In defense of hookahs.
October 5, 2006
Hookahs. Who would have thought such controversy - from Slice to North to South - would come from a simple photo of a hookah. But that is not the point of this post. This is simply an informational post [check the Wikipedia post for the history of the hookah]. A post in defense of hookahs. Why, you might ask, would hookahs (or sheesha, nargila, water-pipe or my favorite: hubbly-bubbly) need to defend itself? Is it because it looks like a bong? (There, I said it.) Is it because it is possible that some people may choose to smoke illegal substances from them?
I’m not entirely sure - but a defense of the hookah is in high demand. I had very minimal hookah-exposure until I arrived in Egypt. After waking from a post-jet lag/Tylenol-PM induced sleep, I grabbed my camera and left the flat and took my first walk around a suburb of Cairo. It was around 10am, and I still remember seeing all the old men sitting around a little shop, smoking their hookahs like they were enjoying a mid-morning cup of coffee together. So a few nights later I found myself sitting in a nice restaurant at the Al-Azhar Park smoking the hookah (two apples tobacco) with a friend. And a few days later, I was on the coastal town of Dahab smoking the hookah with a different friend.
Once in Palestine, our group met regularly at The Tent (al-Hema?) Restaurant in Beit Sahour and following our meal, we always got a few hookahs to pass around and share with friends. Also, whenever our Palestinian friends would have one of their infamous spontaneous barbecues, we broke out a few hookahs too.
The hookah is essentially the cultural equivalent to having a cup of coffee after a meal. Sometimes parents let their children do it after a meal if they were good. And it’s widespread: Christians, Muslims and Jews in the Middle East all enjoy a little hookah/shisha/nargila.
So, just because it may look like an elaborate bong here in the states, just because we aren’t all that familiar with this particular way of forming community and relaxing with one another…these are not valid reasons for the hookah to cause such an alarm. We need to be speaking up for the hookah more. We need to be defending the hookah. It is a wonderful Middle Easter/Indian custom that is just now beginning to become more popular in the US.
So, be nice to the hookah…
Posted in 
Adam Walker Cleaveland: 
October 5th, 2006 at 1:54 am
Great post Adam.
I have a question though: I’m not sure how these issues fit with things like Romans 14 or 1 Corinthians 8. Have you thought about it? Personally I feel that this is a case of ‘when in Rome…’ - there are things I will do in one cultural context that I wouldn’t do in another.
October 5th, 2006 at 4:17 am
It is misleading to state that the Hookah is the cultural equivalent to having a cup of coffee after a meal.
It is more accurate to compare it to having a cigar or a number of cigarettes after a meal.
The Wikipedia article compares an average Hookah session to smoking nine cigarettes in a row. Hookah sessions may be longer than cigarette “sessions” simply because the smoke is less harsh.
So the Hookah is another nicotine delivery device. And as we all know, nicotine is a powerfully addictive substance.
Questions: is the creation of addictive behaviour, i.e. nicotine addiction, an enhancement to one’s relationship with God or a distraction? Is such addictive behaviour more likely to lead to an attitude of caring for others or more likely to lead to self-centred behaviours?
October 5th, 2006 at 6:11 am
Thanx for an interesting history lesson on hookahs! i LOVE learning about other cultures and their customs.
October 5th, 2006 at 7:05 am
While not wishing to sound naggish, it is also important to remember, this via Dennis McNally’s biography of the Grateful Dead, that hashish smoking, in hookahs, is part and parcel of everyday life in Egypt. We must be honest if we are going to speak of these things, I suppose. They mix their hashish with tobacco in Egypt, and drink cup after cup of an espresso to make the average European wince. I offer this not to either contradict or scold, but to give a more full picture of the reality you relate. Americans sitting around in hookah bars is not the same thing as Egyptians sitting around in cafes, or at parties. On a counter note, always remember Karl Barth’s dictum over disputes in the Church - Do not give in on matters that are important, listen when it is not a matter of importance, and at all times keep my pipe lit!
October 5th, 2006 at 7:17 am
That’s fine, but you have to realize that the majority of your readers have never set foot over seas, and that to their American eyes, a hookah looks like a bong, and that they had no way of knowing what you were smoking; they could only assume that since it looked like a bong, you were probably smoking something that wasn’t “flavored” tobacco. This doesn’t make them narrow-minded.
