SaharaSunset

Okay, so I am a teacher, and I teach a course on World Religions. Sadly, I am constantly battling the ignorant stereotypes of my students about Islam. As I listen to my students make conclusions that all Muslims are terrorists, I have come to loathe stereotypes in all its forms. My student's conclusions are based on limited information - but to them, their feeling are very real and very valid. They base their stereotypes on what they have heard from others & what they have seen on TV. All they need to do is make connections between Islam and 9/11, and its nearly impossible to convince them otherwise. But they are wrong. And it is my passion as a teacher to broaden their horizons, and clear their minds of ignorance. I start by putting a stop to the sweeping, ignorant stereotypes.
So I apologize if it seems harsh Rosesarered, but I find your comments and stereotypes of Moroccans painfully ignorant. Yes I know you are not stereotyping Islam. But your attempt to stereotype all Moroccan men has a similar effect. You are perpetuating uneducated stereotypes about other cultures. And I do in fact find that, in and of itself, offensive and ignorant. Who are you to make authoritative statements about Moroccan men, just because you used poor judgement when you chose a husband?
It seems that you base your claims on your personal marriage. And yet we have no way of knowing the real reason your marriage ended. You might have been selfish, cold, or stubborn. Who knows? But we do know that you have absolved yourself of ANY responsibility by laying the claim that it was a scam, and that all Moroccan men are most likely scammers. You also make these ignorant claims based on your personal observations of the people who come to this website - As if that is some sort of conclusive study or set of statistics. And yet you have no idea what percentage of people involved in International Moroccan marriages actually come to this website. So your conclusions are totally skewed.
You might feel you are doing good to "warn others" about big bad Moroccan Scamming men. But its a shame you choose to "help others" by stereotyping other human beings, as opposed to, for example, taking personal responsibility for your choice. And although I really do respect the fact that you feel you are trying to help others. Stereotypes never accomplish anything beyond spreading ignorance and hate.

So much reading comprehension FAIL.
She didn't allude that you are any of those things. Nobody here has any idea what happened in your marriage. No one knows if he was scammy, scummy, or both and more. What is known is that your first post here was a screechy whine about a marriage you inexplicably stayed in for seven years, and what you thought was some earth shattering proclamation from some Moroccan doofus in a weird as heII position of having multiple women sharing their bad drama with a Moroccan with him. Yawn. Everything about this is absurd.

Okay, so I am a teacher, and I teach a course on World Religions. Sadly, I am constantly battling the ignorant stereotypes of my students about Islam. As I listen to my students make conclusions that all Muslims are terrorists, I have come to loathe stereotypes in all its forms. My student's conclusions are based on limited information - but to them, their feeling are very real and very valid. They base their stereotypes on what they have heard from others & what they have seen on TV. All they need to do is make connections between Islam and 9/11, and its nearly impossible to convince them otherwise. But they are wrong. And it is my passion as a teacher to broaden their horizons, and clear their minds of ignorance. I start by putting a stop to the sweeping, ignorant stereotypes.
So I apologize if it seems harsh Rosesarered, but I find your comments and stereotypes of Moroccans painfully ignorant. Yes I know you are not stereotyping Islam. But your attempt to stereotype all Moroccan men has a similar effect. You are perpetuating uneducated stereotypes about other cultures. And I do in fact find that, in and of itself, offensive and ignorant. Who are you to make authoritative statements about Moroccan men, just because you used poor judgement when you chose a husband?
It seems that you base your claims on your personal marriage. And yet we have no way of knowing the real reason your marriage ended. You might have been selfish, cold, or stubborn. Who knows? But we do know that you have absolved yourself of ANY responsibility by laying the claim that it was a scam, and that all Moroccan men are most likely scammers. You also make these ignorant claims based on your personal observations of the people who come to this website - As if that is some sort of conclusive study or set of statistics. And yet you have no idea what percentage of people involved in International Moroccan marriages actually come to this website. So your conclusions are totally skewed.
You might feel you are doing good to "warn others" about big bad Moroccan Scamming men. But its a shame you choose to "help others" by stereotyping other human beings, as opposed to, for example, taking personal responsibility for your choice. And although I really do respect the fact that you feel you are trying to help others. Stereotypes never accomplish anything beyond spreading ignorance and hate.

