Keeping Things Interesting and a min rant

Salaam alaykom ramatullahi wa barakto all:

So we've been having some internet troubles---i.e we have no internet, neither Boxie or Aalia or me, so I have gone to this skeezy smoky internet cafe in a rat infested mall (not one of the hip Abu Dhabi ones I assure you---here there are a bunch of Emirati creepers skipping school with boushiya'ed bad girls (when they can afford to date the bad girls lol)) soooooo, sorry for the lack of cool posts, or me replying to comments, or even posting comments in the moderation section.

Other than lack of internet, there's been some interesting things. I have learned that alot of (local) girls here wear abaya inappropriately, open, with tights, super high heels, skinny jeans, or even mini skirts and cleavage and belly-button bearing tops underneath. The shayla can consist of the pouf clip and the shayla just draped there, neck and hair showing. Or the girls wear stylish abayas and gashwas that conceal everything but then lift the gashwa at cute local (Emirati) guys and give out phone numbers. Um, a hijab don't ladies. And all this just kinda makes one go, the hijab is better at my local Canadian masjid, and some of the sisters don't even wear the headscarf. I DO belive jilbab and khimar is fard, and that face covering is mustahaab (yaaaay I am a full-time niqabi now!!!!!), but here, the existance of abaya, sheila, and niqab can still mean that hijab is lacking in intention and adab.

For instance, near Al Marina Mall last night, walking home from the Emirati Heritage Center, Aalia, Boxie, baby, and me, saw a set of two prostitutes, one was Iranian, and the other was Sudanese. We know because we asked. The Iranian working girl wore open abayas with jeans and heel underneath. Her bangs her styled neatly out. The Sudanese prostitute wore a closed but somewhat fitted abaya and hijab that covered all her hair, but her sleeves were pushed up to reveal alot of bracelets. They looked stylish, I suppose, with a few tweaks here and there, they could have been very modestly attired women. But their intention was to stroll up and down the somewhat secluded beach front near the marina, while their pimp in the red vehichle (her "brother" and his friends) watched and spoke to the local Emirati creepers who made loops around the area. Groooooooooooooosssss!!!!!

And I won't even go into some of the non-Emirati hijab fashion in the malls. I have seen less camel-toes and butt cheeks in Canadain malls on non-muslims without scarfs on their heads!!!!!!

Of course, alhamdulilah, there alot of women, mashaAllah, Syrian, Lebanese, Morrocan, and Emirati, with great hijab, and great style, that still adhere to the shariah, and alot of niqabis with good adab, alhamdulilah. I just get mad at those who abuse the dress of a Muslim woman, the dress of the Prophet's wives and the women of the Sahaba (may Allah be pleased with them) and make a mockery of it, leading our non-hijabi Muslim sisters to say, why bother with hijab?

Comments

e-s said…
Assalamu alaikom,
Not only that, but people will accuse Western women of being immoral and loose as if the West is the only place where anything bad goes down...
AlabasterMuslim said…
My mother, who lives in Saudi Arabia, tells me there is no point in having my kids grow up in a 'muslim' country since there is so much haraam and fitnah going on there...better just raise them in the US where it'll be easier for them inshallah to determine right and wrong.

btw ewwww camel toes sooooOO gross!
Stacy K. said…
Wow surprises all around! I'm really surprised at some of what you saw. I'm even more happy to wear my subdued skirts and loose tops even if I don't cover my hair. I'm definitely not out there to attract the max amount of attention.
Melissa said…
That's really sad that in a so called Muslim country there is stuff like that going on.

Yeah, I've seen some girls more modestly dressed without hijab than some hijabi sisters....
Ange said…
that prostitute thing is gross - especially about the locals doing loops.
Anonymous said…
As salaam alaykom ramatullah wa barakto!