And is it maybe a little bit possible that, since you didn’t clarify that in your original post with the picture, you were hoping for a little controversy?
October 5th, 2006 at 9:27 am
Man, speaking of addictions…I’m not addicted to Nicotine (many Godly people are) but I’m dreadfully addicted to Caffiene. Man, if I go a day without a pot (yeah, a whole pot) of coffee I writhe on the ground in fits. Well, maybe not FITS but I do get a nasty headache ;). Great post Adam.
October 5th, 2006 at 9:27 am
I am visiting my brother, who is also a pastor. One of the things we enjoy doing is sitting around at length having a beer, red wine, along with our pipes. No hookah yet! But you’re baiting me. We were just discussing this last night that when you pack your pipe with your favorite tobacco and pour yourself a glass of wine, you’re committing yourself to about an hour of down-time. It forces you to sit still and reflect on and discuss things. The pipe, or hookah in your case, is a tool for fellowship. That’s been my experience. Some other cultures know how to sit still for an hour with one another. I find the pipe a pleasant way to orchestrate this. It is a radical rebellion against demands. thus spoke churchpundit!
October 5th, 2006 at 9:58 am
I’m with David. As with Caffeine, caffeine doesn’t have the side effects likeany of the other addictive drugs. At 1 to 3 cups of coffee there are positive health benefits.
October 5th, 2006 at 11:22 am
Funny how quickly we deffend coffee/cafine because it is social acceptable.
http://www.truthtree.com/drugs.shtml discusses different drugs and also talks about how “Nicotine, found in tobacco, has been proven to enhance concentration and mental performance”…maybe there are some health benefits to it after all, just as with the 1-3 cups of coffee. Then again they’ve also shown that beer and wine in moderation are good for you in some ways as well.
Then again, you also have this report http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg19125633.100-drugdanger-league-table-revealed.html which discusses how alcohol and tobacco are worse for your body than LSD and ecstacy.
Honestly, I think it all boils down to what is socially acceptable. No, we don’t have a culture that smokes hookahs. Does that mean it’s wrong? Probably not.
I will say though, that as Christians we’re not supposed to do things that lead others astray. In this area, I think it’s Adam’s decision as to whether or not he believes that what he is doing does or does not.
On a side note, I have smoked a hookah with friends before and rather enjoyed it. It was a wonderful event for socializing and certainly does provide good down time.
October 5th, 2006 at 12:30 pm
Smoking a hookah is the adult equivalent of candy cigarettes, it tastes so good!
October 5th, 2006 at 3:12 pm
I enjoy the hookah/shisha every wednesday with a few other Christian friends. I smoke a few cigars a month also. ChurchPundit nailed it, you are committing to downtime.
I have found that guys often need the excuse of a cigar, or hookah, poker, etc to gather and socialize and fellowship. Women often gather without excuse. It may be an unfortunate situation (though I wouldn’t say that), but if that’s the best way to pin a friend down for an hour of conversation; praise be to God who made tobacco.
October 5th, 2006 at 3:31 pm
Hey Adam,
Heard about the upheaval and thought I would check it out… People who think you would actually post a picture of yourself smoking pot in a Hookah on your blog are morons. Here at PTS, we all know that you’re more of a joint guy. ;) Good move nevertheless in clearing it up. The issue or better yet question for me is not your hookah, but your linking it to seminary life. What hath Hookahs to do with Seminary, if you will… Why not, “I STILL love Hookahs.” If you’re just trying to get a comment flurry out of your readers… fine. Shallow, but fine. I just don’t get what smoking anything has to do with seminary or why you would link the two.
Jason
October 5th, 2006 at 3:52 pm
c’mon Adam, we all know that if it’s different it’s wrong (he says tongue in cheek.)
