I don’t know if I am the only person that noticed this, but maybe I am just unlucky and end up with weirdos questioning me all the time.

So, why do cashiers comment on what I just bought?

[source]

I am serious! Every time I am at the check out, and about to pay, some old woman or punk ass teenager comments on the items that I just purchased.

Who asked them?

One time, long ago, when I used to be on drugs and suffered from severe insomnia, I bought a pack of sleeping pills. Those over the counter ones that have an extra dose of drowsy goodness. Oh the good old days! Anyways, I was at the cashier wanting to pay, and this middle aged woman looked at the box, and started lecturing me.

I am not joking!

She told me that those are not good for me, and maybe they won’t work, blah blah. Then all of a sudden, she changed her mind and said, “well, my daughter just left to University, and I have hard time sleeping as well. Maybe it might help me.”

Can we say, moody?

So, yesterday, we went to a boat tour on the lake. Before then, we decided to grab some munchies from the drug store near by, and save some cash from ridiculous on boat prices. So, I had a chocolate craving, and bought a couple of boxes of Maltesers for everyone. (Those are addictive!)

I went to the cashier to pay. The cashier was a punk ass teenage tiny girl. She looked at the boxes, and swiped them, then said in a very sarcastic tone, “Chocolate craving eh?”

In my head, I automatically said one thing, “Bitch!”

I didn’t reply to her and just gave an unsatisfied smirk, paid and left. At least I am not a drug addict at age 16 with bad attitude!

Have you ever had an experience like this with cashier’s un-welcomed or unnecessary comments?

Blah Blah, Confused, Random Thoughts, Ranting as usual!, They said what?, Whatever!

Oh my God! I can’t wait to go home!

I am bored to death now from being here. I guess I over extended my vacation, and that’s it, I had enough. I want to go back to my house! To my  room. To my blog office! I miss my OFFICE! I want to go back and do some work! I cannot for the life of me create a website properly here with this tiny screen. I also miss my turtle Squibby.

I miss my office. I wonder how many updates I have to do on my computer!

You know what else I miss the most? SLEEPING ON A REAL BED! I am tired of sleeping on this couch and being awaken by a little rug rat at 7:30 am!!!

AHHHH!!!

Also, I got so many people sending me links to very interesting articles on the internet, and want me to comment about the subject or give my take on them. Oh my! I will try to soon!

I just can’t wait to go back home next Friday, and go back to my total un-satisfaction of my Arab life and my nagging but lovely mother. Oh I miss my mother! She is the reason my blog is popular! I miss MOMMY!

Yesterday, my mother was talking about some people who got engaged or married, blah blah on the phone with me, then she said, “A girl or guy should go find their other half. No one should intervene. It takes a lot of wit and savvy maneuvers to do so. Not like you MONA!”

Do you guys want to know what my reaction was, or do you guys wish I was in front of her face to face when she said that instead? It would have definitely been a huge scene!

Who ever wants to get married in this day and age, in this horrible economy to a generation X-er who doesn’t know what she wants from life except to be left alone to figure things out, then drop me a line. I will introduce you to my mother. She will change your mind right away!

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I know you guys love it when I pin point keyword searches from search engines to my blog. However, this time I only picked the ones that mentioned my name.

Why are YOU searching for Rebellious Arab Girl?

It’s ok, search for my name, but some people are searching for my name plus something else. Hmm, ok? Don’t worry, it is nothing nasty. I think I made that clear when I made fun of every single perv out there that lands here thinking it is a porn site. It is not! And don’t use my internal search either to find anything! I got nothing! Jeez. Look at the site’s banner, it is kid like and colourful. Doesn’t look like porn at all. Does it?

From Google:

1. rebellious arab girl about lebanese man

I don’t recall mentioning my take on Lebanese men at all. I honestly don’t talk about particular countries. I honestly don’t care. To me an Arab is an Arab. Unless someone is trying to find out if I would ever date or marry one.

Hmm? What do you think from knowing me? Would I ever?

Then the search became more specific:

2. rebellious arab girl about lebanese guy attitude

Ahh, so you want my take on Lebanese guy’s attitude? It’s good that you use a search engine to be more specific. Why would I generalize about Lebanese guys? Can I just pick a guy? Give me a name. Maybe Hussam, Kamal, Nader, Sami, Nabil, Mohammad, Ibrahim, etc. Why would I describe all Lebanese guys’ attitudes? I like to pin point specific people. It’s more fun! Duh!

[source]

Let me ask now:

Do I want all Arab girls to be described as rebellious?

Do I want all Palestinian Girls to be described as tough?

So why do people think I have a specific view point about a Lebanese guy’s attitude?

Here is my take on some Lebanese guys: they are tough and damn good looking! Hehehe.

Blah Blah, Confused, They said what?, Whatever!

I wrote an article a while ago regarding Honour Killings, and an avid reader of my site wanted to give their take on it as well.

This is the guest post by Peaceful Melody regarding Honour Killings in the Arab and Islamic nations.

Call the people ignorant. Savages. Violent. Animals with two feet. Whatever we want to call the people that kill for ‘honor’, we must always realize that it still happens. That no matter what we call them, or what we do, 5000 women yearly are still getting killed for ‘honor’. First lets point out that ‘honor killings’ is a retarded part of cultures around the world but mostly (and sadly) located in Muslim countries. They were reported in Egypt, Iran, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, the Syrian Arab Republic, Turkey, Yemen, and other Mediterranean and Gulf countries. Or in other words ‘in the hands of damn ignorant middle Easterners’. It is condemned by Islam totally and rejected by all status of Islamic scholars and is known as ‘cultural’.

