Welcome Back you are a woman!
August 22nd, 2008I was a way on vacation for a couple of weeks and it was a breath of fresh air. The beauty of traveling for me lies in the small things. The things that people usually take for granted such as having the cool breeze brush through my hair, the warmth of the sun on my skin , walking and blending in with dozens of people in the busy streets without having gazing eyes piercing at me making me feel out of place! the scent of coffee and freshly made pastries from little cafes, sitting outdoors in a cafe to just enjoy the moment, never having to worry about who sees me spontaneously playing with my three year old son in public since it is usually unacceptable to express such pleasure in public back home! the ability to take my camera where ever I go and take photographs freely without the fear of someone hitting me with it!
The ability to take a bus, a train, a taxi or my own car without any worries. reading a book in a cafe, in the park or at the beach without someone looking at me as if I was mad reminding me that a woman’s place is at home!
Enjoying the sounds of a band, watching a play in the theater or watching a good movie in a cinema while munching on popcorn!
I noticed that in these few weeks the thought of my gender haven’t crossed my mind; not even once! yet the moment I walked out of the plane coming back home, reality hit me and slapped me hard in the face. I am a woman in Saudi Arabia. The passport control officer hardly looked or talked to me making me feel filthy. At that moment I whispered under my breath welcome back home Rasha!
I didn’t want to read the local news in the first days of me being back, me not wanting to erase what’s left of euphoria I felt from my trip, I rather preferred living in denial for a while. Although following the news between Russia and Georgia had already crushed that euphoric feeling! A few days passed then I decided to face reality as it is and come down from cloud nine and rub my face in the dirt!
I specifically looked for news that relate to the softer gender here in Saudi Arabia and not to my shock I found a handful!
A forty something year old woman in Qaseem (one of the most conservative areas of the kingdom) was arrested for driving. A woman was forcefully divorced from her husband by relatives who went to court and forced her father and husband to sign the divorce papers and why one may ask? yes.. the stupidity again, he was from a tribe of “lesser origin”!
I read several articles about old men marrying young girls either in their early teens or children who haven’t even reached their teenage years. These stories disgusted me. I put the blame on the families/fathers that sell their daughters in such a manner and on the person/sheikh who legalized these marriages. Thank God at least Alobeikan (a leading cleric here in the Kingdom) denounced one of these marriages and ordered for the prosecution of the father.
A legal age ought to be set for marriage for both girls and boys. This is unacceptable and I hope it is being looked into.
An article also discussed all the rights that divorced mothers didn’t have over their children… So what’s new!
A friend of mine had attended a discussion with a scholar and it was interesting to note that the scholar mentioned that a good Muslim woman’s reward in the after life is by being a maiden for the good men in heaven and this ought to be her utmost aspiration. Going to heaven is one of my own aspirations but to be reduced into a sex object for men’s pleasure is not something I would be looking forward to. I would actually rather be sitting on a cloud bored to death than be rewarded by such heaven!
I looked it up and I found similar results. One scholar even mentioned that men are lustful while women aren’t and that is why men were promised virgins in heaven while women were promised beauty because females liked looking pretty! I thought that was demeaning and reducing women to being bubble brains not only in this life but in the heavens as well!
Not forgetting to mention that women have been considered as the devil’s intermediaries and the cause of spread of corruption on so many occasions and in several religions. Some go as far as condemning all women for every sin in the same manner that Eve was condemned for seducing Adam into eating the forbidden fruit! A woman leaving her home going about her business is considered evil by some clerics while the man who is “seduced” by her mere presence is the innocent bystander who’s ”genetics” are responsible for his ensuing sexual behaviors!!!
One scholar even mentioned that a good woman who dies while married will be married to her husband in heaven, a woman who dies single will be rewarded by being given to a new husband in heaven, a woman who had several husbands during her life will be married to the last one she was with in heaven. I could only think of one phrase ” I hope women are allowed to divorce their husbands in heaven!” What if she hated her husband during her life, poor thing, does she have to stand him in heaven too? It seemed bleak to me, too bleak to imagine such a wise merciful God would do that.
I can’t imagine a woman who has a minimum self esteem and self respect can look forward to such a heaven where she has been reduced yet again to a mere object of pleasure for man?! A heaven that is an absolute segment of a sexually oriented male imagination.
A woman has been raised to believe that in being a servant and a sexual pleasure for her husband she is a servant of God and that is the road to heaven.