Relationships are relationships. And cultural differences can be as vast and varied between American couples as they are between international couples. Fear about the sincerity of your "true love's" intentions is a red flag, regardless of what country your beloved comes from. Significant age gaps will always pose unique challenges, just like marrying into vastly different socio-economic status will pose challenges, or different cultures, or different beliefs about how to raise children. And wise warnings from "people who've been there" will always fall on deaf ears - whether those ears belong to "highly attractive" older American woman marrying a younger Moroccan man, or whether they belong to a 17 year girl from California who wants to marry her high school sweetheart who lives next door, as soon as they graduates high school. A person should be no more cautious marrying someone from a "high fraud" country, than they should marrying someone from the US.
And what is "high fraud" anyway? So a man marries a woman for a visa? Is that so much more fraudulent than a man who marries a woman because she's hot? Maybe both are fraud. But if marrying for the wrong reasons constitutes "fraud" - then all Americans should be on high alert before marrying other Americans.
Lets be real. "MENA" marriages fail for the same reasons so many other do - selfishness. It comes in many forms and many languages. If your relationship is real, and you can learn to be selfless, it will work out...and if its not, it won't. Just like millions and millions of US marriages. As an adult, if you cannot tell the truth and reality and depth of your own relationships, then you are as likely to have an unsuccessful marriage to someone from Norway, as you are someone from Morocco. What I'm trying to say is this is not some mysterious phenomenon in Moroccan men. In these forums its we call it "fraud" - in America its called "irreconcilable differences" - but its the same thing.
Rosearered - you sound like a nice enough woman. And it sounds like your relationship, like so many others (both international & U.S.) ended qith you feeling deceived. You're not the first. You and 50+% of all American marriages end with someone feeling like they were used, unloved, and betrayed. And its genuinely sad that your marriage wasn't mean to be. But it wasn't because he was from Morocco. It was because it didn't work out, for many reasons which none of us know anything about. And the only people who know the truth about your relationship is your and your ex. And if blaming it on him being Moroccan makes you feel better, thats fine - but that's not why it ended.
Relationships are relationships - love is love - and marriages either last or they don't. But it has nothing to do with where anyone is from. Sure, its so much more convenient to blame marriages-gone-wrong on external factors (like being Moroccan) than to take personal responsibility. But lets all grow up. The success or failure of a marriage has everything to do with the 2 people involved, and their ability to make a good decision in whom they marry, and their mutual ability to love and care for one another. End of story.

Not sure what makes you an expert on the "worst places" to marry a foreigner...or where you get your statistics....? "Bcoz" it looks like you (or your spouse) is from Guyana, not Nigeria or Morocco.....and so I dare say I question your authority on the matter. But how to convince someone who is clearly prone to throw out sweeping generalizations & invented statistics? Ah the joys of anonymous internet forums. Where anyone can become an expert on anything, based on absolutely nothing. Sad but true.

Not sure what makes you an expert on the "worst places" to marry a foreigner...or where you get your statistics....? "Bcoz" it looks like you (or your spouse) is from Guyana, not Nigeria or Morocco.....and so I dare say I question your authority on the matter. But how to convince someone who is clearly prone to throw out sweeping generalizations & invented statistics? Ah the joys of anonymous internet forums. Where anyone can become an expert on anything, based on absolutely nothing. Sad but true.

Relationships are relationships. And cultural differences can be as vast and varied between American couples as they are between international couples. Fear about the sincerity of your "true love's" intentions is a red flag, regardless of what country your beloved comes from. Significant age gaps will always pose unique challenges, just like marrying into vastly different socio-economic status will pose challenges, or different cultures, or different beliefs about how to raise children. And wise warnings from "people who've been there" will always fall on deaf ears - whether those ears belong to "highly attractive" older American woman marrying a younger Moroccan man, or whether they belong to a 17 year girl from California who wants to marry her high school sweetheart who lives next door, as soon as they graduates high school. A person should be no more cautious marrying someone from a "high fraud" country, than they should marrying someone from the US.
And what is "high fraud" anyway? So a man marries a woman for a visa? Is that so much more fraudulent than a man who marries a woman because she's hot? Maybe both are fraud. But if marrying for the wrong reasons constitutes "fraud" - then all Americans should be on high alert before marrying other Americans.
Lets be real. "MENA" marriages fail for the same reasons so many other do - selfishness. It comes in many forms and many languages. If your relationship is real, and you can learn to be selfless, it will work out...and if its not, it won't. Just like millions and millions of US marriages. As an adult, if you cannot tell the truth and reality and depth of your own relationships, then you are as likely to have an unsuccessful marriage to someone from Norway, as you are someone from Morocco. What I'm trying to say is this is not some mysterious phenomenon in Moroccan men. In these forums its we call it "fraud" - in America its called "irreconcilable differences" - but its the same thing.
Rosearered - you sound like a nice enough woman. And it sounds like your relationship, like so many others (both international & U.S.) ended qith you feeling deceived. You're not the first. You and 50+% of all American marriages end with someone feeling like they were used, unloved, and betrayed. And its genuinely sad that your marriage wasn't mean to be. But it wasn't because he was from Morocco. It was because it didn't work out, for many reasons which none of us know anything about. And the only people who know the truth about your relationship is your and your ex. And if blaming it on him being Moroccan makes you feel better, thats fine - but that's not why it ended.
Relationships are relationships - love is love - and marriages either last or they don't. But it has nothing to do with where anyone is from. Sure, its so much more convenient to blame marriages-gone-wrong on external factors (like being Moroccan) than to take personal responsibility. But lets all grow up. The success or failure of a marriage has everything to do with the 2 people involved, and their ability to make a good decision in whom they marry, and their mutual ability to love and care for one another. End of story.

