I find it fascinating that people can discuss religion, economics or politics without disagreeing or being rude to one another but as soon as it comes to relationships and especially cross cultural ones, everyone gets all offended and personal.
I'm Muslim and British, young and a female.
I was born and raised in the UK to Asian parents.
I chose to move to Egypt just as I choose to conduct myself in a certain manner, some may call some aspects 'Islamic', to me its all about having morals.
Consider the juxtaposition of a girl who does not drink alcohol or date in the Western manner of describing a date but who can equally go out with friends, have a great time and not be fully covered at all.
Does that make me less of a Muslim than a hijab wearing girl who sleeps around or who drinks?? Does that mean I will allow a husband to wed me and another 3??
No it doesn't.
Any person, of any faith, colour, gender or background has to find their own niche and carve it as they want. I know my religion and try to follow it daily and not in the dogmatic manner some may think but in a more spiritual manner.
I'm also English and that has also affected how I am, how I approach life and people.
I'm also female and living now in what is definitely a man's world, one in which I can't even communicate with the population in their mother tongue. Every day I am asked "where are you from", "what are you"...does that mean that I will curl up and not be me??
Hell no. I just try to live my life within my rules, religious, cultural, personal or whatever else. Its sometimes a struggle, yes, when I go to a club and am asked 50 times a night where I am from or when I can see on someones face that they believe me to be some wealthy foreigner so they can try to rip me off. I'm not generalising as I now have some amazing friends here and I thank the Man upstairs for that but its been a challenge and mostly, the other expats are the ones that have made comments that hurt or talked behind my back...surely I must have some man on the scene or surely theres more to my story....no. There really isnt.
Whether its Muslims assimilating in the West or Westerns assimilating in a Muslim country, believe me, I have never fit in but I have written on these aspects and how?? By being an individual, accepting others as they are whether I like them or not, the ones I don't like I just stay away from and those that I like I become friends with.
I've met some genuine men here but many more that are looking for money, money, money and maybe a dash of sex thrown in. Why? As far as I can tell, its the culture here to have a foreign "wife" for business purposes, shes the one putting the money up for his latest "business venture".
He loses the money, abuses the woman and breaks her....its a story which is repeated often and I really don’t want to offend anyone who has been through that at all, but being with someone from a such a diametrically different culture is difficult enough without the person having a history of ex partners etc. My background is the same as Egyptian culture and I myself wouldn’t marry someone without firstly speaking fluent Arabic and also after knowing them a hell of a long time, meeting all their family, friends etc.
Surely there should be more focus on women, helping them to be stronger, develop lives without men and being happy in them, being able to be independent and to live a full and happy life??
I joined this and other forums over a year ago when I first decided to move to Egypt and yet I only post very infrequently...why you may ask. Well firstly, I know a lot about my religion and therefore Dead Guy, sorry but you’re wrong, you can meet someone of the other gender with a view to marrying them in a halal way, of course you can. You meet in a public place, with a chaperone and you talk.
The second reason why I don’t post a lot is because I can always see the Western and Islamic perspectives. I might not agree but I understand where the point is coming from and rather than this being a plus, its usually cause for conflict. I have made a career of multicultural dialogue and I encourage it, probably because I myself am situated between two worlds, two cultures. But I am interested in why so many people believe that two worlds, Western and Islamic are unable to live together in a cohesive way. I am living proof that it can and does happen