crazyinEgypt

I'm not being disrespectful in any way shape or form, but I've yet to see a day for Christians at any theme parks. Don't get me wrong, myself being married to a muslim man, I totally and completely repect his religion, but he honestly was shocked when I called him up to talk to him about this a few moments ago. Since he's been here he's realized that we as Americans cannot do many things that our great-grandparents did because we will offend someone. Honestly, this does offend me. I googled this Muslim day at Six Flags and the workers cannot even where shorts because they might offend someone! Come on! We are in American, the land of the free!!!!! I'm offended because since other religions are offended, we cannot as Christians celebrate Christmas without someone being offended. Put a Christmas tree or a cross up and OMG!

http://209.157.64.201/focus/f-news/2095670/posts

The Signal Santa Clarita ^ | 30 SEPT 2008 | Melissa Gasca

Posted on Thursday, October 02, 2008 7:42:24 AM by BCW

It's Muslim Day at Six Flags Magic Mountain on Saturday and Santa Clarita resident A.J. Jones is curious to know if the park hosted other religious events in the past.

This is Magic Mountain's first year hosting Muslim Family day. It is far from its first time hosting a religious event, said park spokeswoman Sue Carpenter.

"I think it's great as long as they open it up to everyone," said Jones, whose friend works at the park. Jones is concerned the park's supervisors asked the employees to wear pants Saturday to cover their legs despite the unusually high heat. "I think its kind of strange," Jones said. "It's been so hot for pants."

But Carpenter said not to worry.

"Out of respect, we request the employees wear their uniform pants, instead of their shorts," Carpenter said. "It is only a request, it is not mandatory."

The Islamic Circle of North America requested the day as a celebration for end of Ramadan. Muslim Family Day comes just five days after the end of Ramadan, a Muslim religious observance in which participating Muslims fast from dawn until sunset.

Park officials will try to meet the Muslim group's needs as it does with any other group, Carpenter said.

"There will be a plethora of things to do for the youth and the entire family including halal food stalls, ethnic bazaar and family entertainment" the event's Web site states.

The group is hosting Muslim Family and Youth Days in seven other United States cities this fall.

All those who attend will take part in what the group claims is "The largest American Muslim event."

The theme park expects a busy day Saturday and the park will remain open to the general public and host the first day of its annual Halloween Fright Fest, Carpenter said.

And not that anyone cares, but in the US I liked Pepsi (pebsi) but here ooo it's so nasty! Coke all the way!

yeah, why is that? I noticed that too

Yes that is what the article said : Curiosity about whether they are going to distribute this in USA and if so are they going to offer cans highlighting Christianity and Judaism.

While I do think this is a very cool idea, I think if they were to distribute these in the U.S there would be a big protest. After all, the cross cannot be on anything without "offending" someone. Maybe have decorated cans with different religions on them. We are after all a country of blending religions.

Regardless of what they decide, I'm sure there will be protest.

The list could go on and on. Illegal immigrants really burns me. Actually, the fact that many legal immigrants come here and get food stamps, free this and that burns me as well. I guess I feel that if a person is willing to immigrate to another country they need to be willing to support themselves. Do other countries support the U.S citizen if we were to move to their country?

Welfare is ok for those that need it, and I mean really need it and it should be for a certain time frame. Get in the system and get out.

While I do think this is a very cool idea, I think if they were to distribute these in the U.S there would be a big protest. After all, the cross cannot be on anything without "offending" someone. Maybe have decorated cans with different religions on them. We are after all a country of blending religions.

Why is it the MENA men think they can drive when they clearly cannot? My husband has been here over 2 years. He never drove in Egypt and didn't even know where the accelorator or brake was on the car! We started driving in parking lots which scared the he$$ out of me. I guess he thinks he's a nascar driver. He crashed my older car in the curb numerous times and crashed my new car into the curb too! He doesn't get it. When I tell him to slow down it's like his brain isn't processing the slow down part at all. Now he's been driving his MENA friends around whom all think he's an awesome driver! WTH? And now he says as soon as he gets his license he'll take my nieces and nephews to school in the morning! I don't think so! He even gets mad at me when I don't let him drive my newer car. I'm sorry Terrie. I can totally sympathize with you. It sucks.

I get what you are saying and I thought that would be true.. But now I am not so sure. I did drive in Tunis and I would say it's the worst place in the world to drive except Cairo... Now that said I have a lot of Egyptian friends here and love them as I might, I absolutely fear getting into the car with them. They learned to drive in Egypt and they drive here and it frightens me. It's because their driving style is adapted to Egypt - and although the roads might not be that way here, they are still driving aggressively and recklessly here... Which can cause, as Terrie said, someone feeling like they are driving with a crazy person.

