Western Arab

Was at the mall today. I wasn’t in there for five minutes and I see a Muslim couple with their children. We pass each other. Normal as anything else, until some random woman walks to me and says something. I didn’t really understand what she said at first. So she tells me again, looks at the Muslim couple that passed me, points to them and says the ones that wear that on their head, he makes her walk behind him. What the heck? How do I respond to this woman?

So I tell her, they look like they are walking side by side to me. She said no they aren’t, they always do that. wtf?! They? always? Who is she talking about? This woman has no clue that I am a muslim and is telling me what we always do? I didn’t know how to respond to her but I said something like you don’t know that. And she maybe realized that I may be muslim, gave a “I don’t know” look, shut her mouth, and walked away.

I was surprised that a strange woman would walk up to me and say things like this. She doesn’t know me. How can she just openly admit her discrimination? A dumb ignorant woman. I should of said something like I can’t wait to make my wife walk behind me. I am a Muslim! Walk behind me woman!

She was probably mad because she can’t get a husband to walk behind.

What ever happened to “behind every great man is a great woman”? I suppose if you are Muslim, you should walk as a family all side by side and block the entire isle. Ever thought that maybe the woman was stopping to look at crap to buy? Or maybe she walks a little slower and can’t keep up?

For the record, we don’t do make our women walk behind us.

we will never submit. we will never leave. we will never be silenced. we will never forget.

لن نخضع لن نرحل لن نسكوت لن ننسى

Video of Sami Yusuf’s “We will never submit”.

Got my 4 gigs of RAM for the macbook. Ended up going with xp 32 bit on vmware fusion. Working great so far. Installing the RAM was a major pain in the ass. Eight tiny screws. I got my box of cheap small screw drivers I had bought a few years back at the dollar store. So I managed to get six of the screws out and I ended up with a blister on my finger. I cursed apple for making it so hard to open the machine up. I finally managed the seventh screw, when I finally remembered I had a screwdriver on my keychain meant for eyeglasses, tried that on the final screw that would not loosen and isnstantly turned. It was only then that I realized, it is not the macbook but my shitty screwdrivers.

Tax guy, after two weeks, I called for two days to get a hold of him. Tells me he is working on my taxes and will try to finish them up next day by afternoon. Again I say you will call me when they are done? He says yes. Day goes by, no call. Arab to Arab all over again. Not using his services again, or lack of services. Will see if he calls tomorrow.

We changed the green/yellow parakeet last weekend for a female green/yellow one. She is a little older than the blue male one and has long wings. She flies good … kinda. She doesn’t seem to avoid walls. She flew into the wall twice. So I let her out in the screened patio now only. She flew into the screen at least three times but I think she will get better over time. Maybe I will post a video of them later when they are out on the patio.

When are Arabs going to step down from their high chairs? When will we get past the arrogance? Why is it when an Arab tells me he will call me in two days with the work I requested completed, he never does, in fact days go by and I have to call and ask? Why do Arabs in business treat Arabs as second class citizens? When they promise an Non-Arab American a call in two days, they deliver, but with Arabs, they feel like they are doing you a favor, even though you are paying them like anyone else to do the work you asked for.

This isn’t a one time incident, it is everywhere I go, with all Arabs, Christians and Muslims alike. I made the mistake of going to an Egyptian dentist once. I was going to an Indian prior. So what was wrong with the Egyptian? The same arrogance. I don’t want you doing me any favors, just do your job like with anyone else and I will pay you like I pay anyone else. Instead after the work is done, I get the typical Arab statement. Khalieyah 3alyeena. Translates to leave it on us. Bite me. You know very well I am not walking out without paying you. And you are not letting me leave without paying you. So just tell me to pay X and I will. Then to add insult, after I tell him no, he says ok just pay $xxx for the x-rays. UGH. I am not stupid, you are not doing me any favors, and I do NOT want you to. All this ever does is make me leave with no intention of returning to this dentist or whatever profession it may have been. And the dumb Arab loses another customer.

So why can’t we work together as Arabs? My cousin once needed a paper signed to let him in a class in college. He made the mistake of going to the Arab. Thinking hey, he is an Arab, I am an Arab. He will gladly do it. WRONG. “I am busy now”. “Come back later”. Busy doing what? It is your damn job to sign shit like this. Sign it. So what happens, some blonde American girl walks in. All of a sudden the Arab is not busy, ahlan wa sahlan, welcome welcome, how are you? What can I do for you? So what does my cousin do? Walk to the next room to an American, who signs the sheet without even looking at it. He does his fucking job. Yes I am angry. I am angry with Arabs.

If we look at our “cousins”, we see them work together. They fight with each other as much as we do, but they would drive 15 extra miles to buy from their own than one of ours or anyone else for that matter. Why? Because they want each other to succeed, not for the individual, but for their own as a whole. They think long term. We think right now.

Arabs goes something like this:

Firas: hey did you hear, Abu Fulan opened a grocery store on Main Street, I hear it is doing great. Al hamdillah.

Hashim: Al hamdillah, Al hamdillah. This is great news.

Next day Hashim opens a grocery store across the street from Abu Fulan on Main Street. Spends the next 6 months with his top priority of putting Abu Fulan out of business. Why? Simple, why should Abu Fulan make all the money? Is he better than Hashim??? NO. Hashim can’t let this happen, he must put an end to this. Not only does he end up putting Abu Fulan out of business, but himself as well because he soon realizes he is a complete moron who doesn’t know how to run such a business, and now that he lowered his prices so much to get rid of Abu Fulan, his customers have a fit when he starts to raise his prices again. The mentality is the same, why should he get this or that? He isn’t better than me, I can do this too. It is all about image and prestige. Screw your image. Screw your prestige.

So Arabs. When I come to your work place to use your services. Treat me like anyone else. I don’t want “special” treatment. I do not want a discount. I want to be treated like any other customer, I want service. And if someone opens a business and does good, be happy for them, support them, use their services, buy their products. It is sickening that this kind of competition not only happens just against other Arabs, but against family members. So many Arab families are split because of business.

Today is day three. Weekend will go by. Monday I will call and ask if the work I requestesd is done. Tuesday I will call again. And I will probably have it by Thursday. This way, I am supposed to feel like it took him so much time to do, that he is giving me a great price considering all the time he spent on it. When I know it doesn’t take two hours to do it and his price sucks. Serves me right for using an Arab for service, so why do it? I always hope that there will be some change. That maybe I will find some Arab who is different, someone whom doesn’t treat me as less, someone whom I am pleased to use his service, because he did his job and because I am helping him succeed by using his services and I can recommend his services to others. Maybe too much to ask.