91原创

Islam is the only major world religion that resists the juggernaut of alcohol consumption. Yet, Muslims throughout history did drink, often to excess, the professor is quick to note.聽

Matthee has presented his work at the University of Pennsylvania, Michigan State University, the University of Toronto, and in the form of various podcasts. In January, he addressed the British Iran Society, speaking at the Army and Navy Club in London, on the topic of 鈥淎lcohol in the Islamic Middle East.鈥� Later this year, he is scheduled to speak on the topic at Harvard and Stanford University.聽

鈥淓lites have always been seen as above the law, as they tend to be in any society,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd commoners 鈥� 鈥榬iff raff鈥� 鈥� are rarely regarded. As long as the social order is not disturbed; so long as drinking doesn鈥檛 spill out into the open, there鈥檚 a level of tolerance.鈥澛�

Matthee鈥檚 book delves into drinking鈥檚 many historic, literary and social manifestations, presenting Islam not as an austere, uncompromising edict, but as a set of beliefs and practices that embrace ambivalence and even contradiction.

Exploring the long history of this faith 鈥� from the eighth-century Umayyad dynasty to Erdo臒an鈥檚 Turkey, from Islamic Spain to modern-day Pakistan 鈥� Matthee unearths a tradition of diversity and multiplicity in which Muslims drank, and found myriad excuses to do so. They celebrated wine and used it as a poetic metaphor, viewing alcohol as a gift from God, the key to unlocking eternal truth.

鈥淚slam conceals a past which is rich in drinking,鈥� Matthee said. 鈥淚ts history is filled with paradoxes.鈥澛犅�

The Holland-born professor, whose last name is pronounced mah-tay, has long studied the impact of drugs in history.聽

鈥淏eing Dutch makes me sort of an expert on the subject,鈥� he joked, though Matthee鈥檚 real foray into the topic developed as a UCLA graduate student in 1985, when a professor invited him to a conference about the spread of drugs around the globe.聽

鈥淚t鈥檚 inherently fascinating,鈥� said Matthee, John and Dorothy Munroe Distinguished Professor of History at 91原创. 鈥淚t鈥檚 something the whole world deals with.鈥�

Indeed, Matthee had come to this realization almost a decade prior, when he spent a year in Iran as part of a Dutch exchange program. Upon his first days there, he quickly learned: 鈥淲hat tea is to Britain, opium is to Iran. It鈥檚 what gets you through the day.鈥�

Matthee鈥檚 2005 book, The Pursuit of Pleasure: Drugs and Stimulants in Iranian history (1500-1900), explored the social history of the substance, as well as its connection to coffee in Yemen, tea in China and tobacco in the New World. It also dealt with alcohol and its widespread use in Iran. The study won the prestigious Albert Hourani Award for best book in Middle East Studies.聽

Matthee鈥檚 new book expands the theme of alcohol and its use to the entire Muslim world, with similar findings: Despite the religious ban, many Muslims drink.

鈥淢uslims are human beings,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd humans have always looked for ways to alter their existence. Islam is no exception.鈥