Thursday, March 26, 2009

Some of This And Some of That


Back to the funeral ...... I was sitting with my sister in laws , Moe sisters , and we were talking about all sorts of things . I looked around the hugh tent we were sitting in and thinking to my self how the women looked like flowers in their colored headscarves and over coats . I said as much to my sister in laws , remarking on their beauty as a general whole in our family . They agreed . Then one thing lead to another and we were talking about the Ninja women here .Ninja is what we call these women that wear the Arabian Gulf country's style of all black coverings that cover a woman from head to toe , even their eyes many times . This style sad to say catching on everywhere here in Libya .

My sister in laws were discussing all the different times they have encountered women wearing this style of Hijab . My one sister in law said she saw a woman driving with the double veil , not just the single eye covering , but double and she couldn't imagine how that woman could see to drive if you couldn't see her eyes ! I said yes , I had my own encounter once with a woman driving that had not only the black veil covering her entire face , but also SUNGLASSES on top of her veil ! This surely constitutes a safety hazard to the other drivers on the road .

We soon moved on to other subjects , when all of the sudden the ENTIRE tent became silent ! I looked around to see what had caused this phenomenon , I mean a entire tent of women that all shut up at the same time ? No way ! WAY ! The cause ? A Ninja had walked into the tent . Everyone was silent and staring at this woman expectantly to see who she was, when she unveiled herself . She was a visitor for one of the neighboring women . She looked so out of place among the flowers , in her complete mournful black . So sad . You could tell the other women felt sorry for her too , as if they sensed her spirit being smashed out of her by having to wear those dreary clothes .

The next day I sat with some of the uncles wives . Many of these women are very educated , well almost all the women in our family are to tell the truth , but anyway .... I respect them and their achievements in the field of education .Most of them are well traveled as well . So , thinking on things I have read in blogs of Libyans , I asked them did they believe in Black Magic ? Did they believe in demons , evil , and Jinns ?Did they believe in the evil eye ? They all said with out a hint of disbelief that yes they did believe in all these things , as they were mentioned in the Quran . It was interesting to hear very well educated Libyan women talk about these things from a religious point of view , not a superstitious prospective as I normally would hear of these things .It gave me food for thought .

I posted a post from Rosebuds blog on the new postal codes system that is being put in place now through out all of Libya a few posts back . My friend called me yesterday so excited !!! She said that she had just received her postal code a few minutes before she called me .Her son told her that there were notices posted all over their area telling people that the postal workers would be by to registrar all buildings soon . The man that came to her house also told her that after they complete to postal registrations , they will start a new census too for the country . Last night when we were in downtown Tajura we saw a poster on a building saying it had been issued it's postal code .They are moving quickly to get this project done .

Some time back around town here in Tripoli , they put up new traffic lights at intersections with a light seprerate from the red , yellow , green traffic lights , that told you how many seconds you had until the light would change from red to green , or vise versa . I don't know about other drivers but this created a sort of anxiety inside of me when I would approach a light and see I had only 7 more seconds until the light changed to red .

I would think to myself is that enough time to make it throught the light or not ?Back and forth this debate would run through my mind . SO , I just stopped looking at the things .I also noticed this seem to be affecting other drivers too .They would stat through a intersection when the light turned green with out looking to see if the drivers from the other direction had stopped 1st before they went forward or turned . I am sure the car crashes increased because of these lights . Last night when we were out and about I saw that several of these lights had been taken down . I wonder why ?Well , I at least feel less anxiety driving now , lol !

I found this web sight that I thought some of you might like to look at . It is about American Arabs in America .

6 comments:

NuNa said...

SALAM
i have some points:
1.I don't konw how these women drive with 'Negab' as we called in Benghazi,i hope one day wrea it but if i do it , I will stop doing a lot of things like driving, working and go out with man ... etc.
2. you took about some women who achievements in the field of education and they believe in Black Magic, demons , evil , and Jinns and the evil eye. disbelief that yes they did believe in all these things , as you wrote all these things mentioned in the Quran . and we should believe. and there is diffrences people as education or uneducation we believe all things Quran mentioned, but in other hand few people don't believe why i don't know.
you can say some of us believe some superstitious when it happened more than two or three times.
SORRY I HAVE TO GO NOW MAY BE I COME BACK.
THANK

egianqueen said...

I agree - I see these women (we call them crows) with their eyes covered driving and I think it should be made illegal for them to drive - they are a danger to themselves and everyone around them.

on the edge said...

I spoke of educated women to show that NOT JUST uneducated people believe in these things , that even educated people do as well , since it was said in several Libyan blogs I have read , that ONLY IGNORANT Libyans believe these things . It is not true , most Libyans believe in these things , regardless of education or traveled or not . That was my point .And these things are talked about in the Quran .

Iman said...

Girl I emailed you abt this but never got a response--R U ON FACEBOOK? If not, plz join--u can access me from the FB widget on my blog. Plzzzzzzzzzzzzz join...FB is a blast!

on the edge said...

I think I will pass up FB . I have my hands full with this blog , Moe , and the soap operas ! LOL Well I really love your new home .Glade I found you .

Khedegah said...

Asalomm Alai Kom Ukhti,

Yes we have ''Ninjas'' ,or Niqabis as we would call them in Ireland too,. In fact some of them are Irish revert sisters.

I hear a lot about ''the Evil Eye'' and black magic, here and from my Husband. I am starting to be wary of what I say, in case someone inadvertently puts''the Evil Eye''on me.....and I always make a point of saying MashAllah, which I think stops, the ''Evil Eye'' been placed on the other person...so I have heard. Alhomdolelah it seems to work.

well enough about that ....
Ma Saloma
Khedegah