhave dominated a native Jewish population for many cen-turies. Their attitude toward Jews is religious, and notracial as in Germany, but it is a topic which should notbe discussed with any Moslem.

POSITION OF THE JEWS

IN the large towns of North Africa you will find thou-sands of Jews who have lived on intimate terms with theMoslems for hundreds of years. Many of them are de-scended from Jewish families which were expelled fromSpain with the Moslems a fe'; years before the discoveryof America. In North Africa, however, the Jews rarely liveamong Moslems but occupy a distinct section of the town,3 4

which section is cal!ed the MeJlah (MEL-lah). The menwear small black skullcaps; the women wear fringedshawls and do not veil their faces. The Jews tend toengage in special trades and professions, such as moneytending, jewelry making, metal working, and the keepingof retail stores. Many of them speak Spanish as well asArabic.

RULES FOR HEALTHSANITARY conditions vary in North Africa. In theEuropean sections of the bigger towns Europeans andAmericans have to take no more precautions than at home.But in the rural parts of much of North Africa, especiallyin the Spanish Zone of Morocco, sanitation is very poor_An important rule to follow: do not eat food sold by nativevendors in the street or in small shops.

The principal diseases of the country are typhus, ma-laria" syphilis, all of the typhoid variants, skin diseases,and amoebic dysentery. One form of typhus in NorthAfrica is carried by lice; another form, similar to ourRocky Mountain fever, is transmitted by ticks. Syphilisand yaws are very prevalent. In some areas almost 100percent of the population are affected"

Red and black varieties of the scorpion can give a nastysting, and an unattended bite from a local cobra or aspwill kill you.

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The same rules for personal hygiene apply as elsewhere.You must keep your body clean. Inspect your clothes fre-quently for lice and ticks. These animals frequent theseams of clothing. Since they carry typhus they should bedisposed of as quickly as possible. You should use yourmosquito net if you do not want to contract malaria.

You should do little sun bathing, and though cases ofsunstroke are rare, you should particularly be on guardagainst too much sun in summer. in a hot, dry climateit is very easy to get a bad burn during a relatively shortexposure. This is especially true at the seaside. Neverwalk about in the sun without some form of headgear.It is not always necessary to wear a conventional sunhelmet-a campaign hat or other helmet is usually sui.ficient. The liner of your infantry helmet is an idealtropical headpiece.

Great care should be taken in regard to drinking water.Filter the water whenever possible. Avoid drinking fromstreams and public wells and fountains, above all thosein centers of habitation. The safest rule is to drink wateronly from a chlorinated lister bag. When that isn't possible and you are among Moslems it is a good idea to drinkit in the form of tea. That is what the natives do and theymake sure to boil the water a long time.

You wil! often hear it said that you must never eat3 6

fruits or green vegetables. Since these foods contain val-uable vitamins it is desirable to eat them provided theyare served by a well-established restaurant or have beeninspected by competent military authorities. But by allmeans avoid all fruits and vegetables which have beenlying around in city markets.

SOMIE GIENIEIlAL IIULIES

WHEN you meet a Moslem he will want to shake hands.Do it gently! Do not pump his hand or squeeze too3 7


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hard. Many- of them, especially the city Moslems, havefine hands which are easily hurt. A Moslem may even kissyour hand, or raise his fingers to his lips afterward; Donot laugh at him; it is his way of showing politeness.Above all, do not slap him on the back and do not handlehim; do not push him in fun or try to wrestle with him,or touch his body in any way, even if you think you knowhim well.

Moslems do not let other people see them naked. Don?t. urinate in their pre,sence. They do it squatting anddislike to see people do It standing up. These things mayseem trivial, but they are important.

North Africans, by and large, have an excellent senseof-humor. You will not find it difficult to joke with thembecause they see the humor in situations easily. If theylau.gh at you, take it; don't' get' angry. Above all, neverstrl~e them. They do not know how to box; one right onthe Jaw would knock a Moslem down. You would makean enemy of everyone that saw you, and word wouldsoon spread around that all Americans are bruisers. Mos.lems fight with knives, and they are probably a lot betterat it than you are.

Aside from these few rules, it is well to remember thata man may wear skirts and a beard and still be a man.We need the friendship of these people. We need their3 8

willing cooperation in maintaining ourselves in theircountry and we may require their active help in the fightagainst the common enemy. To be deserving of it, we musttreat them with respect and with dignity. Not to do so maymake the difference between success and failure in thegreat undertakings now facing you and your fellowAmericans.