Relationships are relationships. And cultural differences can be as vast and varied between American couples as they are between international couples. Fear about the sincerity of your "true love's" intentions is a red flag, regardless of what country your beloved comes from. Significant age gaps will always pose unique challenges, just like marrying into vastly different socio-economic status will pose challenges, or different cultures, or different beliefs about how to raise children. And wise warnings from "people who've been there" will always fall on deaf ears - whether those ears belong to "highly attractive" older American woman marrying a younger Moroccan man, or whether they belong to a 17 year girl from California who wants to marry her high school sweetheart who lives next door, as soon as they graduates high school. A person should be no more cautious marrying someone from a "high fraud" country, than they should marrying someone from the US.
And what is "high fraud" anyway? So a man marries a woman for a visa? Is that so much more fraudulent than a man who marries a woman because she's hot? Maybe both are fraud. But if marrying for the wrong reasons constitutes "fraud" - then all Americans should be on high alert before marrying other Americans.
Lets be real. "MENA" marriages fail for the same reasons so many other do - selfishness. It comes in many forms and many languages. If your relationship is real, and you can learn to be selfless, it will work out...and if its not, it won't. Just like millions and millions of US marriages. As an adult, if you cannot tell the truth and reality and depth of your own relationships, then you are as likely to have an unsuccessful marriage to someone from Norway, as you are someone from Morocco. What I'm trying to say is this is not some mysterious phenomenon in Moroccan men. In these forums its we call it "fraud" - in America its called "irreconcilable differences" - but its the same thing.
Rosearered - you sound like a nice enough woman. And it sounds like your relationship, like so many others (both international & U.S.) ended qith you feeling deceived. You're not the first. You and 50+% of all American marriages end with someone feeling like they were used, unloved, and betrayed. And its genuinely sad that your marriage wasn't mean to be. But it wasn't because he was from Morocco. It was because it didn't work out, for many reasons which none of us know anything about. And the only people who know the truth about your relationship is your and your ex. And if blaming it on him being Moroccan makes you feel better, thats fine - but that's not why it ended.
Relationships are relationships - love is love - and marriages either last or they don't. But it has nothing to do with where anyone is from. Sure, its so much more convenient to blame marriages-gone-wrong on external factors (like being Moroccan) than to take personal responsibility. But lets all grow up. The success or failure of a marriage has everything to do with the 2 people involved, and their ability to make a good decision in whom they marry, and their mutual ability to love and care for one another. End of story.

Relationships are relationships. And cultural differences can be as vast and varied between American couples as they are between international couples. Fear about the sincerity of your "true love's" intentions is a red flag, regardless of what country your beloved comes from. Significant age gaps will always pose unique challenges, just like marrying into vastly different socio-economic status will pose challenges, or different cultures, or different beliefs about how to raise children. And wise warnings from "people who've been there" will always fall on deaf ears - whether those ears belong to "highly attractive" older American woman marrying a younger Moroccan man, or whether they belong to a 17 year girl from California who wants to marry her high school sweetheart who lives next door, as soon as they graduates high school. A person should be no more cautious marrying someone from a "high fraud" country, than they should marrying someone from the US.
And what is "high fraud" anyway? So a man marries a woman for a visa? Is that so much more fraudulent than a man who marries a woman because she's hot? Maybe both are fraud. But if marrying for the wrong reasons constitutes "fraud" - then all Americans should be on high alert before marrying other Americans.
Lets be real. "MENA" marriages fail for the same reasons so many other do - selfishness. It comes in many forms and many languages. If your relationship is real, and you can learn to be selfless, it will work out...and if its not, it won't. Just like millions and millions of US marriages. As an adult, if you cannot tell the truth and reality and depth of your own relationships, then you are as likely to have an unsuccessful marriage to someone from Norway, as you are someone from Morocco. What I'm trying to say is this is not some mysterious phenomenon in Moroccan men. In these forums its we call it "fraud" - in America its called "irreconcilable differences" - but its the same thing.
Rosearered - you sound like a nice enough woman. And it sounds like your relationship, like so many others (both international & U.S.) ended qith you feeling deceived. You're not the first. You and 50+% of all American marriages end with someone feeling like they were used, unloved, and betrayed. And its genuinely sad that your marriage wasn't mean to be. But it wasn't because he was from Morocco. It was because it didn't work out, for many reasons which none of us know anything about. And the only people who know the truth about your relationship is your and your ex. And if blaming it on him being Moroccan makes you feel better, thats fine - but that's not why it ended.
Relationships are relationships - love is love - and marriages either last or they don't. But it has nothing to do with where anyone is from. Sure, its so much more convenient to blame marriages-gone-wrong on external factors (like being Moroccan) than to take personal responsibility. But lets all grow up. The success or failure of a marriage has everything to do with the 2 people involved, and their ability to make a good decision in whom they marry, and their mutual ability to love and care for one another. End of story.

