Ali

“If you have not read it in Arabic then you have not read the Quran. No man could have written something so beautiful,” says Ali excitedly. “Only God could have written it. It’s proof that God exists,” he continues, so entranced he is oblivious to the specks of food flying from his mouth. For fear that he won’t take me seriously I earnestly declare, “I’ll learn Arabic at university and I will read it again. I’ll let you know if I convert then.”

For the first time in an hour there is a pause in the energetic discussion we are having on the nature of Islam, how many pillars the religion has and which is the oldest university in the world—we both agree it is in Cairo. I look down at his half-eaten plate of pasta and breathe in the smell of sweat, dirt and hot Italian food around me.