It is so very sad to hear about the way women - Muslimahs or not (but especially those in Muslim countries) - degrade themselves and/or allow themselves to be degraded by others. Those that behave the way you described need a better education about Islam and very soon, insha Allah. Surely their actions are based in ignorance - not only of their religion but of the natural beauty Allah has given them. Masha Allah they all will be guided back to Allah. In the mean time we need to make dua for these lost sisters and brothers. Allah puts these lost ones in our path to remind us how we should not be and also to provide us an oppotunity for dawah - very gentle dawah.

Pixie jazak Allah khair on your becoming a full-time niqabi. Alhamdulillah!

From Fareeda (Margaret)
Anonymous said…
Assalamu alaikum sister,

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I do not regularly wear a head scarf anymore. I stopped because I could not wear it comfortably when playing sport, and in particular to swim. It seemed strange to wear it sometimes and other times not. I truly value modesty and make sure to cover everything except my hair, face and neck. I wear long skirts, long sleeve shirts, and nothing tight. For swimming I wear what is most modest and functional and avoid being around men. I carry hijab scarves for salaat, and would not stop covering for prayer. I think, that living in America I may not be recognized as Muslimah by my appearance, but people know by my character and manner what I value and find out quickly that I live in peace and joyful surrender to Allah swt.

Thank you for allowing me to post my thoughts.

Wa alaikum salaam,

R***
Rachi said…
Dear Pixie,
I enjoy reading your blog and I find your views very interesting. As a Non-Muslim exploring new paths (I believe my Fiancee is a sign to the right path, although it is a difficult one to comprehend for me) I am always curious of the view points of others.
I can't help but notice that you do, however, easily judge others doing 'wrong'. I was under the belief that humans were not to judge against others, and I am saddened to see how you are judging books by their covers here- of course, it is your own right to have freedom of speech and I fully support people saying their views, but perhaps a moment of reflection is needed. What is the reason behind these girls and guys 'protesting'(for lack of a better word)? Perhaps they are losing their faith, or, perhaps they are struggling to maintain a balance between their faith and the changes in society.
God judges everyone in the end, but it is for us to distinguish between good and bad deeds and strive to perfect ourselves and those closest to us in the hopes that these people will see signs themselves.
I would enjoy seeing more of your lighter posts in future, and would enjoy seeing more positive things in life documented by you, as you have a lovely outlook :)
Aïsha said…
There is good and bad everywhere... During summer, i see a lot of Gulf tourist women dressed like you described on Champs-Elysées: All in black and niqab but a lot of make-up, skinny jeans and high heels. The first time i saw this, i was very shocked! Here, the sisters who wear niqab are very strict, they never dress like that and it's very rare to see a hijabi (without niqab) dressed like that also Hamdoulillah... May Allah guide them.
Pixie said…
e-s: wa alaykom e salaam ramatullahi wa barakto, yeah he he he. Like how in Egypt they call the "Spanish Hijab style" "American Hijab" even though the style started on Egyptian girls??? LOL. No country is a purely Islamic country right now. Let's make dua for that inshaAllah.
Pixie said…
Alabester Muslim: Yeah, my husabdn (Saudi) says the same, but I want my kids to learn Arabic in KSA. But I want to leave before they get too spoiled.
Pixie said…
Stacy aka Fahima: Yeah, some of the stuff is surprising, but only on an Islamic level. I already knew all this about the Gulf. The thing is, jilbab and khimar are still fard for the Muslim woman, but so is adab, and modesty, and no tabarujj or out and out flirting with non maharams!!!! Ahhh,. LOL, but it is no funny thing.
Pixie said…
Melissa: Me too, and it is sad, because that is ALWAYS the arguement non-hijabi sisters use as part of not wearing hijab commanded in the Holy Qu'ran. InshaAllah Allah guides us all with knowledge and increases are strenght to hold tight to the adab (manners) of the Shariah. Ameen.
Pixie said…
Ange: I know!!!!! So disgusting... so many lamo perverts rolling their windows down, and playing their sad Arabic music. May Allah guide them. And protect all the good women out there from them. Ameen.
Pixie said…
Magaret aka Fareeda: Wa alaykom e salaam ramatullahi wa barakto! I agree, and jazzakallah kheir. Good comment mashaAllah, summing up my thoughts.
Pixie said…
R*****: Wa alaykom e salaam ramatullahi wa barakto. Yeah, I believe modesty of manner and intention should be first for a Muslimah, and then the hijab and jilbabm but they are still commands of Allah subhanu wa ta'ala so inshaAllah you find a way to make them easier for yourself to wear for active activities!!!! I wear abaya and niqab for running and skating and climbing, but I kinda don't love swimming much so.... But my friends wear those islmic swimsuits and when coming in and out of the water they wear terry cloth bathrobes as jilab. That looks very modest to me!
Pixie said…
Rachi: Thank you for reading my blog. I don't believe I was being judgmental at all. I did not infer any of the girls were bad people just that their hijab or adab were lacking in what is prescribed by the religion. I maaaaay have sounded judgemental about the men picking up prostitutes but hey, that can be punished by flogging in Islam. They are wrongdoers and commit a crime against my society. as for the women, most have not the education or they simply do not cover for the right reasons and myself, in this post, did not attempt to discern why, and so was thus, not being judgemental, just stating observations. That is not wrong in Islam.
Pixie said…
Aisha: Ameen to your dua. The area you live in sounds very pious, mashaAllah. That makes me happy. Smiley faces following if I could learn how to paste them in comments.
Aïsha said…
Salamoualeikoum
;-) I live in Paris lol... Not really a pious area but many muslims who live in muslims countries say that the muslims who live in no muslims countries are more followers, more serious. I think that it's exactly because they live in such countries as they take refuge in Islam. So here, niqabis women are very very pious, it's not a game for them because it's very hard to wear niqab here. And i know that the most of niqabis are converts so niqab is not a cultural thing for them, it's a serious choice, made only to please Allah so they always wear it properly MachaAllah!
Candice said…
My husband is Egyptian and refuses to admit that bad things (like prostitution and pre-marital relations) actually happen in Egypt. And he has admitted that most Egyptians do not wear correct hijab (after I argued a lot), but definitely thinks that tight clothes plus a headscarf is much better for a Muslim than loose, long clothes with a ponytail.
It's kind of infuriating for me! He blames the west for everything without letting the Egyptians take responsability for what they have allowed into their culture.

