Chapter 9 Summary of "The Innocents Abroad"
The narrator describes their first adventure after landing in Tangier, where Blucher nearly enters a Moorish mosque, a profanation that could have led to his stoning or even death.
They observe the intricate design of the mosque and learn that Christians defiling such a place would render it unfit for Muslim prayers.
A story is recounted about a Christian clock mender who was sent on all fours into a mosque to repair a clock, illustrating the lengths taken to maintain the mosque's sanctity.
The group visits a jail where prisoners make mats and baskets. The punishment for murder involves being shot outside the city, often poorly executed by unskilled marksmen.
Cattle theft is punished by amputating the right hand and left leg, with the severed parts displayed publicly.
Marriage is arranged by parents, and husbands can return their wives for various reasons, such as impurity or infertility.
Wealthy Muhammadans have many wives, though the Koran allows only four; the Emperor of Morocco has around five hundred.
Moorish women, considered unattractive by the narrator, sometimes show their faces to Christian men.
Slavery exists, but female slaves are freed if they become concubines, and male slaves gain freedom by learning the Koran.
Tangier observes three Sabbaths: Friday for Muslims, Saturday for Jews, and Sunday for Christians. Jews strictly adhere to Sabbath rules.
A pilgrimage to Mecca grants Moors the title "Hadji," making them respected, though the trip often leaves them financially ruined.
The Emperor's decree requires pilgrims to be wealthy, but Jews lend money to meet this requirement temporarily.
Moors fear Spain due to its military strength but view other nations, including America and England, with disdain.
The Moors' enmity towards Spain persists due to a historical conflict and the Spaniards eating all the cats in Tetouan, sacred to the Moors.
The French minister once made a cat-skin carpet, further inciting Moorish hatred.
Visiting the American Consul General, the narrator notes the family's isolation and lack of social interaction in Tangier.
The Consul General's family eagerly awaits mail for news and entertainment, underscoring their loneliness.
The narrator recommends Tangier as a punishment for severe crimes due to its isolating nature.
Concluding, the narrator expresses readiness to leave Tangier for Gibraltar, expecting to sail soon.
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