Relationships are relationships. And cultural differences can be as vast and varied between American couples as they are between international couples. Fear about the sincerity of your "true love's" intentions is a red flag, regardless of what country your beloved comes from. Significant age gaps will always pose unique challenges, just like marrying into vastly different socio-economic status will pose challenges, or different cultures, or different beliefs about how to raise children. And wise warnings from "people who've been there" will always fall on deaf ears - whether those ears belong to "highly attractive" older American woman marrying a younger Moroccan man, or whether they belong to a 17 year girl from California who wants to marry her high school sweetheart who lives next door, as soon as they graduates high school. A person should be no more cautious marrying someone from a "high fraud" country, than they should marrying someone from the US.
And what is "high fraud" anyway? So a man marries a woman for a visa? Is that so much more fraudulent than a man who marries a woman because she's hot? Maybe both are fraud. But if marrying for the wrong reasons constitutes "fraud" - then all Americans should be on high alert before marrying other Americans.
Lets be real. "MENA" marriages fail for the same reasons so many other do - selfishness. It comes in many forms and many languages. If your relationship is real, and you can learn to be selfless, it will work out...and if its not, it won't. Just like millions and millions of US marriages. As an adult, if you cannot tell the truth and reality and depth of your own relationships, then you are as likely to have an unsuccessful marriage to someone from Norway, as you are someone from Morocco. What I'm trying to say is this is not some mysterious phenomenon in Moroccan men. In these forums its we call it "fraud" - in America its called "irreconcilable differences" - but its the same thing.
Rosearered - you sound like a nice enough woman. And it sounds like your relationship, like so many others (both international & U.S.) ended qith you feeling deceived. You're not the first. You and 50+% of all American marriages end with someone feeling like they were used, unloved, and betrayed. And its genuinely sad that your marriage wasn't mean to be. But it wasn't because he was from Morocco. It was because it didn't work out, for many reasons which none of us know anything about. And the only people who know the truth about your relationship is your and your ex. And if blaming it on him being Moroccan makes you feel better, thats fine - but that's not why it ended.
Relationships are relationships - love is love - and marriages either last or they don't. But it has nothing to do with where anyone is from. Sure, its so much more convenient to blame marriages-gone-wrong on external factors (like being Moroccan) than to take personal responsibility. But lets all grow up. The success or failure of a marriage has everything to do with the 2 people involved, and their ability to make a good decision in whom they marry, and their mutual ability to love and care for one another. End of story.