The good I can see is that they are probably so caught up in their culture and the pressure to be cute, attractive, etc. that they actually want to be good and modest and religious, they just have been led astray. Just like I did when I wore tank tops and tighter jeans as a teen. It wasn't me to dress like that, really, but I was influenced by others around me into the "fashion". So glad I was able to stay away from almost everything else that I could have fallen into.

So hopefully they find their way and make some realizations! Insha Allah.
Sarah said…
Salam aleikom Pixie,

sorry my comment is soo late! i keep getting sidetracked...ne ways there's always that culture shock in a 'muslim ' country. at least u have the adhaan now, and lots of good shopping opportunities :) hope u are well & u're husband is ok inshaAllah. let us know if you need anything!
pineappleslice said…
"The thing is, jilbab and khimar are still fard for the Muslim woman, but so is adab, and modesty, and no tabarujj or out and out flirting with non maharams!!!!"

LOL, I hope they're not flirting with their mahrams, either!


Also just as a side note, I hope the plight of prostitutes in the Arab world might have merited more that a "gross" and a wardrobe description...it's important that when we see women like that we don't think "Look at those whores!" but instead remember that the vast majority of prostitutes are forced into that profession (and I don't mean by circumstance, I mean literally forced) and that the ones who aren't physically forced are mostly forced by circumstance. Most people really don't realize this and see them as people who just like to sleep around, which could not be farther from the truth.