Friday, February 4, 2011

Is this a circus and nobody told me?

Or did I fall off the freak show truck? Do I have a third eyeball on my head? What? Grrr...

Okay, I know this is a bit random. I'm just venting (again) about being stared at. All. The. Freaking. Time. It's annoying more than anything, but slightly creepy, too.

The local nationals are the worst. And the ANA/ANP/whatever guys are also bad about it. Granted, there aren't many females here (big surprise).

Yeah, I got it that women don't go out uncovered here. Many of them still wear the burqa. Army regs don't let me wear hijab. But that's no excuse for all these men to STARE AT ME.

So lower your gaze!

-- Currently has epic case of "gaze rage" --

10 comments:

  1. I know what you mean, sort of. I live in a small town where I am literally the only Muslim (i'm a white revert from the middle of Montana lol) and people stare at me in my hijab all the time cause they can't figure out what's up with my clothing. Sometimes they think that I'm a Hutterite (cause we have a lot of Hutterites here) but most of the time they just think I'm a freak or a terrorist. So sad. I get the whole "gaze rage" thing lol. :) It is annoying.

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  3. Salam,

    I understand how you feel. I started wearing hijab 3 months ago when I started school again. It takes awhile but just try to ignore them. Remember Allah gives us no more then we can handle... Its irritating but as long as you keep your deen strong it will get easier as the days go by Insha'Allah!!

    Actually the military can't stop you from practicing you're religion... for example... Jewish men can wear their yarmulkes... I dont see why they should stop you wearing your hijab. When I deployed in some parts in Kuwait I had to put on head covering to not offend the locals.. In my camp the females werent allowed to wear our pt shorts nor pt short sleeve shirts.... Don't let them fool you go to an Imam and research the Regs..

    Of course there is an exception.. If you wearing a hijab can cause a safety risk to yourself or someone else then they can tell you not to wear it or move you to a spot that it is safe for you...

    Hope this helps

    Mrs. Khan

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  4. Mrs. Khan,

    I just checked with my husband who is also a soldier. He actually checked on this issue recently.It is completely against regulation for Heather to wear hijab currently. There are some exceptions made for certain things but hijabs are not generally among them. :(

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  5. Some females do wear hijab as (likely mostly) non-Muslims, but they're a special team whose mission is to interact with the local women. They are allowed to wear hijab when they're out on missions. However, to date there are no regulations permitting any sort of religious head covering for females in the military. Jewish men can wear the yarmulke (I think I spelled that right...) because it's small enough that it fits underneath the beret/patrol cap. I know of only two exceptions to the rule, and both are Sikh men. The first was a doctor (and an officer) who was given permission to keep his beard and turban a couple of years ago. The other was a junior enlisted soldier, also Sikh and male. He wears a black turban with the blue flash on the front.

    However, these are special exceptions, not the rule. Hijab is absolutely not allowed.

    The military doesn't stop people from practicing their religion, but they regulate what you can wear in uniform. The military is about conformity, not standing out.

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  6. Here's the link to an article about the Sikh guy:

    http://www.ndtv.com/article/cities/sikh-soldier-completes-us-army-training-with-turban-on-65640

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  7. Salam,

    Sorry to hear that... Like I said the only reason I mentioned it was because I had to were it when I deployed and In Korea my roommate was Muslim and She wore it also... I don't know know guess it could also be the command.... When I was in the military I still had not reverted so I really didn't look into the regulations..

    May Allah forgive me and as well as you sister. I didn't have the intention to give wrong information just share the experience that I had in the military.

    Insha'Allah they will change regulations in order to accommodate woman as well..

    Mrs. Khan

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  8. I meant as you as well to forgive me as well... Sorry my keys stick.. :)

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  9. So, been there done that, but different theatre. I was felt like a cow at a Four H fair every time I went to the chow hall. And when I went to the Green Zone, it was the local's turn. Here is my advice:
    For the soldiers that can't keep their eyes to themselves- Look back at them, or confront them. Honestly! Be like "excuse me, do you have something you would like to say?" You'd be surprised how many of them scurry away.
    For locals- Learn some key words in the local dialect. My fav "I can see you!" or "Shame on you." Again, not only do you shock them with your ability to communicate, but it usually earns you respect when they realize you respect yourself enough to tell them to stop.

    Hope that helps~

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  10. Update: My sergeant is buddies with some of the local terps, and he told the boss man of their bunch that I don't sit with them because I don't like all the men staring at me. So that guy went and told all of his guys to be respectful and knock off the staring. It's cut down a bit, so maybe my "gaze rage", as I call it, will take a wee vacation. : )

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