Pick A Religion

Of all the Muslim-ruled nations described in Ars Magica supplements, in Egypt, religion matters the least. It is still an important part of every individual's life, but the constraints on non-Muslims are laxest in this country. The Muslims of Egypt also have a less restrictive interpretation of their faith than either the communities closer to Mecca, or the west African dynasties.

Some Virtues of A Good Muslim

Islam has five key activities, referred to as Pillars, which demonstrate the submission of the worshiper to the will of Allah.

Profession of Faith and Attempt to Follow The Faith's Laws: To become a Muslim, a person must make the statement that there is no God but God, and that Mohammed is His Prophet, in the presence of Muslims. This serves a vaguely similar role in Islam to baptism in Christianity, in that it brings the person into the community of the religion. The religious instructions given to Mohammed are recorded in the Qur'an. In addition to this, Muslim jurists consult a series of sayings and exemplary actions which have passed down from the Prophet.

Regular Prayer: A good Muslim prays at five specified times each day, while facing Mecca. These times are between dawn and sunrise (preferably well before sunrise), slightly after noon, in the afternoon, after sunset but before dusk, and after dusk (preferably before midnight). Before prayer, the worshiper washes certain parts of the body. A Muslim need not to go to a mosque to pray, but many find it convenient to do so. A mosque provides water for cleansing, and has a niche to mark the correct direction to pray toward. Friday is the holiest day, and many Muslims make a particular effort to get to the mosque at midday.

Giving Alms: Characters are expected to give alms. Some rulers also collect taxes for redistribution as alms. The idea that wealth is a reward for virtue, or conversely that the poor somehow deserve to be poor, is foreign to Egyptian thought. Egyptians believe in Fate instead, and Fate is not something you deserve due to your actions.

Fasting: Particularly during the month of Ramadan, a character is required to fast, unless a child, elderly, pregnant, ill, or traveling. Fasting includes not drinking water, so it can be difficult to adjust to the fast when it occurs in hotter times of the year. During the evenings of Ramadan, people often break their fasts with lavish feasts, taking turns to host their friends and neighbors. There are certain other dietary taboos in Islam, like pork and alcohol, which are observed with varying degrees of stringency.

Pilgrimage: Every Muslim, particularly every man, should try to visit Mecca, and preferably also Medina, at least once in his lifetime. A character who returns from pilgrimage is honored with the title of Haji (masculine) or Hajja (feminine) and many wear green head coverings to mark their status. Poorer people often go on pilgrimages to other places: Cairo, for example, has many popular pilgrimage sites.

The Roman Empire, or the leaders of their Coptic subjects, surrendered Egypt to the invading Muslims, and this makes its territories different from those which were taken by force. The agreement under which the country was surrendered is binding not just in mortal courts but, to a pious Muslim, before the eyes of God. This means that non-Muslims permitted to live in Egypt (who are called dhimmis in Arabic) are treated far better here than in many other places.

All dhimmis are theoretically Peoples of the Book. Most Dhimmis are Coptic Christians, the descendants of the people who lived in Egypt when the Arabic invasion took place. Jews from the Maghrib (North Africa west of Egypt) also make up a large contingent. The leader of a large community in Kairoun fled to Egypt to avoid persecution when a dynasty with a very strict interpretation of Islam came to power in the West. There are very few Zoroastrians in

Real-world Islam is too complex to be described in a role-playing sourcebook. This book instead contains simple guidelines to allow non-Muslims to play characters who are superficially suitable for telling stories similar to traditional folktales. In these tales wealthy, urban people are less stringent in their observance than poor or rural people. No offense is intended by this. Players are encouraged to learn more about Islam, to enrich their game experience.

Egypt, but a group who claim to be Sabeans, and therefore People of the Book, have communities in Egypt, and practice a superficially-similar fire religion. They are particularly noticeable in Cairo, as they venerate the Keeper of the Dead (what modern players would call the Sphinx of Giza – a term no Mythic African would use). Some dhimmis are freed slaves from the interior of Africa. Technically these people must convert, and there incentives to do so, but many retain various "pagan" religious practices.

Dhimmis are allowed to remain provided they are usefully contributing to society. Their duties and proscriptions are reflected in the Dhimmi Flaw, which is a Minor General Flaw. Characters from Europe might use Outsider instead. In Egypt, many of the prohibitions are softened by custom.