Relationships are relationships. And cultural differences can be as vast and varied between American couples as they are between international couples. Fear about the sincerity of your "true love's" intentions is a red flag, regardless of what country your beloved comes from. Significant age gaps will always pose unique challenges, just like marrying into vastly different socio-economic status will pose challenges, or different cultures, or different beliefs about how to raise children. And wise warnings from "people who've been there" will always fall on deaf ears - whether those ears belong to "highly attractive" older American woman marrying a younger Moroccan man, or whether they belong to a 17 year girl from California who wants to marry her high school sweetheart who lives next door, as soon as they graduates high school. A person should be no more cautious marrying someone from a "high fraud" country, than they should marrying someone from the US.
And what is "high fraud" anyway? So a man marries a woman for a visa? Is that so much more fraudulent than a man who marries a woman because she's hot? Maybe both are fraud. But if marrying for the wrong reasons constitutes "fraud" - then all Americans should be on high alert before marrying other Americans.
Lets be real. "MENA" marriages fail for the same reasons so many other do - selfishness. It comes in many forms and many languages. If your relationship is real, and you can learn to be selfless, it will work out...and if its not, it won't. Just like millions and millions of US marriages. As an adult, if you cannot tell the truth and reality and depth of your own relationships, then you are as likely to have an unsuccessful marriage to someone from Norway, as you are someone from Morocco. What I'm trying to say is this is not some mysterious phenomenon in Moroccan men. In these forums its we call it "fraud" - in America its called "irreconcilable differences" - but its the same thing.
Rosearered - you sound like a nice enough woman. And it sounds like your relationship, like so many others (both international & U.S.) ended qith you feeling deceived. You're not the first. You and 50+% of all American marriages end with someone feeling like they were used, unloved, and betrayed. And its genuinely sad that your marriage wasn't mean to be. But it wasn't because he was from Morocco. It was because it didn't work out, for many reasons which none of us know anything about. And the only people who know the truth about your relationship is your and your ex. And if blaming it on him being Moroccan makes you feel better, thats fine - but that's not why it ended.
Relationships are relationships - love is love - and marriages either last or they don't. But it has nothing to do with where anyone is from. Sure, its so much more convenient to blame marriages-gone-wrong on external factors (like being Moroccan) than to take personal responsibility. But lets all grow up. The success or failure of a marriage has everything to do with the 2 people involved, and their ability to make a good decision in whom they marry, and their mutual ability to love and care for one another. End of story.

Relationships are relationships. And cultural differences can be as vast and varied between American couples as they are between international couples. Fear about the sincerity of your "true love's" intentions is a red flag, regardless of what country your beloved comes from. Significant age gaps will always pose unique challenges, just like marrying into vastly different socio-economic status will pose challenges, or different cultures, or different beliefs about how to raise children. And wise warnings from "people who've been there" will always fall on deaf ears - whether those ears belong to "highly attractive" older American woman marrying a younger Moroccan man, or whether they belong to a 17 year girl from California who wants to marry her high school sweetheart who lives next door, as soon as they graduates high school. A person should be no more cautious marrying someone from a "high fraud" country, than they should marrying someone from the US.
And what is "high fraud" anyway? So a man marries a woman for a visa? Is that so much more fraudulent than a man who marries a woman because she's hot? Maybe both are fraud. But if marrying for the wrong reasons constitutes "fraud" - then all Americans should be on high alert before marrying other Americans.
Lets be real. "MENA" marriages fail for the same reasons so many other do - selfishness. It comes in many forms and many languages. If your relationship is real, and you can learn to be selfless, it will work out...and if its not, it won't. Just like millions and millions of US marriages. As an adult, if you cannot tell the truth and reality and depth of your own relationships, then you are as likely to have an unsuccessful marriage to someone from Norway, as you are someone from Morocco. What I'm trying to say is this is not some mysterious phenomenon in Moroccan men. In these forums its we call it "fraud" - in America its called "irreconcilable differences" - but its the same thing.
Rosearered - you sound like a nice enough woman. And it sounds like your relationship, like so many others (both international & U.S.) ended qith you feeling deceived. You're not the first. You and 50+% of all American marriages end with someone feeling like they were used, unloved, and betrayed. And its genuinely sad that your marriage wasn't mean to be. But it wasn't because he was from Morocco. It was because it didn't work out, for many reasons which none of us know anything about. And the only people who know the truth about your relationship is your and your ex. And if blaming it on him being Moroccan makes you feel better, thats fine - but that's not why it ended.
Relationships are relationships - love is love - and marriages either last or they don't. But it has nothing to do with where anyone is from. Sure, its so much more convenient to blame marriages-gone-wrong on external factors (like being Moroccan) than to take personal responsibility. But lets all grow up. The success or failure of a marriage has everything to do with the 2 people involved, and their ability to make a good decision in whom they marry, and their mutual ability to love and care for one another. End of story.

Oooo...Its been a while since we've had a juicy topic like this...
Rosesarered, based on your conclusions about Moroccan men, you probably shouldn't trust this Moroccan man "friend" that's telling you to beware of Moroccan men. He's probably be doing the very same thing that all Moroccan men who "befriend" older American women are doing, he's just trying to snag a visa. my thoughts to you Rosesarered is to cut your losses and stop trusting ANY Moroccan man that would be "friends" with a non-virgin, over age 30, American woman -including your current Moroccan man friend who's so kindly warning you about Moroccan men.

Oooo...Its been a while since we've had a juicy topic like this...
Rosesarered, based on your conclusions about Moroccan men, you probably shouldn't trust this Moroccan man "friend" that's telling you to beware of Moroccan men. He's probably be doing the very same thing that all Moroccan men who "befriend" older American women are doing, he's just trying to snag a visa. my thoughts to you Rosesarered is to cut your losses and stop trusting ANY Moroccan man that would be "friends" with a non-virgin, over age 30, American woman -including your current Moroccan man friend who's so kindly warning you about Moroccan men.