By now I am positive that you realize that I have left cloud nine far behind and have immersed in my reality yet there is always a light at the end of the tunnel.. but oh my this is going to be a very long one!
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Well, Thanks for your effort in writing these fictional article.
you’ve said so many things about Women in Heaven but during my education I haven’t heard or learnt one thing from what you’ve said. Please review your article before posting it. I was about to believe what you’ve said. Allah is watching you. I don’t know why do you hate men like that, I do hate some of their actions. Stop viewing the Saudi men as if they were kinda Scary Monster.
Remember that young girls like me or even younger is reading your posts and articles and that may have a negative result on them. As I said earlier I was about to believe you. Best regards to you
ShoSho, I don’t know why you are exaggerating beyond belief and making it seem like Rasha is a hateful person who despises all men (your assumption by the way is incorrect.) She is talking about the general attitude of men within this society, and society’s overall treatment of women. And I don’t think she needs to find “proof” of the fact that Saudi Arabia is favorable towards men in every conceivable way, you can see that quite obviously through anything from the law to lifestyle, which results in women being disrespected, pitied and uncomfortable in the fact that they have significantly lesser options compared to any man. I’m sure some Saudi women disagree with this, but there are millions who also don’t approve of the way they live, and Rasha is one of them. Is it a crime to express that publicly? Is it a crime to wish for progress or respect?
You’re implying that it’s not very normal in Saudi Arabia for a woman to be honest and outspoken about her personal perspective on her society, which is why I can understand your reaction. But you should also understand the need for those who dare to speak out (they do so out of love for their country, and for the sake of progress, not out of “hatred” of men or lack of patriotism.) She’s writing these things because she cares about her status as a woman in Saudi Arabia, not because she hates men.
Well, my assumption came out from some of her articles.
and so do I, I hate some of their actions and I also Demand Women rights and eqaulity.
and what I meant is that she exaggeratted in this topic. I also believe that in this country women are suffurring but not that much as she’s explained.
She wrote so many things about women in heaven and I don’t find anything from them is true and that what I meant of watching her posts. By the Way, I’d like one day that I’ll be one of the Women who stands for women’s rights.
and do you think that I’m satisfied with things in the way it is now.
But she is exaggerating. That’s My point.
God Bless You
It’s great to know that you support women’s rights, but here is a clarification on one point which I think was misunderstood:
If you mean this part:
Basically she is not saying that this is factually how Islam regards women, but rather how religious scholars distort religious text and the role of women to support their own backwards opinions. We see this happening very often and it’s great that women are standing up against such baseless claims; until when are we going to let ill-informed scholars laugh at us and undermine our worth in society? And until when are we going to let “scholarly” men claim that our sole purpose of existing is to please our husbands?
She has a point, and I don’t think she is exaggerating. I unfortunately came across many of such men in our lifetime, was even taught by some at school. It’s a deplorable situation.
Well thanks for understanding my point Esra’a.
Hopefully, by time things will be better and life for women is going to be easier.
And Sorry Rasha if I misunderstood your article
Best Regards to all
Thank you Esraá for reading in my posts what I actually mean.
Dear ShoSho,
I am glad you didn’t stumble onto such ideas upon your Islamic readings. I also find it positive that you do not accept such thoughts and wouldn’t believe them to be true. If you read my words carefully you would see that I NEVER accused Islam or all clerics to have such beliefs but I stand by my words and I do believe that these thoughts are common here and not exaggerated.
As for me hating men as Esraá mentioned that is obviously untrue. What I actually hate is how many women are mistreated by society. I remember reading quite recently that a study was conducted in one of the Gulf countries and showed that a higher percentage of women believed in men beating women and that a woman deserves being beaten sometimes! Can you imagine?
I believe people should stop being blind followers and be thinkers for a change especially women. Only then will we progress. Time will not change us but it is US who must do change.
I write in my posts my own beliefs and opinions. I do not preach them rather I share them. As for younger girls reading my posts.. Good for them.. diversity is very helpful, it opens up young minds. That is why God created minds in the first place to think before following.
And the part about God watching me! My conscience is clear
I do wish you all the best
no hard feelings taken
Thanks Rasha
I agree with you after you’ve explained your article to me now.
Keep On And I’ll be waiting your Wonderful Articles.
Sorry Again if for my misunderstanding.
Take Care..
Correction…
Sorry Again for my misunderstanding.
