שאלה | Question: How did hashish consumers in Egypt view themselves?

Question: How did hashish consumers in Egypt view themselves?

שאלה #193549

		A) They saw themselves as an elitist group, because only they possessed the “secrets of life,” which elevated them to a sublime level.
		B) They saw themselves as miserable people because they were addicted to hashish.
		C) They did not see themselves in any special way.
		D) None of the answers is correct.

Explanation: In the readings discussed in the lectures, hashish is often framed (from the users’ own celebratory discourse, especially in Sufi poetic language) as a substance that carries hidden knowledge—“the Secret,” “meanings,” and “significances.” That framing supports the idea that some users could imagine themselves as possessing special insight that others do not—i.e., an “elite” of people who know secret truths. (Reading: Boon, The Road of Excess, Chapter 3). Quote: “hashish… is praised for its ‘many meanings’ and ‘the Secret’ that it holds… [and] the hashish user… wants to and is capable of introducing esoteric secrets into the domain of the social.” (Boon, The Road of Excess, Chapter 3).