Foreign Men and Smoking

Why is it that any time you visit another country, especially a Third World country, all the men smoke? I truly believe that in Morocco, the percentage of men who smoke must be over 95%. Some men will sit in the cafes for hours, drinking tea and smoking cigarettes. I've seen men smoking cigarettes at six o'clock in the morning, for God's sake. To a non-smoking foreign female, it gives the appearance that all the men are jittery and on edge, which is a little disconcerning since Morocco is an Islamic country, however moderate. It's also more than a little ironic that all these men have a chemical addiction to U.S. capitalism. The cigarette of choice? Full-strengh Marboros.

I didn't see as many women smoking, which made me wonder what percentage of them do. Since you don't see many women outside in the cafes, maybe they only smoke at home? Maybe they stay too busy? Maybe they think it's a disgusting habit? I don't know.

I asked a man why drinking alcohol was considered haram (morally wrong), but smoking wasn't. In my mind, smoking is just as bad since it poisons your body and can also kill you. He replied that tobacco is a fairly recent product in the Islamic world. It doesn't have a long history here as in the Americas. So when the prophet Mohammed was alive, it wasn't known to exist, so there could be no laws written about it.

And the Islamic laws don't change with the times.