LIST OF OD'S AND DON'TS

DON'T enter mosques.Smoke or spit somewhere else-never in front of a mosque.If you come near a mosque, look away and keep moving.Avoid shrines or tombs in the country.Discuss something else-nt'Vt'r religion or women-with

Moslems.Keep silent when Moslems are praying, and don't stare at

them. 'Don't refer to the people as heathen; they are very re-

ligious.Shake hands gently and avoid touching other parts of the

body .Remember that. the Moslems are a very modest people and

avoid any exposure of the body in their presence.A1ways say Bismillah before food when eating with NorthAfricans.

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Always say Hamdullah at the end of the meal.Stan eating only after your host has begun.Always tear YOUf bread with your fingers-never cut it.Eat with your right hand-never with your left, even if

you are a southpaw. 'Leave food in the main bowl-what you leave goes to the

women and children.Eat only part of the first course-there may be four or five

more coming.Don't give Moslems food containing pork, bacon, or lard,

or cooked in pork products.Don't eat pork or pork products near Moslems.Be pleasant if Moslems refuse to eat meat which you offer.

They may consider it religiously unclean.Don't give Moslems alcoholic drinks.Don't drink liquor in the presence of Moslems.

Knock before seeking admission into a house. If a womananswers, wait outside until she has had time to retire.

Take of l your shoes before entering a room-leave yoursocks on.

When visiting, don't overstay your welcome. The thirdglass of tea or coffee is the signal to go, unless you arequartered there.

Don't bring a dog into the house.Be kind to beggars. They are mostly honest unfortunates.

Give them 25 centimes occasionally if you can spare it.When you see grown men walking hand in hand, ignore

it. They are not "queer."Be kind and considerate to servants. The Moslems are

very democratic.Avoid any expression of race prejudice. The Moslems

draw no color line.


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Speak Arabic to the people if you can. No matter howbadly you do it, they like it.

Avoid talking about or praising Europeans.Don't use the French word indigene, meaning "native."

This is an insulting term.Accept with reserve what local Europeans tell you about

North. Africans.Don't imitate the attitudes or behavior of many of the

local Europeans. Some are not held in high respeC[ bythe North Africans.

Shake hands gently on meeting and leaving.If you wish to give someone a present, make it tea, sugar,

or cigarettes. A polite 'gift is three of the large conicalloaves of sugar.

If you are stationed in the country. it is a good idea totake tea, sugar, and cigarettes with you when you visit aNorth African home.

Bargain on prices. Don't let shopkeepers or merchantsovercharge you. But b e polite.

Treat people of all classes as equals.Be polite. North Africans appreciate courtesy.Be generous with your cigarettes.Use common sense on all occasions. These people are basic.ally no different from anyone else.

II

Ii

Be sure to greet people with the proper salutations:Good morning-sbah 'l kheirGood afternoon or evening-msa 'l kheirIn the name of God (used when you start to eat, etc.)-

bis-MIL-lahThank you, or please (use it whenever possible)-BA.

raka LAU-fikHow are you ?-La bes? .I am fine, thanks-la bes, baraka /aufikIf God is willing (used whenever you say you are goingto do something. To omit this phrase is irreJigious.)-in,sHAUa

Thank God!-ham-duILA

[English-Arabic]Yes. O. K.-AI.wa, Nrt-am (in Morocco, WA-ha)No--LAPerhaps (when hope is expressed)-in,sHAL-/aHow much?-kam? (in Morocco, shaHAL).Too much-ke.TEER, zee YAda (in Morocco, bi-ZEF

bi-ZEF)

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Take it easy-shwai-shwaiGo! Scram!-IM-shuf rohM seerIce HAL-ck!Come here!-A-;ce HIN-na!Wherd-Iain?Where's the road to ... ?-Iain et ta-REEQ li ... ?Where is water?-Iain d MA?Take! Grab hold!-khud! (in Morocco, hak!)It is very cold-BA-rid ke-TEER (in Morocco. hirdhi-ZEF)It is very hOt-suk1m ke-TEER (in Morocco, skhonhi-ZEF)Get up! (to a horse or mule)-ar-rah!Get up! (to a donkey)-ri!Whoa!-shaHelp us!-o-AWin-ftoI want water-AW-wiz MOY-ya (in Morocco, n-oreec/MA)


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pocket guide to north africa

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