October 5th, 2006 at 4:22 pm
I don’t know, Adam. While I don’t think this is anywhere near the big deal that Slice and some others made it, I’m not so sure if it’s as easy as “It’s okay over there, so it should be okay over here.” I mean, honestly, in some Middle Eastern countries public executions or corporal punishment are common practice…it’s okay over there. Same with the subordination of women and, in rare instances, female circumcision. It’s culturally acceptable “over there,” so shouldn’t we understand and approve here? Now, I know that’s a pretty big jump, and some would argue that smoking from a hookah is nowhere near as bad, but here in America where we have had so much research and public awareness about the devastating effects of smoking, shouldn’t we think twice? We know what tobacco does to our bodies. It’s corporal punishment, only slower. So while my question is not, “How could you smoke something that looks like a bong,” (that’s just silly), my question would be, “How could any of us do that to our bodies, knowing the effects?” God gave us our bodies, so it seems to be bad stewardship of what God has given us. Any thoughts?
October 5th, 2006 at 7:55 pm
Adam–Try mixing the double apple with mint. It’s glorious…
October 5th, 2006 at 9:18 pm
Just because capital punishment, subordination of women and female circumcision are cultural practices in some places, does not mean they are morally acceptable in those places.
Cultural practice does not equate to morality.
October 5th, 2006 at 9:22 pm
Interesting posts!
I’m not convinced that creating space for down-time is a great argument - I’ve heard the same arguments used in favour of drinking alcohol, coffee, and using pot, speed, e, and harder drugs. I am definitely no wowser, I don’t believe that the “dos” and “don’ts” for Christians are easily divided into black and white. BUT - let’s be honest, we do this stuff because it’s FUN. If it builds community, then that’s because it’s covering up a hole, bridging the gap - as Christians, we shouldn’t just put a bandaid over brokenness, but rather seek to heal it. If blokes can’t gather without a hookah, so be it - but let’s be honest about the fact that THAT is the real issue that needs to be addressed.
Adam, my life experiences are such that I went through a period of time where even the sight of a hookah would reduce me to tears (and this includes hookahs being smoked in Egyptian cafes around the corner from where I live. So yes, I’m familiar with the variety of ways in which they’re used!!). So I’ll ask again - what would you do if you had addicts in your congregation, or people who’d been otherwise affected by addiction?
October 5th, 2006 at 11:29 pm
adam:
I’m all for hookas and defenses of hookas. however, last time I checked, no one has really been upset or attacking you about a hooka (not counting those comments above me, but lets be honest, certain fundies just disagree with everything you say).
As I see it, your primary criticsm comes from:
a) people who don’t think you should be associating the seminary with pot (and lets be fair: there is no actual hooka or even the word hooka in your “i love seminary” post).
b) people who don’t think you should be misleading and provoking people in order to attract comments and THEN shaming them for being culturally insensitive because they react the way you intended. i’d like to see a defense of that.
October 6th, 2006 at 1:45 am
wait wait wait…people really thought that was pot before? like a bong? amazing!!
I knew people had skewed views of PTS but man, seriously people don’t just hang out smoking pot here from gigantic bongs. a hookah though, i mean I guess maybe I have a different context, but I know what a hookah is and thought a few people did.
now I don’t smoke them or anything else, however I do find people who expose themselves to all manners of addictive materials condemning the hookah kinda funny. seems to me nobody has ever smoked too much hookah and crashed their car. Now is it the same as cigarretes? my understanding is that this is NOT like ciggarrettes in that it is less nicotine and there is no tar or other additives that are very harmful.
however, as a good sxe kid, i gots to say adam, living free even of the hookah is the way to go. but hey, I avoid caffiene as well so what do I know??
October 6th, 2006 at 10:17 am
See, I thought this thread was about prostitution….
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(that’s called humor, folks..)
October 6th, 2006 at 12:29 pm
I’m tired of hearing the argument about how this or that thing my cause someone to stumble. We should be sensitive to those around us. We should care about their struggles. But anything could cause someone to stumble. Anything.
We have to stop thinking that following Jesus is about stoicism. We should enjoy the good things of life in moderation and set an example in doing so. I think Colossians 2:20-23 applies to this kind of topic.