I hate mistakes…
Kind words ShoSho
Thank You and good luck
Hi Rasha. I’m a Saudi man and I think your way off base here and way way from Islam.
When a man looks away from a women it’s not because he thinks shes filthy. It’s because he respects her. Do you prefer men to look at you and think of you as a sexual object?!?. I don’t think so.
And about the 40 year old women. What did you expect? It’s illegal here in KSA. That is totally wrong. Both the women who drove against the law and the screwed up law that doesn’t allow women to drive. That’s not the way to fix things here. The government and a lot of men like me are for women driving – it would be a holiday for men to rest in peace without 100s of responsibilities – but the officials are afraid of the reaction of the public. So it’s gonna happen but slowly. Like diffusing a bomb you carefully operate on it.
And about the forcefully divorced couple that is so wrong. But they do it anyway because of greater reason like two tribes fighting and killing one another. Don’t say that the government is suppose to stop such a thing. It doesn’t give a damn. So that is the best of the bad solutions that are at hand.
They disgusted me too. But that happens for many reasons like the girls wants the rich old man – like in the case of my grandfather – and agrees to such a mirage. But if a women goes to a judge and tells him that she’s forced in this he’ll stop it for sure but then the father will make life hell for her. Life sucks. I hate that for any reason. Especially when the fathers sell there daughters it’s the reason for loveless marriages in KSA. Between you and me I’m gonna apply for a USA citizenship throw my American-Saudi brother. And I’m not coming back to KSA EVER. I think mirage is suppose to happen after a friendship and then deep love for one another. But what can you do.
Wow that scholar doesn’t have an idea about Islam. It’s like learning extremely complicated physics from a janitor at a child school. He’s got no idea what so ever. You can’t judge a religion based on what that crack head says know can you?. All the things the you say that the scholar said is complete bull I assure you.
And about:
Seriously do you think that god almighty would curse you to spend eternity with someone you hate after you’ve done what he asked you to do????!?. An asshole wouldn’t do that. He is god and he’s fare to every thing. Not just human race. Remove that crap out of your head and have faith in the holy god girl before you regret it. I’m not a religious man. I’ve done stuff I’m ashamed of. But even so I never lost my faith. The Islam is the true religion and it’s not affected by a scholar’s bull. If your not convinced enough in Islam read about it from a reliable source before deciding. I’m sure that your smart enough to choose the right path. I’d love to help guide you along the way. Sal’am
iSNZ
When reading the “Male Privilege Checklist“, I couldn’t help but smirk at the mention of the first big privilege in need of alleviation is “the privilege to be oblivious to privilege.
In our societies though, they aren’t viewed as privileges, but simply putting each gender in its place.
As usual, beautiful and informative post Rasha!
iSNZ,
As ridiculously unbelievable as the scholarly opinion Rasha quoted happen to be, they remain that: scholarly opinions.
In fact, there seems to be a general consensus that in heaven, each man will have two wives…not to mention the countless number of maidens. I don’t know about you, but I would feel rather disturbed (perhaps even belittling) to think that scholars would try to draw in believers using sex.
In any case, the message I am getting from your comment is “while all the injustices Saudi women face in our societies are wrong, they must continue to suffer for the sake of the greater good.”
Women in the Muslim world have done that for centuries – what good has it ever brought us?
WOW!
iSNZ,
Do you actually believe that I have anything against Islam?
My answer to that would be… NO
I am a Muslim woman and I am proud to be one.
Obviously you didn’t understand my post! I was rather highlighting what SOME religious scholars preach! as Esraá was able to clarify:
I was not criticizing my faith “Islam” in any way.
Now that I cleared this up..
Let me comment on your own comment..
you mentioned:
Well does it have to be either a man doesn’t look at me at all or a man looking at me as a sex object?!
A man NOT looking at me means he is not looking because he thinks of me as a sex object so he is trying to block my existence from his sight but in his mind I will always be a sex object. So it’s basically the same.. looking or not because he perceives me in his mind as a sex object.
I hope I made this important point quite clear!
This perception towards women is not biological it is socially inherited and that needs to be changed.
iSNZ, if anything Rasha was defending our religion, Islam, against some of the worst “Islamic” scholarly claims of this century. Can you tell me how she was wrong?
