
Coffee - The Wine of Islam - patrick-james
http://www.superluminal.com/cookbook/essay_coffee.html
======
patrick-james
Really interesting article on the history of coffee in Muslim culture.
Needless to say, I don't think any of us would be awake right now if it
weren't for the consistently revered reputation of this humble seed.

~~~
cup
If you find that interesting you might also consider reading into the
controversial use of khat in the middle east.

For those that don't know, Khat is a leaf which releases an amphetamine like
product when chewed. Traditionally scholars would consume it to help them stay
up at night and pray or study however, like all good things, its beneficial
uses gave way to its degenerative abuses.

Now Khat is considered Haram (banned from an Islam legal perspective), because
its misuse over rides any benefit. Its sad to see some countries though
(Yemen, Somalia) have not been able to overcome the addictive and economically
lucrative product. Large swathes of Yemen for instance grow the product, which
means large aquifiers are redirected primarily to this crop, depriving others
from growing staples and other produce. This in turn contributes to a lack of
food within the country, resulting in reduced health (particularly in young
children). The other knock on effect is that once peopel start chewing it
(around lunch time) the whole city shuts down. Someone should really do a case
study on it.

Marijuana is also another interesting psychostimulant with a (tenuous) link to
Islam. The original assassins (Hashashins), though considered an extreme sect
with barely any resemblance to traditional Islamic orthodoxy, relied on
Marijuana to produce what we know term assassins!