I'm sure some people can adapt their driving style when they get here.. But not everyone is like that.. sometimes it's a matter of being taught to drive all over again! For instance said Egyptian friends can't understand why you can't pass someone on the right (not a multi lane highway) and why we have to pass on the left..Even though I've explained its' because they could be turning at any time and if someone is making a right hand turn and they fail to signal or you don't notice, and you pass them on the right.. well.. boom..

Yassmine2878...I want to tell you that baby is precious!!!!!!!! and i wanted to name our baby girl Mehdi someday

nice choice!

as for mrs. chauffer....i can see why his driving skills are so bad...you ever driven over there???

I have and believe me if you think driving in NY will kill you

if i could drive over there, esp in CASA i can drive anywhere

goodluck!

My husband's friend that he knew for years in Egypt now lives in PA. He took the written test 11 times! The people knew who he was and just automatically directed him to the seat at the computer by name when he came in. When the guy passed the test, the man working at the desk shouted out Yessssssssss!!!!!!!!!!! Well to make a long story short, when this dude went to take his drivers test, he failed, he was acting all cool and sat there with one hand on the steering wheel, no seat belt and never looked to his mirrors. When the man failed him, told him to just get out of the car, he was telling him he never glanced at the mirrors. The guy said, "Sir in Egypt, there are no mirrors, they are all torn off the cars!"

I know this is a corny story but it sooooooooooooo reminded me of my hubby's friend when you said you were scared to get in the car with Egyptian friends!

Ha! That's when I say "sweetie, you're not in Egypt anymore"

how old are your twins? regardless, 3-5 hours on the computer, plus 2+ hours on the phone is ridiculous and downright rude and negligent when there's children to be taken care of. there's no reason whatsoever for you to be getting tired out taking care of them because he's on the computer.

Our twins will be 2 next month. I try to realize that in his culture men don't do much regarding taking care of the kids. I've told him on numerous occasions how I feel and that it's BS. He does the bit about him going out to work, but I'm still over doubling his income. I dunno, maybe I'm just at the breaking point right now because honestly I don't think how I feel is wrong.

Do you have friends and/or family that have more equitable relationships than yours in terms of responsibilities? Is he aware of how things work for them? What does he think of it?

Oh yeah. We'll visit others (american) and see how things are in the home and I'll make comments on how the husband did such and such. Ironically when anyone comes to our house he's all about helping. When we go to any of his arab friends home it's a totally different scenerio though. The men sit and yab while the woman run around.

how old are your twins? regardless, 3-5 hours on the computer, plus 2+ hours on the phone is ridiculous and downright rude and negligent when there's children to be taken care of. there's no reason whatsoever for you to be getting tired out taking care of them because he's on the computer.

Our twins will be 2 next month. I try to realize that in his culture men don't do much regarding taking care of the kids. I've told him on numerous occasions how I feel and that it's BS. He does the bit about him going out to work, but I'm still over doubling his income. I dunno, maybe I'm just at the breaking point right now because honestly I don't think how I feel is wrong.

I certainly can understand my husband wanting to talk to his family in Egypt, and even his friends, but when I have to change our calling plan on a monthly basis because he talks so much it tends to get on my nerves. We seriously need mobile to mobile! Maybe it's just me being a tired out mom. The twins are about to get the best of me!

Is the issue you have with it just the phone plan? Or is it the time spent? Or both?

If its just the phone plan my husbands family took some weird thing over to them, and now all he has to do is call a local number for him to talk. Granted it takes minutes on the cell, but if he uses the land line it is just like calling any place in our town.

If it is both then yes, you could probably have a nice conversation with him asking to spend more of the free time with you, and the times you are busy he can talk to family.

I don't know what else might help, just a compromise.

My issue is him talking so much. Last month he talked a total of 100 hours. Do the math. I'm sure I'm struggling right now for attention. I just want time with my husband.

I certainly can understand my husband wanting to talk to his family in Egypt, and even his friends, but when I have to change our calling plan on a monthly basis because he talks so much it tends to get on my nerves. We seriously need mobile to mobile! Maybe it's just me being a tired out mom. The twins are about to get the best of me!

I don't feel it's a red flag at all since I do know who he's talking to. It's just annoying. I just want to spend time with my husband sometimes!!!

I thought about making this into a poll, but since I'm only wanting the input from MENA members I chose not to.

I've been discussing this with many of my friends married to MENA men and it appears I'm not alone. So here's my stats. My husband is on the phone between 3-5 hours a day. No, there is no eggareration here. He's also on the computer at least 2 hours in which he's usually on the phone talking too! He knows how irritated I get by this, but it doesn't seem to bother him until I am on the phone or computer! Before anyone yells "Red flag" I know for a fact that he's talking to relatives and other arab friends of his. He says it's an arab thing to do. (talk a lot) Input?