If you are perfectly fine with Islam and Muslim women being sexualized and belittled by self-proclaimed Sheikhs and “experts”, we don’t, because we know that our faith is far from the trash that “scholars” preach to us anywhere from school to the radio to TV, and all of this must be condemned and corrected in the most public way possible, which Rasha is also doing here.
It is our duty as Muslims to protect our religion from the absurdity that we have to deal with in our societies, where anything an uneducated “Sheikh” or false “scholar” says is accepted as fact, without any form of questioning or protest.
We will not accept our religion to be sexualized like this, it is sickening. Look at this video, this is the quality of “religious education” that we have reached. Such obsession with sex and temporary marriages is appalling. Our religion is much more wiser and educational than this, our Holy Book itself goes way beyond the relationships between men and women, much of it has to do with science and knowledge, as well as the importance of justice. So why certain men are using this text to try and dominate women and sexualize them beyond belief is outside the scope of logic. We are meant to have a respectful relationship with men and vice versa, and are encouraged to be educated and join men in social activities, instead of being seen as a tempting sex volcano with no purpose in life other than to have sex and pop out an endless train of babies.
As long as women keep considering freedom as a privledge they will continue to be deprived of it. Opression is a crime. Ask god.
To be ashamed of what being a women… is a problem for the entire planet. If women were soo terrible then why would god make us that way. If you believe things are the way they are for a reason? Then you will know that women are the supreme beings of the earth. That women are indeed stronger and should absolutely rise up to the occasion of proving it. I ll tell you one thing I was put on this earth for the pleasure of no one but myself. and if you know anything u know that no one can please another, one can only please themself.
I must admitt i am very frustrated with issues relating to this topic!!!!
Im glad u had a nice vacation Rasha.
Hi Rasha,
welcome back to MiddleEast Rasha 
A beautiful post. When I cease to talk about women as a woman,I think of some men as well, who might face the same situation. Suppose the miners. most of their lives they are spending in the darkness of the mines. Whenever they go down there, they are never sure they will come back alive. I would really like to imagine how a miner feels after being underground for hours and hours, perhaps days, and then the ray of light, the exposure to the very natural environment that bellongs to every one but them. How would they enjoy those hours out of the mine when they have to move back. Is the money worth it? hardly you can say that. They is almost no other way of making money, or perhaps, when they feel like breaking free from the darkness of the mine, they have no other skill to support their desired way of life. Or the soldiers, the youth fighting, the human treasury of a nation all armed. walking the toughests of the paths in the bad climates and hostile environment, they get into the armies either by force or for sake of money. They are mostly so young, still full of innocence, and this innocence is there to be slayed on and on and on, untill the soldier cannot recognize his/her indetity.
Well, we heard of this Bahraini lady who amazingly became the veiled champion of the Olympics in Beijing, it was a pleasure seeing her face cheerful and her hands held up to the sky with her red nail polished fingers. Congradulations for all the ladies who willingly or unwillingly veil, all of them who belong to this part of the world, where veil is the inseparable element of the culture of religion. The limits make freedom all the more glorious. The limits make people more conscious of the value of freedom.
I send a big hug to your three year old son, who will grow up, appreciating freedom, the way you do
Hi girls. First I would like to say and I’ve said it before that life is not fair especially Arabian countries and KSA is even worse. If it was up to me I’d change a lot of things here. But we try our best to help. And also that the last four comments before mine I didn’t read them. I took to long to right my comment and they where posted during my righting. Sorry about that I was multitasking.
When Rash said the opinions of the scholar it looked like she believed them. But know that she clarified that I’m with here. There is a lot of preachers out there that might have good intentions but not good enough education about Islam.
I agree with Kawthar when she said:
but:
That’s not what I’m saying. I’m just giving you the reason they had for doing that. I don’t agree with that. Things should change and they will.
Rasha your a women and you have no idea how sick men are believe me. Men – not just Arabian – think of women as sexual things that haven’t changed and it will never do. Thats why Islam maid men to look away from women because god the one who created men knows us better. Men will lie and say that they have good intentions but take from me they don’t. Men by nature are sexual predators.
I hope that this comment had addressed Esra’a problems with what I said. And as I said men do that because of what they are. And about the train of babies thats wrong on so many levels and I don’t agree with have too many children. It’s a bad way to raise them.
Amal Wrote:
That’s the problem of the world men thinking that they are better than women and women thinking they are better than men. Men and women are meant to complete one another and should be like a partnership. That’s my opinion.