This thread meets all the marks. SuperMENAmen wise beyond their (young) ages, a healthy amount of "My Mohammad is totes different", and a drizzle of "American mens are all lousy slobs". I feel an American Queen lurking out there, just waiting for the right time to
make its entrance though.

Adding, I am actually a couple years older than my husband. (insert token phrase about gee, it's a good thing he's such an old soul and I'm not really all that grown up, and am lucky to look so much younger, etc etc)

I really don't wanna brag, and I know there are a lot of haters out there...but who cares...here's my story....
We drive a 2011 Nissan Rogue S, with a light gray interior which we keep imaculately clean by using 2 rounds of "$1 for 5 minutes" of vaccuming at a local car wash that costs $12 a wash, but we spare no expense because we love each other so much.
We live in my parents Basement and enjoy 3 full rooms, a double shower bathroom and a living room, all decorated to my parent's taste, which shows just how much we love each other.
Sometimes my husband drives my parents spare car, a 1999 Mercury Villager Sport Edition. It doesn't have a working clock but it does have a leather interior which of course shows how much we love each other.
Once a week we get a take and bake pizza from Papa Murphys, half Chicken Garlic and half "Papa's favorite" minus the pepperoni. Then we cook it in a Double Wolf Convect oven that belongs to my parents, and then we eat our pizza using sturdy DIXIE paper plates because we love each other so much.
Sometime we go to the mall and I buy new shirts at Maurices that cost an average of $29.99 which of course proves we are so blissfully in love.
Yesterday we bought a HeatDish space heater by PRESTO, for $24.99, to help keep our basement bedroom warm. We paid cash which of course proves we are so blissfully in love.
The point is, I am not not bragging and don't want to make anyone jealous, but sometimes you just have to convince others in order to really convince yourself how blissfully wonderous your life is. To the OP - be strong, stay the course, a thousand points of light, and maybe someday your marriage will be as blissfully perfect as mine. Good luck Girlfriend.

Although your degree in International Relations, is no doubt as impressive as the fact that you were "an attractive girl who got lots of Western guy's attention and did not fall into the stereotype of being frumpy, obese, or an older woman desperately in love with a younger man" - your knowledge about the demographics of Islam is not so impressive. In point of fact, only about 15% of Muslims are Arab. So the correlations you keep making with Islam and Arab culture is, quite frankly, rather ignorant to the breadth of Islamic culture. It appears that you are basing the vast and sweeping generalizations regarding Islam, (and your obvious disdain for "non-ethnic white girls" raising their children as Muslims,) on a classically ignorant stereotype that all Muslims must be Arab. A rookie mistake for a Master in International Relations.
And for all your degrees, in continuing to make correlations with MENA men and Arab culture, you seem surprisingly unaware that there are entire ethnic groups in the MENA region that are not even Arab....and there are plenty of women here that are married to non-Arab MENA men. The Berbers for example, are not Arab, and make up a good percentage of the actual ehnic make-up of North Africa. Iranians are not Arab. So clumping all men in this region into the Arab ethnicity and culture shows, yet again, a lack of real understanding about the region you claim to have such insight into.
And that's to say nothing of the nonsense of stereotyping ANY ethnic group in its entirety, period. The Arabic "cultural norms" you claim to understand, are in reality, so diverse and varied depending on the country, its ridiculous to suggest that your isolated experience with an Arab from Lebanon gives you insight into all Arabic men. Its like someone marrying a guy from the Southern U.S. claiming to understand how all American men behave. Its totally different in different regions, families etc.
Clearly you have a lot more internal healing to do. You may want to start by forgiving yourself for being duped by the lowlife you married. Railing on MENA men is only a temporary fix. Once you stop blaming everything else, you can own your part in the disaster, and realize you were too young to see the screaming red flags (for any relationship, MENA or not). I think only then can you forgive yourself, and forget him, and stop letting this relationship poison your life. And I know, you are over it already. But the fury with which you write would suggest otherwise. Best wishes in your journey.

