Things I Have Become Aware Of

I have hidden my head in the sand long enough .I have refused to believe that certain things exist here in Libya because I just didn't want to admit it was so . My children and my friends have all said for sometime that these conditions exist but I blindly refused to say it's true . I give up ! It's true , all of it sad to say .

What am I talking about ? Well, prejudices towards women like me and my children .It breaks my heart to know that this really is a emotion here and it is alive and well .I am hated because I am from another country ,a different culture , have hair and eyes that are of a different color from the norm here in Libya .

I may look different . I might speak broken Arabic , but I have lived more than half my life here.I am married to a Libyan , born and raised Libyan children here . I have buried a son here .I have cried here, laughed here, and prayed here . I became a Muslim here .I respect myself and others around me . I obey the laws .And for all that I and my children are looked down upon . This is true for many of the other foreigner women married to Libyans also . I know it has nothing to do with whether or not I wear a Hijab or not also . It is just because I am different . Different is not accepted .

Sad to say this prejudice has reared it's ugly head toward my children off and on . They are as Libyan as the next Libyan. Luckily they are also as American as anyone in America . They have the best of both worlds ; culture ,heritage ,languages, families , and a choice of two countries .They love their two countries and are proud to have such a rich inheritance .

The other thing I have " discovered " since moving back here in 1990 is the abundance of Black Magic that is practiced here .I never even thought about such a thing when we lived here in the 1970's , or heard of it either . Now days even sane people are talking about Black Magic or the Evil Eye . Of course it is flatly denied that this practice even exists here but it is rampant as unbelievable as that may seem in 2008 .

I am constantly being warned to beware of the Evil Eye. I always tell the person warning me OK but really .... come on , I mean it is 2008 right ? But they are very serious. I just continue to remind them that to practice Black Magic is against the religion . That's when I am deluged with all sorts of stories about this one and that one that had a spell cast upon them and the horrible consequences that befell them for not taking precautions against it .

I know it is 2008 because my calendar tells me so. I am not truly convinced it isn't the Dark Ages sometimes since these things are still happening . Maybe I will wake up and find it is all a dream ? What are the odds of that happening ?