Mine goes both ways. Odd I know. If I've ate too much it's an outtie. Any other time it's an innie. It was never like this till I got pregnant with the twins.

My thought is this. I want my husband to be proud that I am his wife. If I were to go out with no make-up and didn't dress nice I can see people saying my husband is with a ugly woman. When I make myself look nice (and I do dress very modest and I don't wear a lot of make-up) it's not that I want other men to look at me, but it's that I want them to think my husband has a nice looking wife.

that's right Alhamdulillah. The only ppl that *need* to see u all "purtiefied" is ur family and especially ur husband since he's the one that gets the joy of looking at you without u being fully covered. Think of it this way... what sense does it make to get beautiful for the world and make ur husband look at you looking like a horses butt? (disclaimer: I wasn't aiming that phrase towards anyone here or insinuating that any of us look like an actual horses butt)

To me it makes more sense to be appealing to ur husband and less appealing to the outside world since u want ur husband to be attracted to u and not anyone else...right?

I want to look good for my husband regardless of the location. If I go out with my husband without my make-up I'm sure my husband will be 50 feet away from me! I would think that a man would want their wife to look good when he's out with her.

eta: in islam that is one of the reasons a woman is to cover. It hides her beauty (or the lack thereof) from everyone so they don't know what u look like. this preserves you for only your husband. Does that make sense?

That made me laugh!

I want to look good for my husband regardless of the location. If I go out with my husband without my make-up I'm sure my husband will be 50 feet away from me! I would think that a man would want their wife to look good when he's out with her.

As a Christian, Christianity is my way of life just as Islam is my husbands way of life. He'll do things with me at my church and I'll go the EID celebrations (and then get pushed off with all the woman that ignore me) I don't know. Maybe there is a certain religion for every person. I am curious about Islam, don't get me wrong, but the women around here are a big turn off for me. Too bad I don't live closer to Boston.

So sorry to hear you are having such a problem with the ladies! That sounds terrible! And you are sure it is their attitude and not the result of some language barrier or something like this? You could maybe go to the mosque and talk to the imam if you are interested in learning more and surely he could put you in touch with some well-meaning women?

It's the attitude since the majority of the woman speak english. It's an "I'm better than you" attitude. My husband has even mentioned it.

That's not what I meant. Can you honstly say you would have looked at the idea of becoming a muslim if you hadn't found love with someone of that faith? Your personal story is of course unusual because you went through with it even while you weren't sure you would ever meet him again but that doesn't change the fact that it was through a love affair that you found Islam.

I am not suggesting that anyone's SO's held them at gunpoint or even mentally manipulated them (although I am sure that does happen sometimes) but to say you did it simply for yourself is surprising.

In a way my love for him did influence me bc I wanted to know more about the religion that influenced just about every part of his life. So yes, I don't know if I would have found this faith otherwise.

But at the same time yes, I can honestly and without reservations say that I converted simply for myself and would continue following my beliefs with or without my husband in my life and did.

that's a good point too. I dated a man who was Lutheran once. I don't think he even went to church come to think of it. His religion really wasn't a big part of his life so I never had the urge to look into it. With Islam, especially if the man is praying salat 5 times a day and is following it to the best of his ability, it's very hard NOT to be curious about what it's all about because it's not just a place you go to each Sunday it's a way of life.

What about the good morals of Christians? Not all Christians just go to church on Sundays, just as all muslims do not go to the mosque. As you mentioned it is a way of life. I know good Christians and the hypocritical Christians just as I know good Muslims and hypocritical Muslims. I'm just finding it very difficult to even learn about Islam except from my husband. It would be wonderful to have Muslim women help out another woman that is curious about Islam, but not around this area. The only thing I've heard is how disgraceful it is for my husband to be with a Christian. Which in turn my husband has told them I'm more of a Muslim than they are because I'm not criticizing them.

I never said that all Christians just go to church on Sundays. I guess I didn't get my point across properly. Islam is a way of life and influences soooo much of day to day activities, much moreso than Christianity does imho. My husband follows sunnah to the best of his ability and it's down to the minute details like what foot he enters the bathroom with, what he says when he walks into the house and when he leaves the house, saying bismillah before eating, saying so many many duas throughout the day depending on what he is doing, what he eats and does not eat, how he dresses, and so much more. Honestly to live with someone who's religion affects his actions every minute of every day it seems impossible that one would not want to dive deep into studying the whys, you know?

And if you lived in Boston I would most certainly meet you for tea/coffee and introduce you to some mosques around the area, give you a copy of the Quran and go with you to whatever classes I could get to. Many of the women who are muslim in my area would do the same as well.

As a Christian, Christianity is my way of life just as Islam is my husbands way of life. He'll do things with me at my church and I'll go the EID celebrations (and then get pushed off with all the woman that ignore me) I don't know. Maybe there is a certain religion for every person. I am curious about Islam, don't get me wrong, but the women around here are a big turn off for me. Too bad I don't live closer to Boston.