Although your degree in International Relations, is no doubt as impressive as the fact that you were "an attractive girl who got lots of Western guy's attention and did not fall into the stereotype of being frumpy, obese, or an older woman desperately in love with a younger man" - your knowledge about the demographics of Islam is not so impressive. In point of fact, only about 15% of Muslims are Arab. So the correlations you keep making with Islam and Arab culture is, quite frankly, rather ignorant to the breadth of Islamic culture. It appears that you are basing the vast and sweeping generalizations regarding Islam, (and your obvious disdain for "non-ethnic white girls" raising their children as Muslims,) on a classically ignorant stereotype that all Muslims must be Arab. A rookie mistake for a Master in International Relations.
And for all your degrees, in continuing to make correlations with MENA men and Arab culture, you seem surprisingly unaware that there are entire ethnic groups in the MENA region that are not even Arab....and there are plenty of women here that are married to non-Arab MENA men. The Berbers for example, are not Arab, and make up a good percentage of the actual ehnic make-up of North Africa. Iranians are not Arab. So clumping all men in this region into the Arab ethnicity and culture shows, yet again, a lack of real understanding about the region you claim to have such insight into.
And that's to say nothing of the nonsense of stereotyping ANY ethnic group in its entirety, period. The Arabic "cultural norms" you claim to understand, are in reality, so diverse and varied depending on the country, its ridiculous to suggest that your isolated experience with an Arab from Lebanon gives you insight into all Arabic men. Its like someone marrying a guy from the Southern U.S. claiming to understand how all American men behave. Its totally different in different regions, families etc.
Clearly you have a lot more internal healing to do. You may want to start by forgiving yourself for being duped by the lowlife you married. Railing on MENA men is only a temporary fix. Once you stop blaming everything else, you can own your part in the disaster, and realize you were too young to see the screaming red flags (for any relationship, MENA or not). I think only then can you forgive yourself, and forget him, and stop letting this relationship poison your life. And I know, you are over it already. But the fury with which you write would suggest otherwise. Best wishes in your journey.

I rest my case OP. I do believe the name calling, the condescension, the immaturity, the irrational venom, the combative baiting and general lack respect with which you respond to others in your posts speaks for itself. I'd just like to leave you with a wise quote...
Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony. (Mahatma Gandhi) Cheers!

I agree with Sandinista....trying to reason with someone like the OP is folly. Her frequent mentions of her "attractiveness to western men", extensive education, and cultural savvy, are nothing more than a sad, and desperate attempt to set herself above us all, and give herself credibility and authority...a vain grasping attempt to conceal tragic insecurities that are glaringly obvious to everyone but her. "Methinks thou doth profess too much." She is desperate to validate her bad choice, by laying full blame on all MENA men. And anyone who has received one of her delightfully venomous replies, surely can sense that perhaps there is much more to this "tragic" tale, that just a scummy husband who went awol. At first it was the lowlife scammer "sometimes abuser" that left her to live and do business with some old man....then suddenly she was the confident champion who could have stayed with him, but chose to leave him. With each story change I am more confident that the we are not actually getting the real story at all.
I'm sure its enraging have her theory shattered. A theory which I'm sure at one time probably made her feel better, and less foolish. The theory is that "the majority" of MENA relationships are as dysfunctional as hers was. It must be awful to learn that in fact, it was actually your own poor choice that landed you a bad egg, and not be able to blame MENA men in general. Because as long as she came blame the lot of them, then she doesn't have to acknowledge that perhaps she was just foolish, and made a rotten choice for a husband. Misery loves company. And I'm sure our stories, and our wonderful, good MENA husbands & relationships must just irk her to the core....hence the defensive lashing out, and desperate attempts to belittle and discredit everyone who disagrees with her. I think the nature of the OP's replies (and original post to begin with) gives us more insight than anything to the truth behind the words ....if you catch my drift.

Although your degree in International Relations, is no doubt as impressive as the fact that you were "an attractive girl who got lots of Western guy's attention and did not fall into the stereotype of being frumpy, obese, or an older woman desperately in love with a younger man" - your knowledge about the demographics of Islam is not so impressive. In point of fact, only about 15% of Muslims are Arab. So the correlations you keep making with Islam and Arab culture is, quite frankly, rather ignorant to the breadth of Islamic culture. It appears that you are basing the vast and sweeping generalizations regarding Islam, (and your obvious disdain for "non-ethnic white girls" raising their children as Muslims,) on a classically ignorant stereotype that all Muslims must be Arab. A rookie mistake for a Master in International Relations.
And for all your degrees, in continuing to make correlations with MENA men and Arab culture, you seem surprisingly unaware that there are entire ethnic groups in the MENA region that are not even Arab....and there are plenty of women here that are married to non-Arab MENA men. The Berbers for example, are not Arab, and make up a good percentage of the actual ehnic make-up of North Africa. Iranians are not Arab. So clumping all men in this region into the Arab ethnicity and culture shows, yet again, a lack of real understanding about the region you claim to have such insight into.
And that's to say nothing of the nonsense of stereotyping ANY ethnic group in its entirety, period. The Arabic "cultural norms" you claim to understand, are in reality, so diverse and varied depending on the country, its ridiculous to suggest that your isolated experience with an Arab from Lebanon gives you insight into all Arabic men. Its like someone marrying a guy from the Southern U.S. claiming to understand how all American men behave. Its totally different in different regions, families etc.
Clearly you have a lot more internal healing to do. You may want to start by forgiving yourself for being duped by the lowlife you married. Railing on MENA men is only a temporary fix. Once you stop blaming everything else, you can own your part in the disaster, and realize you were too young to see the screaming red flags (for any relationship, MENA or not). I think only then can you forgive yourself, and forget him, and stop letting this relationship poison your life. And I know, you are over it already. But the fury with which you write would suggest otherwise. Best wishes in your journey.