Christians and members of other faiths also participate in the acts in the middle east. Now in Turkey when honor killings happen in mostly Kurd inhabited areas they are claimed as ’suicide or accident’. And the historical killings ’sati’ can also be considered honor killings in which the widow is burned alive after her husbands death. This kind of killings happen in mostly South Asia. Though many honor killings are done in the Middle East, most of the honor killings are done in Pakistan and South Asian countries, or immigrants from those nations to Europe (Ex. England has seen more then a dozen honor killings from immigrant groups). There are a few reasons why honor killings take place: 1. When a women commits adultery, or is presumed by her paranoid family to have committed 2. When a women wants divorce and does separate from her husband. 3. Refusing to enter an arranged marriage 4. Being a victims of a sexual assault 5. Falls in love with a man outside her faith or town Now those reasons all don’t call the woman ‘the guilty one’ because all of the things she is a victim in expect maybe number one which she might be innocent still.

Why are they done? Because the family thinks that by that way the girl brought dishonor to the family and the family names ‘was thrown down the drain’ by her actions. It is committed by the females family. Sharif Kanaana, professor of anthropology at Birzeit University states that honor killing is: A complicated issue that cuts deep into the history of Arab society. .. What the men of the family, clan , or tribe seek control of in a patrilineal society is reproductive power. Women for the tribe were considered a factory for making men. The honor killing is not a means to control sexual power or behavior. What’s behind it is the issue of fertility , or reproductive power.[wikipedia] An Amnesty International statement adds: The mere perception that a woman has contravened the code of sexual behavior damages honor. The regime of honor is unforgiving: women on whom suspicion has fallen are not given an opportunity to defend themselves, and family members have no socially acceptable alternative but to remove the stain on their honor by attacking the woman [wikipedia]

Why is it surprisingly not stopped or has a strict law against it? Because countries where its culture (ex; middle east and south Asia) or religion (ex: Hindus in India) to kill the government won’t stop it and sees it as a ‘private issue’ for the family and not the state. Does religion permit honor killings? In Islam honor killings are totally rejected and has no proof in Islam. There is no specific saying in the Quran which condemns it, but it is forbidden by all interpretations of Islam, whether from an extremist to a moderate to a reformist, all honor killings are rejected. And honor killings are mentioned in the Quran when the killing of a young girl to protect family honor, which is strongly rejected in Islam. There is a difference between culture and religion, and because the culture of honor killings are located in Muslim nations it is confused.

Shaikh Atiyyah Saqr of alazhar fatwa committee said this about honor killings: Like all other religions, Islam strictly prohibits murder and killing without legal justification. Allah, Most High, says, “Whoso slayeth a believer of set purpose, his reward is Hell for ever. Allah is wroth against him and He hath cursed him and prepared for him an awful doom.” (An-Nisa’: 93) The so-called “honor killing” is based on ignorance and disregard of morals and laws, which cannot be abolished except by disciplinary punishments. {wikipedia}

What do I think about it? Well as a Muslim girl from middle Eastern parents and roots i think that honor killings are one of the most disgusting murders and deaths in human history of killings. I seriously condemn this to the core of condemnation and don’t know what drives family members to kill a women. I think its for illogical reasons and a family does not form a name based on acts of the females. I think a families good name and reputation comes from good deeds, and if some things considered bad by them happened, its should be put into the past and they should get on with their life. It is absolutely embarrassing to have it in Muslim countries and I’m embarrassed by the peoples open ignorance. What is very embarrassing is not much laws are against it, for example in Pakistan where a women is considered very worthless in society and women are stuck in jail for zina and not men, and where no law is against honor killings. I think ignorance should be put into an immediate stop and people who commit those crimes should be punished harshly by the government.

I spoke too much, but gave so little to the women who are suffering in hands of their families for crimes that they did not commit. Those women might be dead, but are forever in our hearts and minds. And tomorrow when honor killings are stopped, at that day i know when i look up to the sun and see its shine, i know that each ray is a girl who’s life was ended harshly telling the world who stood up against those killings ‘Thank you’. And to that I’ll smile to the sun. I hoped you like the article that took me two days to write and this is the international campaign against honor killings: http://www.stophonourkillings.com/index.php And in memory of Du’ua Khalil Aswad, a Yazidi girl recently stoned to death for loving a Sunni man in Iraq. Rest in Peace

Confused, Culture, Guest Post, Random Thoughts, Religion, They said what?

All this talk about religion this week, and reading others opinions, really got me thinking of lots of stuff to talk about today.

Many of you know about Sunnis and Shi’ite, the two main denominations in Islam. Well, as a Palestinian, it is very rare to find a Shi’ite Muslim. It is almost non-existent unless they are originally from Lebanon or Syria. Well, my grandmother was Shi’ite of Lebanese origin but born in Palestine. So that makes my dad half Sunni, half Shi’ite. Which makes me have many Lebanese Shi’ite cousins.

Ask me if I grew up caring about such a thing? The answer is no. To me, Islam is Islam. People just make a big deal about little past events, and give them selves new names with new religious traditions.

Unfortunately, many people make a big deal about denominations. It’s like Catholic and Orthodox Christians. Different customs and beliefs in minor things.

One time I was at an engagement party, and a Palestinian girl that I knew made such a big deal that our Sunni Syrian friend was getting engaged to a Shi’ite Lebanese. She treated it like the girl was committing a sin or something. I didn’t want to argue with her or start a never ending debate. I never tell people that I am 1/4 Shi’ite and it doesn’t bother me or I even care about denominations, because I know people’s reactions towards such a thing.

In the end of the day, I don’t care, and such segregations are the reasons for wars, hatred, and prejudice within a religion.

I wonder how children brought up with parents of different religions turn out? Hmm??

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