As I read Juha's stories, a society I didn't expect emerged. I assumed that the tales would be heavily religiously based so as to support the beliefs of Muslims, but instead the tales showed some of the negative aspects of society during that time period. In the early comic tales of "Juha the Judge" all the tales had to do with thieves and the trial needed to decide who was guilty. Later tales had to do with deception, deceit and murder. 2. Religion and destiny are some of the main building blocks of Muslim empires. The story “I will never eat elephant meat” clearly shows the link between religion and punishment. The man who promised not to eat the elephant said he was guided by his destiny and when the opportunity arose to finally eat something, he refused. The other men were quick to break their vows when they saw the end of their despair. Later that night, a large elephant appeared and killed all the men who had eaten the baby elephant and the man who had not eaten was spared and taken by the elephant to a nearby town. By dedicating himself to his Almighty, he was saved from punishment. In the story “Crime and Punishment,” a man is approached by an old woman who invites him to join her at home. They ate and drank but in the end the young woman put the man in a small bedroom to "protect" him from the visitors who had arrived. The man soon discovered that the woman had deceived him and had planned