Safari_ni_Safari
JF-Expert Member
- Oct 5, 2007
- 23,263
- 17,140
Yemeni blogger and journalist @HindAleryani tells her intimate story about what's feminine and masculine in the Middle East.
We used to play at my aunts garden when we were younger girls and boys, there was no difference we grew up together we used to race, play, laugh sometimes we would fight playfully we used to watch TV together cry at the end of sad cartoons together we grew a bit older... we began to study for our classes together whenever wed fight we used to threaten the other that wed tell on them to the teacher we used to play practical jokes on one another wed laugh with all our hearts
And so the days went by
My cousin and I are staring outside the window we are looking at the garden where my male cousin and his friends are playing this is the garden where we used to play together they used to be our friends once upon a time these are the boys we used to play with what happened? Why are we prisoners at home, while they play ball outside with all freedom what did we do? Did we grow older? Did our bodies change? Did we become an object of temptation that needs to be covered from peoples eyes? Arent those the boys we knew since we were children? What changed? Why are we strangers? Why do I run and hide whenever I hear one of their voices? Is it just because the pitch of his voice changed? Is that why we arent friends anymore? Are we supposed to act differently towards one another? Different to how we acted just yesterday? We started to act shy and anxious whenever wed speak we stopped playing with one another My cousin and I began spending our spare time watching Mexican soap operas, as if we were in our 50s
And so the days went by
I am at school we are learning about what a woman should cover her hair is temptation her eyebrows are temptation I remembered my favorite male singer his eyes were beautiful too his hair is beautiful why doesnt he veil? I asked myself this question, however, I couldnt find the answer I remembered that I was banned from playing in the garden because I hit puberty however, my male friends werent didnt they hit puberty too? Why werent they imprisoned at home? I also couldnt find the answer
And so the days went by
I hear it all the time A woman is a jewel that needs to be protected (i.e. covered) and sometimes it is even said that a woman is like candy if you remove the wrapper (i.e. the cover) the flies will swarm around her I turn on the TV and find that favorite male singer that I am so fond of brushing his soft silky hair and flaunting his handsomeness his arms are bare his chest is bare why isnt this object of temptation covered? Why isnt he imprisoned at home? Why arent women tempted by him? Some might claim that a woman shouldnt look at this then shouldnt men shield their gaze when looking at a tempting female object? I couldnt find the answer
And so the days went by
I am at university I see some people distributing a small religious book Temptations of a Woman Her hair her feet her eyes, and thus, a woman must cover one of her eyes as both of them together are tempting I swear this is what I read in this book!... its as if there is nothing left in this world to talk about and scrutinize other than a woman and how she is a temptation I decided to observe mens looks I wanted to know which women would attract men with her temptation in front of me walks a woman wearing a tight Abaya (long black cover) aha!.. I found her she is an object of temptation I continue watching in front of me walks a woman with a baggy Abaya, however, with an uncovered face the man stares at her aha! So her face is also a temptation a third woman walks in front of me... her face is covered and she is wearing a baggy Abaya from top to toe the man is staring at her! Huh? I dont understand what is so tempting about a black Abaya? No eyes, no feet What is this man staring at? At that moment I realized that clothing has nothing to do with it men would stare on all occasions however, he, with his broad shoulders and his hair, eyes and lips isnt considered an object of temptation, even if all the women in the world started at him he is a man he shouldnt hide in his home no one calls him a jewel... at that moment I wished I wasnt a jewel. I wished to be a free man
And so the days went by
I am in a Western country... women are walking around me one is wearing pants... the other is wearing a short skirt another wears shorts men and women are walking side by side it is strange... no one is staring why dont I see the looks of men I saw in my country? Those looks that made a woman feel naked those looks that I hated the ones that made me hate being on this earth, and hate being born a woman those looks that deny me my humanity why dont I see those looks here? All the women are dressed up why dont I see those looks even though all the women are attractive here? I saw one women run and laugh I remembered that I wasnt allowed to run once I hit puberty I remembered my aunts window I remembered I was an object of temptation that must be covered I remembered that a man in my country wears white, while I am covered in black I asked myself, why dont men wear black? Why dont men cover their faces? And I couldnt find the answer