I agree with Sandinista....trying to reason with someone like the OP is folly. Her frequent mentions of her "attractiveness to western men", extensive education, and cultural savvy, are nothing more than a sad, and desperate attempt to set herself above us all, and give herself credibility and authority...a vain grasping attempt to conceal tragic insecurities that are glaringly obvious to everyone but her. "Methinks thou doth profess too much." She is desperate to validate her bad choice, by laying full blame on all MENA men. And anyone who has received one of her delightfully venomous replies, surely can sense that perhaps there is much more to this "tragic" tale, that just a scummy husband who went awol. At first it was the lowlife scammer "sometimes abuser" that left her to live and do business with some old man....then suddenly she was the confident champion who could have stayed with him, but chose to leave him. With each story change I am more confident that the we are not actually getting the real story at all.
I'm sure its enraging have her theory shattered. A theory which I'm sure at one time probably made her feel better, and less foolish. The theory is that "the majority" of MENA relationships are as dysfunctional as hers was. It must be awful to learn that in fact, it was actually your own poor choice that landed you a bad egg, and not be able to blame MENA men in general. Because as long as she came blame the lot of them, then she doesn't have to acknowledge that perhaps she was just foolish, and made a rotten choice for a husband. Misery loves company. And I'm sure our stories, and our wonderful, good MENA husbands & relationships must just irk her to the core....hence the defensive lashing out, and desperate attempts to belittle and discredit everyone who disagrees with her. I think the nature of the OP's replies (and original post to begin with) gives us more insight than anything to the truth behind the words ....if you catch my drift.

Although your degree in International Relations, is no doubt as impressive as the fact that you were "an attractive girl who got lots of Western guy's attention and did not fall into the stereotype of being frumpy, obese, or an older woman desperately in love with a younger man" - your knowledge about the demographics of Islam is not so impressive. In point of fact, only about 15% of Muslims are Arab. So the correlations you keep making with Islam and Arab culture is, quite frankly, rather ignorant to the breadth of Islamic culture. It appears that you are basing the vast and sweeping generalizations regarding Islam, (and your obvious disdain for "non-ethnic white girls" raising their children as Muslims,) on a classically ignorant stereotype that all Muslims must be Arab. A rookie mistake for a Master in International Relations.
And for all your degrees, in continuing to make correlations with MENA men and Arab culture, you seem surprisingly unaware that there are entire ethnic groups in the MENA region that are not even Arab....and there are plenty of women here that are married to non-Arab MENA men. The Berbers for example, are not Arab, and make up a good percentage of the actual ehnic make-up of North Africa. Iranians are not Arab. So clumping all men in this region into the Arab ethnicity and culture shows, yet again, a lack of real understanding about the region you claim to have such insight into.
And that's to say nothing of the nonsense of stereotyping ANY ethnic group in its entirety, period. The Arabic "cultural norms" you claim to understand, are in reality, so diverse and varied depending on the country, its ridiculous to suggest that your isolated experience with an Arab from Lebanon gives you insight into all Arabic men. Its like someone marrying a guy from the Southern U.S. claiming to understand how all American men behave. Its totally different in different regions, families etc.
Clearly you have a lot more internal healing to do. You may want to start by forgiving yourself for being duped by the lowlife you married. Railing on MENA men is only a temporary fix. Once you stop blaming everything else, you can own your part in the disaster, and realize you were too young to see the screaming red flags (for any relationship, MENA or not). I think only then can you forgive yourself, and forget him, and stop letting this relationship poison your life. And I know, you are over it already. But the fury with which you write would suggest otherwise. Best wishes in your journey.

I rest my case OP. I do believe the name calling, the condescension, the immaturity, the irrational venom, the combative baiting and general lack respect with which you respond to others in your posts speaks for itself. I'd just like to leave you with a wise quote...
Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony. (Mahatma Gandhi) Cheers!