Here we are in Ramadan, where people are meant to be focusing on themselves, cleansing themselves of their wrongs this past year, praying and fasting.
I don’t go around preaching to people how they should fast, practice their religion or live their lives. I don’t know all the answers if I did, I’d be richer than Hugh Hefner and be dubbed a living saint. I do however know when to mind my own business and keep my comments to myself.
So, you’re probably wondering what’s got me rattled, well I was asked to do an errand for my mother, so I went out in pair of Jeans, a long baggy t-shirt and a pair of flat black shoes. The only part of my body that was showing were my arms, neck, face and hair. On the way back from my errand, I’m on the phone discussing something with my father and this man much older than myself, (late 60s) looks me up and down in utter disgust and starts yelling at me at how I am disrespectful and how could I wear what I was wearing during Ramadan.
I chose not to answer him, because I didn’t want to cause a scene and I didn’t want to sink to his level of intellect. My parents both think I should have yelled back at him and so did one or two of my followers on twitter, but with all the crap that is going on now a days, it would have been a waste of breath and I have more important and pressing matters to deal with. Than to waste my time and energy on some perverted old man.
Just two questions I want to throw out there… 1- How the hell does he know if I’m Muslim, I could have been a Christian! What if I had been Christian? Then what, would I be expected to cover up entirely and cover my hair fo the sake of the fasting men in the city for a month, even if it isn’t party of my belief?
2- What the hell am I supposed to wear? An Ab’aya and a veil… that would make me a hypocrite! I am not convinced with covering up, surely I would be judged more for that.
Having said that though, it does worry me. Is this the direction we want Egypt to go in? If it is, it is with great regret that I will have to say that I will not stay to watch it fall and go back decades if not century’s when it would be so much better and fruitful to see her move forward. I lived in Saudi Arabia for 10 years and witnessed first hand the living restrictions and lack of respect for women there. I will not stay and be treated that way again here in my own country. I am tired of being regarded as something less than a second class citizen and of being of little value or regard.
I’m done ranting and venting now…
sorry, I just needed to get it out of my system
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August 5, 2011 at 14:15
WME
It is unfortunate that you had to run into ignorant people on the streets, but I think you managed it pretty well. I am quite sure that we will never be like KSA in terms of how extreme the mentality and views on gender issues. Some people actually think that when Muslim women cover up that shows a higher degree of commitment to the religion. A measurement of how conservative one can be will be in what they appear like from the outside. People will rush to judge a person from the way they look on the outside, it is a pity, but it is what I like to call the taxes that we have to pay to our society until we clear all misinterpretations of our great religion. I just can’t help myself wonder how people in Egypt used to look like and behave back in the old days (black and white movies) it seemed as if they were more caring, fun, free, and outgoing but at the same time more conservative with higher social standards.