I like the way you think Elinor thanks for your great comments. And I hope that what I have said doesn’t heart anyone. I only have the best intentions in mind. I hope for a better tomorrow for every one. Thanks
iSNZ
Hi ISNZ
Thank you for your kind comments as well. I go for your idea of men and woemn’s partnership. At the same time I am aware of the sick men you were talking about, inside and outside the Middle East. Well there is this joke, perhaps not a very appropriate thing to post, but I hope i wouldn’t be offensive.
A Middle Eastern man is asked” Can you define a woman? ” , and he says, ” oh yes A woman is an outgrowth, growing around the..reproductory organs”
Well, as long as that is the attitude, this is the reality we face, inside and outside of the Middle East.
iSNZ,
Of course, sick men are all over the world. For instance, a Russian judge recently ruled that sexual harassment is okay as it ensures humans breed.
But what I am tired of is that every time it comes down to a woman’s right to be treated as an equal human being vs. the supposed greater good of society, guess who wins?
I might come off as bitter and angry, and that is because I am bitter and angry. It’s tiring to have to deal with scholars who continue to voice out blatant miscategorizations on women, and a society that mostly believes them.
Just as I am offended by notions that women are lacking in comparison to men, I would have felt equally offended if I were a guy being painted as a raving bull with absolutely no ability to control myself
Dear Kawthar, I’m not saying that it’s OK. I’m just laying facts down. The world is a miserable place. The way to fix it is to educate the people around us and try to spread it as far as possible. We all are tired of the way things are going. Hope for a better future.
iSNZ
Thank you Kawthar for your encouraging words and Amal for your kindness as for Elinor, your hug was passed on to him
and thanks for the warmth you project.
I just hope that he and his generation have a better appreciation towards life and brighter futures to look forward to..
hi rasha,
welcum back 2 da kingdome of boredom
dont know what 2 say—only pity u
anyways, a hug from me just 2 make ur day happy:)
Hi Jassi,
I don’t feel that “pity” is the right word. Rasha is an inspirational example of women in our time who are standing up in defense of their rights instead of accepting their situation silently, if anything this is admirable and not anything that invites “pity.”
When people, especially women, write about these things, it’s not because we are requesting for pity. We are doing it for the sake of awareness and to show that we are not going to stand by and allow people to mock our worth and limit our societial opportunities. We are slowly but surely gaining our rights and this process is unstoppable.
We write about these things and condemn them publicly because we are hopeful for change. I don’t think that anyone here is asking for pity. We all love our countries but wish for a big difference, that is all.
Above it was said:
Well, I do not deny the reality and strength of sexual desire, male or female, but as a man I do not subscribe to this sweeping generalization. Believe me, it really is possible for men to look at women without being distracted by sexual desire. We are part animal, but the animal can be tamed and trained by what some call our spiritual side, without necessarily violating our ‘nature’.
I am part of a religious community that has strict rules on sexual relationships and chastity, but which has mixed religious services and administrative bodies. I can and will not pry into other’s minds, but you know what: the men behave wonderfully well !
I do know it can be a struggle but hey, do not say it’s impossible. Be kind to the animal but strictly control it. Use a bit of humour, a dose of wisdom and focus on the spiritual side of life. You’ll be rewarded
Warmest greetings
RASHA I love what you wrote. you are strong women, with determined opinions. I hope you never have to stop freely expressing your self.
Sara Nader
Dear Martijn, I think you might have miss understood me. I’m not saying it can’t be controlled or all men are miss behaved. I’m just saying that men are way more sexual and physical than women. They are more about the act of sex then the relationship. Women are more into the spiritual stuff. That’s way many religions forbidden the men from looking at women. So that they won’t be tempted to even think about stuff like that. Some miss understand the real reason, like Rasha who said:
Hope the point is clear now.
iSNZ
ISNZ, All
People are not fair, life has nothing to do with it … and since its people then its you, others and I, and when the case is such then we have to do something.
Men are not naturally sick; some are nurtured to being sexually obsessed, and others are directed towards a more balanced stance. Sex has and will always be an issue; but to say that men can only look at women as sexual objects is far fetched. Men are not by nature sexual predators, men grow up to being that because of the way we are brought up. When you grow in a house that teaches you that women are only sexual objects there will be no way that you see them any other way.