Love the song, but I hate the mmmmmwwwahhhhhh at the beginning of the song.

Why do MENA VJ members argue and fight so much with each other all the time? Why can't we all get along. I come in peace.

Looks as if you came in peace to stir the pot

Anything that enhances ur beauty actually doesnt comply with the meaning of hijab -not attracting men to look at u- but i do add some concealor but i make sure not to add any colors to my face or make it attractive. On the other hand i do wear makeup at home; dress nice n im always looking my best

Once again I'm a bit confused. So you're not supposed to look pretty as a women when you go out in public? I guess I'm reverse. I don't wear make-up at home because I don't see the need and I wear make-up in public so I don't scare the neighbors.

That's not what I meant. Can you honstly say you would have looked at the idea of becoming a muslim if you hadn't found love with someone of that faith? Your personal story is of course unusual because you went through with it even while you weren't sure you would ever meet him again but that doesn't change the fact that it was through a love affair that you found Islam.

I am not suggesting that anyone's SO's held them at gunpoint or even mentally manipulated them (although I am sure that does happen sometimes) but to say you did it simply for yourself is surprising.

In a way my love for him did influence me bc I wanted to know more about the religion that influenced just about every part of his life. So yes, I don't know if I would have found this faith otherwise.

But at the same time yes, I can honestly and without reservations say that I converted simply for myself and would continue following my beliefs with or without my husband in my life and did.

that's a good point too. I dated a man who was Lutheran once. I don't think he even went to church come to think of it. His religion really wasn't a big part of his life so I never had the urge to look into it. With Islam, especially if the man is praying salat 5 times a day and is following it to the best of his ability, it's very hard NOT to be curious about what it's all about because it's not just a place you go to each Sunday it's a way of life.

What about the good morals of Christians? Not all Christians just go to church on Sundays, just as all muslims do not go to the mosque. As you mentioned it is a way of life. I know good Christians and the hypocritical Christians just as I know good Muslims and hypocritical Muslims. I'm just finding it very difficult to even learn about Islam except from my husband. It would be wonderful to have Muslim women help out another woman that is curious about Islam, but not around this area. The only thing I've heard is how disgraceful it is for my husband to be with a Christian. Which in turn my husband has told them I'm more of a Muslim than they are because I'm not criticizing them.

Thank you for explaining that more to me Alhamdulillah . I think this is what my husband was trying to tell me, but didn't know how to get the words out correctly.

Amal, can you please show a picture of these gauntlets? I keep thinking of something from the midevil times when I think of a gauntlet.

and I thought those were always long t-shirts

Waterproof makeup I actually love some of the islamic clothing styles. I bought so many tops and dresses when I was in Egypt. I must say that's the one thing I like about Egypt. You can go out shopping and not have to worry about seeing everyones crack hanging out of their pants or the breasts about to pop out of their shirts. I must say that Americans need to learn about modesty.

Do they sell waterproof under eye concealer and blush?

I tend to sweat and have extra oil under my eyes. I've been using a waterprrof undereye concealer by Mayelline that I love! For blush I use Blushsense. That stays on too! I also use an eyeliner by Lancome that stays on from the time I put it on, till I take it off. I can't even wash that off, I have to use eye makeup remover. I supposed when I put my make-up on, I want it to stay on.

Waterproof makeup I actually love some of the islamic clothing styles. I bought so many tops and dresses when I was in Egypt. I must say that's the one thing I like about Egypt. You can go out shopping and not have to worry about seeing everyones crack hanging out of their pants or the breasts about to pop out of their shirts. I must say that Americans need to learn about modesty.

When our twins were born my husband had decided from the beginning that our son would be circumcised in the hospital. He was 5 or 6 when he was circumcised and he said he would not do that to his son. He remembers people holding him down and his dad circumcising him. Poor guy.

As a non-muslim married to a muslim, I have few innocent questions if you ladies will please help me out. My husband tried explaining to me, but i just don't understand) Is there something in the Qu'ran that specifically states woman cannot where make-up? I'm a bit puzzled reading about the ladies that do not wear make-up because when I lived in Egypt many woman wore make-up. I would always comment to my husband how beautiful the faces of some of the woman looked in their colorful hijabs. I love how they do their eyes with the kohl too. My husband has never mentioned anything to me regarding my make-up and I really like to play up my eyes and I have to wear lipstick, although I chose to wear light colored lipstick. Is a lighter color lipstick allowed? Like a more fleshlike color? I apologize if my question is stupid, I just really want to know. Thanks ladies!

Amal, can you please show a picture of these gauntlets? I keep thinking of something from the midevil times when I think of a gauntlet.