Word: ismaeli
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...only a handful of initiates are permitted to know their mystic rites or to read their "Six Books of Wisdom." Their faith is a baffling hybrid of Greek philosophy and Muslim mysticism; they revere Jesus, Moses and Muhammad equally. Though their sect is technically an offshoot of the Isma'ili Muslim sect, it shares ideas with Chinese and Indian religions. Such are the shadowy outlines of the mysterious Druze, a self-enclosed feudal group famous for its autonomy and military prowess...
...defending himself, Ismaël told the court: "I enjoyed myself when I felt like enjoying myself. I did everything that is normal for a married man. My wife was crabby, sulking and egoistic." The woman judge, Marie-Thérèse Chesnelong, disagreed. Observed she: "Mme. Franconville claims that her husband, despite his advanced age, showed a devouring sexual appetite, considering his spouse an object at his complete, total and permanent disposal." Judge Chesnelong said that Ismaëls conduct ran "from tenderness to the most refined bestiality. He could not pass near his spouse without trying...
...make matters worse, France's most distinguished legal journal. La Gazette du Palais, published the case in toto. Soon the story of Ismaël was being publicized by the press, radio and TV. Bringing a $1,000 damage suit against the venerable Gazette, Ismael asserted: "The court's diploma of virility, reproduced in the press, has done me great harm." The Gazette's lawyer asked: "What's he complaining about? His barbershop is never empty any more. Men envy him, and women admire...
...plump, short, silver-haired fellow, Ismaël dresses as if he were 50 or younger, wearing a fashionable black turtleneck, red corduroy shirt, hound's-tooth sports jacket with velvet collar, and snap-brim hat. In Neufchátel-en-Bray (pop. 6,000), where he lives and works in an old folks' home, Ismaël now shrugs off the snickers that greet his name. He chuckles over the judge's decree himself and says: "Her decision was ridiculous. Do I have bestiality written all over my face? After all, I'm not different...
Kongi (Moses Gunn) is an Nkrumah-style dictator trying to get the cooperation of a tribal chief in organizing a harvest ceremony that will symbolize the unity of his new nation, Isma. The chief is a wily old rascal who knows a thing or two about exploiting tribal traditions for his own advantage. Kongi's more dangerous antagonist is the chief's nephew and heir, an educated young man presumably dedicated to the ideals of Western democracy...
| 1 |