Rasha’s important post points to some of the ways where men are taught that women are only bodies for their pleasure; and where women are taught that they should consider themselves as a source of sexual satisfaction for men. Men grow up thinking of women sexually, and women grow up thinking that their ultimate value lies in being desired.
Either way this is not healthy and is not natural.
You said God told men not to look at women, but He also told women not to look at men; does that mean women can only see men as sexual objects? In any case the verse doesn’t tell us not to look, rather not to glare or stare with wrong intentions; but it allows natural looks. God created us, and He didn’t create us in ways that don’t allow normal healthy interaction.
There is so much to say in this sensitive and important topic; a good place to start is to understand the concept of the “social construction of sexuality”. this is an issue of critical importance and it give us a great deal of understanding about the gap that exists between the physiological sexual attractions and desires; and about the way socialisation magnifies that and shapes it into what it is.
All the very best.
Thanks for your input Abdullah it’s deeply appreciated. Like you said not all men are that way. But that is due to the way they were raised. When it comes to religion you can’t say the sick ones can’t look and the good ones can. It’s not possible. So Islam has order women to completely cover there bodies not because all men are sick. But for the ones who are. And about:
They are naturally sexually driven. That’s not only male humans. God had put that in males to insure that they don’t extinct. Islam is a complete system that takes that and direct it the right way. Through mirage and the way it defines the relationship between males and females. The way your raised doesn’t change your nature it just controls it.
No, It’s just for a different reason witch is women can be attracted to a man’s strength, personality or any other reason. Go ask a girl that is in love with a boy. Why does she feel that way? mostly not always she’ll answer something other than that he’s hot or handsome. But ask the same for a boy you’ll get a reply – again not always – that she’s hot. That’s the plain truth. It’s not right but that’s how it is.
Islam – I don’t know where you got your info from – does allow the accidental look that happened with out your well. It doesn’t allow natural looks. Because simply who can know what your intentions are – other than god-. If what you say is correct that means I can take a foreign girl to a restaurant and have a “natural” chat and fun. What the hell man. Don’t get me wrong man I’m not saying these are my opinions. This is Islam take it or leave it.
iSNZ
You keep saying this is Islam as if the only Islam is that which you have in mind. There are other interpretations of Islam, and you should have an open mind to them. And to say take it or leave it when speaking of a trivial issue such as dress is really disproportionate. When you look at this vast universe you wouldnt believe that its Creator will make a big issue of such a small personal matter.
And it is not reasonable that Islam obliges women to dress in a certain way for the rest of their lives because there are some men who are sick. This kind of thinking belongs to humans not to Allah the Wise and MercyFull.
Men are not naturally sexually driven. Men have sexual drives, but they are not always driven by sex. Men have sexual drives naturally but they become sexually driven through growing up experiences and learnings.
Finally to say that looking at a women naturally means going out with her for chat can only come from a sexually driven mind. of course there is no problem with going out with a women as a friend or colleague , but of course this can only be done by men who can look at a women as a human.
Hm. Well, I’m on vacation too, right now, up at our famnily cottage in Georgian Bay, and I’m watching our 19 month old daughter playing on the deck.
I sometimes worry about her getting harrassed or attacked when she grows up, but that kind of thinking doesn’t compel me to shut her away or plan her life for her (beyond urging her to get some kickass martial arts training; nothing says “leave me alone you jerk” like breaking someone’s collarbone). I think that the expectation for men to behave civilly in society towards the opposite sex should be a given. Self-control towards others shouldn’t have exceptions just because they happen to be attractive.
There isn’t a society on this planet where women aren’t at least 50% of the population; many in fact have slightly more women than men. So this assertion that women have to suffer restrictive laws and customs for the greater good is nonsense. Such things only serve half of the members of a society, and are as such completely discriminatory.
There is a provincial park across the channel from our cottage, where dozens of people use the beach every weekend in the summer. Large numbers of them are women dressed in bikinis, many quite attractive. These places are not chaotic sex grounds where wild eyed, lust maddened men rampage about, but just a nice place for a family or group of young folks to go swimming and get a bit of sun.
Finally, I just want to point out that my family doctor, attorney, chiropractor, pharmacist, real estate agent, and banker are all women. I have female associates at work, our district manager and union rep are female, and most of our supply reps are also female. Quite frankly, for me to act around all these people as anything but a man with self control and respect would be dangerous for me, and the welfare of my family.
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Sexism was created by society, not Islam. Not saying that is what you said, just letting people know just incase