And so the days go by
We used to play at my aunts garden when we were younger girls and boys, there was no difference we grew up together we used to race, play, laugh sometimes we would fight playfully we used to watch TV together cry at the end of sad cartoons together we grew a bit older... we began to study for our classes together whenever wed fight we used to threaten the other that wed tell on them to the teacher we used to play practical jokes on one another wed laugh with all our hearts
And so the days went by
My cousin and I are staring outside the window we are looking at the garden where my male cousin and his friends are playing this is the garden where we used to play together they used to be our friends once upon a time these are the boys we used to play with what happened? Why are we prisoners at home, while they play ball outside with all freedom what did we do? Did we grow older? Did our bodies change? Did we become an object of temptation that needs to be covered from peoples eyes? Arent those the boys we knew since we were children? What changed? Why are we strangers? Why do I run and hide whenever I hear one of their voices? Is it just because the pitch of his voice changed? Is that why we arent friends anymore? Are we supposed to act differently towards one another? Different to how we acted just yesterday? We started to act shy and anxious whenever wed speak we stopped playing with one another My cousin and I began spending our spare time watching Mexican soap operas, as if we were in our 50s
And so the days went by
I am at school we are learning about what a woman should cover her hair is temptation her eyebrows are temptation I remembered my favorite male singer his eyes were beautiful too his hair is beautiful why doesnt he veil? I asked myself this question, however, I couldnt find the answer I remembered that I was banned from playing in the garden because I hit puberty however, my male friends werent didnt they hit puberty too? Why werent they imprisoned at home? I also couldnt find the answer
And so the days went by
I hear it all the time A woman is a jewel that needs to be protected (i.e. covered) and sometimes it is even said that a woman is like candy if you remove the wrapper (i.e. the cover) the flies will swarm around her I turn on the TV and find that favorite male singer that I am so fond of brushing his soft silky hair and flaunting his handsomeness his arms are bare his chest is bare why isnt this object of temptation covered? Why isnt he imprisoned at home? Why arent women tempted by him? Some might claim that a woman shouldnt look at this then shouldnt men shield their gaze when looking at a tempting female object? I couldnt find the answer
And so the days went by
I am at university I see some people distributing a small religious book Temptations of a Woman Her hair her feet her eyes, and thus, a woman must cover one of her eyes as both of them together are tempting I swear this is what I read in this book!... its as if there is nothing left in this world to talk about and scrutinize other than a woman and how she is a temptation I decided to observe mens looks I wanted to know which women would attract men with her temptation in front of me walks a woman wearing a tight Abaya (long black cover) aha!.. I found her she is an object of temptation I continue watching in front of me walks a woman with a baggy Abaya, however, with an uncovered face the man stares at her aha! So her face is also a temptation a third woman walks in front of me... her face is covered and she is wearing a baggy Abaya from top to toe the man is staring at her! Huh? I dont understand what is so tempting about a black Abaya? No eyes, no feet What is this man staring at? At that moment I realized that clothing has nothing to do with it men would stare on all occasions however, he, with his broad shoulders and his hair, eyes and lips isnt considered an object of temptation, even if all the women in the world started at him he is a man he shouldnt hide in his home no one calls him a jewel... at that moment I wished I wasnt a jewel. I wished to be a free man
And so the days went by
I am in a Western country... women are walking around me one is wearing pants... the other is wearing a short skirt another wears shorts men and women are walking side by side it is strange... no one is staring why dont I see the looks of men I saw in my country? Those looks that made a woman feel naked those looks that I hated the ones that made me hate being on this earth, and hate being born a woman those looks that deny me my humanity why dont I see those looks here? All the women are dressed up why dont I see those looks even though all the women are attractive here? I saw one women run and laugh I remembered that I wasnt allowed to run once I hit puberty I remembered my aunts window I remembered I was an object of temptation that must be covered I remembered that a man in my country wears white, while I am covered in black I asked myself, why dont men wear black? Why dont men cover their faces? And I couldnt find the answer
And so the days go by