Wednesday 31 December 2008

In my "Inbox"

Hello dear,

I am so happy that you emailed me. I understand that it is not dry or formal, but sometime I myself organize myself better in the written word. Also when we talk face to face we may interrupt each other and lose our lines of thought. I totally agree with you.

Reading your message, I have some thoughts.
First, it came to my mind on the way to Alexandria that you never replied to my words (since i always speak like a machine-gun giving no one room to take the mic :) and only then it struck me that i may have upset you.

I read your email and realize things that I never knew. All I know about your experience about taking hijab off is that the people at the place you worked were really bitchy, you said something about looks from the neighbours and said that your parents and brother especially are OK and fine and understand where you are coming from. That's all I know. I didn't realize that your were preached by others.

I guess my ignorance about this comes from the fact that we have been barely keeping in touch in recent years, and naturally when you said those things to me in the car in Roxy the first time i saw you without it, you were just brief as the moment allowed. Believe me I am totally in the dark when it comes to these feelings and experiences u expressed below.

It is very important to me that you remember that from that day in Roxy till the day in front of berry Cafe, I never really gave you a speech about the matter. Yes, I admit you could sense that my eyebrows were up :), but I asked you out of curiosity "when did this happen?' and similar questions.

Ma3lesh one last thing, please forgive me for getting the feeling that you are confused about hejab. I based it on the conversations we had in the summer about neqab. I made an assumption and I was wrong... forgive me. You told me in the car in Roxy that you had a headache for the diversity of opinions and that's why I kept thinking about it. At times i think what if I had the same confusion, what would be the right conclusive argument.

Believe me I wasn't patronizing you, or painting a picture of the girl who went for haj and seen the light and back to guide the astray. and what i told you was my true thoughts that crossed my mind therein Saudi, not jumping at a chance to preach you dear, didn't realize that you were preached before, I just wanted to answer the question you asked me long time ago about how do we know that hejab is the right thing, that's all.

Discover Islam on your own dear, I am sure you get extra thawab for it. It is also true that nothing is wrong with young people who were bred from birth into Islam without the mental process of disbelief and questioning and then belief, example Osama iban Zaid, and abdulal Ibn Omar. The Arabic below:

ثبت في الصحيح عنه أنه قال: { سبعة يظلهم الله في ظله يوم لا ظل إلا ظله } ومن ضمن أولئك { شاب نشأ في طاعة الله

habibti, No one has the right to be part of this process you are undergoing, because it's between you and God. People should stay away because You NEITHER harm them with hejab or lack-of OR ask for their contribution, advice, or help.

It's unfair that you are prejudiced against because you once wore the veil. What if you were never veiled, no one would then have hovered and hovered, and hammered and hammered on the subject. It is unfair, because what is the difference.

Love for now dear,

Yasmine

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Dear Kholkhal, dear Yasmine, this is a very humanistic letter, in the better sense of the word. Thank you for sharing. I wish more people in Egypt (and in the world) were reasoning like this and respecting each person's right to privacy when it comes to religion.

All over the world people are discriminated against by stupid narrow-minded people. Sometimes it's because they're not from the "right" religion. Sometimes it's because they're not from the "right branch" of the right religion. Sometimes it's because they don't "practice right" the right religion. Sometimes it's because they simply do not believe in any religion.

Mutual respect is more important than ever, in this globalized world.