October 6th, 2006 at 12:31 pm
Mmmmm…you’re really making me want to try a hookah right now..I knew it was tobacco but didn’t know about the apple and mint flavors..sounds nice…like smoking a good cigar every now and then but better…
Thanks for sharing about the customs too, very cool…
October 6th, 2006 at 2:51 pm
Andy Acton,
Actually yeah, it is quite nice and definately better than a cigar. The smoke is much more mild. Aside from that, the tobacco for it come in more flavors than I think one person could ever find time to try, and it seems to me to be much more social as you typically share one hookah with a group (I’ve never seen a person smoke a hookah alone) rather than everyone having their own (like a cigar).
I don’t know, just some thoughts, but if you haven’t tried it, I’d definately reccommend it. It really is a pleasant experience.
October 6th, 2006 at 7:51 pm
Would anyone recommend a mild dose of hash, in a social setting of course?
What about just a touch of crystal meths/ice, not too much, not too little, at the start of a Bible study?
What about a group of cheap prostitutes, who would otherwise be unemployed, accompanying the experience? After all, Jesus hung out with pros.
October 7th, 2006 at 12:26 am
The fact that anything is needed to make community is kind of sad if you think about it. Though, if memory serves me correctly, much of the fellowship time was spent around the dinner table. Not the hookah. Though I have to admit I want to give one a shot some day. I consider myself blessed then. All me and the people I care about need is an empty kitchen table (and perhaps some good food or a working coffee pot).
October 7th, 2006 at 11:46 pm
Tim,
I’ve been called many things, but a “fundie” is certainly not one of them!!!
Aside from the fact that your suggestion that I’m a “fundie” is just bizarre, such accusations write me off as irrelevant and not worth engaging with.
Adam, I’d really like a response - I, like others who’ve posted here, get sick of the “oh you shouldn’t do it because you might make people stumble” line - it’s a controlling line that ensures Christians are plagued by guilt and unable to enjoy themselves. BUT, I wonder what most Americans would think if they walked into your lounge room and saw a hookah, and what that would mean for your ministry. I’m genuinely interested in what you think of this issue, as it’s the sort of issue I’m confronted with myself, often (ie I like to drink, but I have friends who are alcoholics - what should I do at my parties? how should I live my life?)
October 11th, 2006 at 4:13 am
I stumbled on this site by searching for Slice for a rant on my blog about them(or a rant about how I shouldn’t rant…whatever sucks that they go after you so hardcore,)…I would like to say that I am loving reading over everything so far, and Hooray Hookahs!
October 11th, 2006 at 2:36 pm
bec -
the f-bomb was not warranted or appropriate. i apologize. your blog looks really interesting…
October 13th, 2006 at 3:24 am
thanx Tim! Glad you like…I just wish I had more time to post on it (and yeah - being a right-wing fundamentalist ain’t something I’ve ever been accused of before! )
May 30th, 2007 at 3:37 pm
We smoke tobacco free (smoke product?) in our hookah. It’s basically shredded sugar cane stalks (sugar cane bagasse).
http://www.soex.com/herbalmolasses.html
In light of WWJD? - would Jesus smoke a hookah?
I’m not sure there’s an easy answer to that, especially since smoking didn’t exist in the Middle East until the 16th Century - but the arguments about carcinogens from smoke damaging the Temple of God (i.e. our bodies) fail to account for the daily burning of incense in the Jerusalem Temple.
Surely the priests who were serving were exposed to smoke every day both from the incense as well as the daily sacrifices and all those near the Temple must have been able to smell the smoke as well, esp. in light of those Bible verses which use burning incense as a metaphor.
God’s not going to damn you to hell because you smoked a hookah, or even a cigarette for that matter. If you don’t like smoking, then don’t smoke. If you don’t like drinking, then don’t drink. Romans 14 is a chapter on freedom, not bondage.
July 15th, 2007 at 8:39 pm
I just tried the hookah last night. N I have to admit that I wasn’t sure what exactly I was doing. N e suggestions? My friends and i decided to make the hookah experience a “who can make the biggest cloud of smoke with one long inhalation of the hookah “
April 1st, 2008 at 9:31 am
I totally agree with everything that has been said,
I live for hubbly! Besides from loving sports, hubbly is definately the best thing Ive ever experienced!
May 15th, 2008 at 5:03 pm
Byron, are you a Christian? Because “living for hubbly” is definitely suggesting that you put it before Christ… not trying to attack you or anything, just wondering.