Dhimmis must not:

• avoid paying the annual tax on dhimmis. A notable exception to this are the dhimmis who live in Alexandria, who by ancient agreement pay no tax beyond a small annual contribution to the poor.
• hold offices of government. A Muslim may, however, hire a Christian to do the actual work of his office. A Muslim noble given the role of port inspector, for example, may pay a Christian to inspect cargoes and collect the money owed, on his behalf.
• hold ranks in the army. Mercenaries who lead their own companies on behalf of Muslim rulers are exempted from this.
• proselytize. Technically they are not even meant to try to convert each other, but that is not enforced.
• have sex with or marry Muslim women.
• carry weapons. Most people carry a knife, though, because it is more a tool, and shopkeepers often have something they could use as a club handy.
• plot with the enemies of the ruler.
• give evidence against Muslims (even in self-defense). Having a Muslim who is a friend, employer, or employee advocate on your behalf is, however, legal.
• wear religious symbols. Note this does not include the distinctive garb of monks and priests, or the distinctive clothes of particularly traditional Jews. In some areas, dhimmis must wear a distinctive mark on their clothes. This mark is often an unambiguously religious symbol.

• be disruptive, by praying or ringing bells, or having lavish funerals. This is not enforced in some areas, the Coptic parts of Old Cairo for example, because if you move there you are expected to know what you are letting yourself in for.
• create new places of worship, or repair current ones without permission. Many new churches are founded in Egypt. The Islamic authorities permit this because they accept that these are not "new" places of worship, just revivals of the places of worship which existed in various communities before the Muslim invasion. At its most extreme, they have accepted that new churches are replacements for churches from unnamed villages which presumably existed before the invasion, which have been swallowed by the desert.
• publicly do things Muslims find unsightly, like eating pork or drinking alcohol. Except, of course, if a lot of Muslims are doing the same thing at the same time, when it's still illegal but not enforced.
• ride horses or camels. In urban Egypt, dhimmis do ride, but dismount and walk their beasts past mosques and the homes of powerful Muslims. This is permitted, in part, because it is seen as a greater demonstration of deference than simply walking. A Muslim can tell he has become a major player in his town when the dhimmis start dismounting before his house.
• react badly to expressions of contempt, by Muslims, for their low status.

Dhimmis, as people officially outside of polite society, have opportunities to make money in professions forbidden to upperclass Muslims.

Merchants Who Deal With Ifranj

International trade is seen as slightly unsavory, and some Muslims leave it to the dhimmis, who have the language skills and lack of morals required to flourish in it. Christian and Jewish merchants form enclaves in many of the coastal cities of Egypt, but they are particularly prevalent in Alexandria, as its residents pay fewer taxes than even Muslims in Cairo. Trade to Christian Europe is common. Sicily, in particular, is a major market for African goods. Players with merchant characters may find the City and Guild supplement useful.

Moneylenders

Muslims are prohibited from lending each other money for interest, but are not prohibited from paying interest to those whom they owe. Christians and Jews act as usurers in Egypt. Moneylenders are thought badly of, much like in Europe, and the people paying them are seen as their victims. A slight difference to European practice is

This Virtue takes an Egyptian approach to social usefulness. Social contacts are not important for what they give you directly: they are important because they allow you to match up the desires of your various friends. A skilled socialite is a middleman, who is owed gratitude for bringing opportunities to his friends, not someone who demands favors based on friendship.

Once per story or session, a character with this Virtue may ask for a bait for a non-player character. A bait is the beginning of a scene or short, secondary story, outside the main story being told, which if completed allows the character to gain aid from the nominated target. For example, if the player characters are unable to gain the assistance of a nobleman, a player may demand a bait. In the game, this means the character uses his social skills to determine the needs of the nobleman, and to hint that he may know a third person with a solution. If the troupe then plays out a brief scene in which the nobleman's problem is sorted out, he becomes more biddable.

Troupes may veto any use of these connections which spoils the tension and pace of the game.

that some Muslims feel that it is fine to lend money to Christians or Jews, who are basically damned anyway. This means its legal, although tawdry, for a Muslim to lend money to another Muslim provided that there is a dhimmi in the middle, soaking up the sin for the Muslims on either side.

Bootleggers

Muslims are forbidden to make, transport, drink or sell alcohol, but many drink it regularly. All Christians are meant to know a priest, and all priests require wine for their sacramental functions. Many Muslims have a Christian contact who is their supplier. Most wine is imported, but some is made in Egypt. Virtually all of it comes from Christian monasteries.

Characters attempting to expiate shame may seek the aid of the magi and their companions, to make the task easier. Given that directly asking for favors may cause shame, these requests may come as suggestions through mutual friends or redcaps. Examples include:

A nobleman whose polo party trampled people in the market needs help to find all of the people he injured, to make restitution.

An heiress whose father has died on a trading expedition needs to find his remains, so that he can be buried decently, and his goods distributed to his heirs.

A merchant whose ship has sunk is hounded by his creditors, and asks the magi to raise his cargo from the bottom of the sea.

A wealthy adulterer has convinced a Sicilian sailor to take the blame for his wrongdoing, but needs to smuggle the sailor out of town, once he has boasted of his conquests.

A noble drunkard needs a doctor of high standing to pronounce his actions due to sunstroke, not inebriation. Can they find a suitable expert?