I may not know many people in this city that I live in, especially Arabs. However, my mom knows many because of the nature of what she does. She fixes clothes for people, but 99% of those people are Arabs. It is the only thing she can do, and is more like a hobby and social interaction. She learned this hobby when she was only 15, because it was the only thing that she can spend her day doing. The people raised in a Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon at its early days, most likely did not have many females getting a proper education. My mom was one of them.
She has been fixing clothes, or being a seamstress almost all her life. She gets to meet lots of Arabs as a result, and hear their stories. And most of you know my mother by now, she is Reuters in this house. I know many stories about Arabs in this city of mine, but never really interacted with them or cared to.
It’s all in the Culture
Last night, I was sitting on my L-Zay Boy couch. That’s where I have been spending all day with the laptop on my lap. I’m spending my day writing a fictional story, and I will soon post parts of it weekly on my blog. Stay tuned! It is just for fun, and something new. Anyways, my mom comes into my blog office, and sits on a chair. She tells me, “I know so many people now. You know this and that. I met her aunt today and 15 year old daughter. They wanted me to add an extension to a dress.”
I looked at my mother with a raised eyebrow and said, “Aha? And?”
My mother continued on, “The lady wanted me to add an extension to the top area of a dress, so her daughter’s breasts don’t show. I was a bit surprised, because I didn’t know that Christians cared about such dress issues.”
They were Iraqi Christians.
“Mom, so what if they are Christians? They are Arabs. In reality, it has nothing to do with being a Muslim only to dress conservatively. It is our culture that is conservative, and not religion,” I said with a concerned voice.
Mom replied, “I sensed that. The lady said that her husband will scream at her, and not their daughter for wearing an uncovered dress like that. It had to be fixed.”
I sensed mom’s concern and confusion. Typical Arab Muslim mentality. I said, “Mom, like I said, it has nothing to do with religion. Look at some Muslim Arabs that live here or back home. Look at the way they dress. It is shameful and an invitation for rape. So what Arabs wear has nothing to do with religion anymore. If they do care, it is following cultural conservative traditions. That’s if many know what those modest traditions still are.”
Enlightening Her with Some History
[Screen shot from Fadi Andrawos music video]
I was reading some history of Palestinian life before 1948 the other day, and I wanted to share some stories with my mother. I continued on the conversation and told her, “Before the war, many of the Palestinians lived in villages and were farmers, etc. They lived a very modest life. Their only worry in life was having daily necessities to survive. Since most of them were living such a life, many of those villages lacked mosques or churches, but everyone knew and respected each other’s religion.”
Mom interrupted me and said, “Of course. That’s true, and the neighbours celebrated each other’s religious holidays. Many Christians fasted in Ramadan like their Muslim neighbours. Muslims celebrated Christmas and Easter like their Christian neighbours. They never let religion separate them.”
I said, “Exactly. Palestinians lived the Arab life. They respected each other, and never made religion a barrier between them. They celebrated each other’s religious holidays. They mourned with them. They celebrated great times with them. I don’t know when this religious separation ideology between Arabs started, but it is not right. Especially Arabs here that come from some noratic closed minded Islamic lifestyle back home, and think anyone who is not a Muslim is the devil.”
Mom said, “You are right. Our religion says to respect those who carry the holy books. Christians and Jews.”
“Exactly!” I excitedly said. “So no more of this religious crap that shocks the hell out of Arab Muslims here. They need to look deeper into their religion. Also, they should learn the true essence of being an Arab,” I added firmly.
I think I lectured my mother enough yesterday. However, I know nothing will change. At least I said something, and not only to her my loyal readers. 
Blah Blah, Confused, Culture, Palestine, Religion, They said what?, Whatever!
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