Tuesday 2 June 2009

I will not be put in a box

People hate the unknown so to make it easy for themselves they put people into categories to deal with them. No matter with which kind of group they are dealing with. In small communities there are the cool people, jocks, nerds, geeks, freaks and so on. In bigger communities there are low class, average and high class. Talking about the world there are Western, Arabs, English, Black, White, Muslim, Christian, Jew, Hindu, Asian, European, African, American etc, etc….

Each group, category or whatever you want to call them behave in a cretin way, and they expect the members of their own group to behave in that way. And they expect people from other groups to stick to behaving in their own way.

But I am not going to be put in a little sample glass with a label on it, neither by Arabs nor any other people. (Please mind, that most of these supposed to be behaviors come from both Arabs and none Arabs, see which one you thought doesn’t fit to a typical Muslim Arab girl). Why can’t I be a Muslim Arab girl that rides a bike? Why can’t I be a Muslim Arab girl that travels abroad to study? Why can’t I be a Muslim Arab girl that wears jeans to go out? Why can’t I be a Muslim Arab girl that gets married after the age of 24? Why can’t I be a Muslim Arab girl that does martial arts? Why can’t I be a Muslim Arab girl that is thought of as a terrorist? Why can’t I be a Muslim Arab girl that travels alone? Why can’t I be a Muslim Arab girl that goes out all by herself? Why can’t I be a Muslim Arab girl that listens to western music? Why can’t I be a Muslim Arab girl that thinks Robert Pattinson looks good? Why can’t I be a Muslim Arab girl that isn’t thought of as oppressed? Why can’t I be a Muslim Arab girl that likes dance moves like in “step up” the movie? Why can’t I be a Muslim Arab girl that rides a motor bike?

I bet when you saw a Muslim Arab girl that does, thinks, likes all those things, you would stare and think of it as odd and I bet you that you would have liked it more if she would have stuck to what you think as normal for her.

4 comments:

Rebellious Arab Girl said...

And don't forget, why aren't Arab Muslim girls allowed to express themselves? Why can't they say everything in their heart without being ridiculed?

Oksana said...

I've seen girls who do that in Jordan. And I've come to consider them quite normal. There are quite enough of girls who are like that.

I have no idea how life in Bahrain is. I believe it is tougher. But Jordanian ladies, especially in Amman, are better off.

Mariam said...

I do think that we girls here in Bahrain are having a very good life, and defiantly all the freedom compared to other countries, but I don't want to think about everything I do and want ten times, I don't want to weigh each action and see where I will be labeled after that and I hate that people think they have the right to judge someone they don't even know.

amer the arab boy said...

lol wow good pionts but arabs also have thier valuse to, wecant just exept others and throw away ours, i live in america and i always try to keep mine in tact, as an arab boy, who goes to college