Fadfada

My Bucket List ... Things to do before I die!

2011-05-05T11:41:00.000-07:00

A few days ago I watched The Bucket List, it was my first time to watch it but I knew the story beforehand. However, watching the movie was a real delight still, though the story is so simple and may be tackled in several movies before, but I couldn’t help being so touched by it. Perhaps the story affected me so much because lately I find myself consumed with the idea of death and what we will face after we are buried under the dust. Are we going to feel anything? Are we going to miss the people we leave behind? I know it's so depressing to think of such issues and I can't count how many times did my husband ask me to discard such ideas out of my head ... but I couldn't.

I am not going to tell you that watching the movie completely changed my mind and that I stopped thinking about death, but it kinda opened my eyes to the fact that I am not thinking at all about life and living it. Now I don't know about you guys but I have to admit that most of the times I am caught up in a vicious cycle of working hard, saving money and taking care of the house that I hardly realize how time flies quickly.

So inspired by the movie I decided to write my own bucket list, things that I want to do or achieve, hopefully before I die. So here it goes …

My Bucket List

- Learn a new language

- Visit at least one new country in each continent with my husband

- Take Sharp Shooting lessons

- Memorize at least few parts of the Holy Quran

- Take care of an orphan

- Going to Pilgrimage

- Doing something good enough to inspire others and be remembered by.

- Building my own house with a garden and pool

- Riding a bicycle again (had an accident when I was a kid and stopped riding bicycles ever since)

- Meet Andrea Bocelli

- Play with real snow

- Lose weight and staying fit

- Learn water treading (I can swim but if I stopped in the middle of the pool I would drown in a blink of an eye)

- Learn cross stitching

- Starting my own business

Well ... that's all I could think of so far, I am sure as I grow older my life will change and I will add more things to this list, and hopefully I will come back and scratch off few things that I would have accomplished.

So guys, make sure you write down your own list as well, live your life and enjoy it before it's too late.

Dear Egypt ... I want my voice!

2011-03-19T00:13:00.000-07:00

For the past couple of months and like every single Egyptian in the whole world I’ve been following the drastic changes that happened and still happening in my country Egypt. If someone ever told me that I would live to witness a revolution, one that resembles those I used to watch in old Egyptian movies, or that this revolution would result the stepping down of Mubarak I’d say he or she is dreaming of LaLa land, but it did happen and I’ve witnessed a great revolution.

I still remember when I used to face situations where I encounter corruption and I would die to blog or tweet about it but my friends and family would worn me against it saying it could cause me trouble or put me in danger and that I’d never know who’s out there listening. Though I used be frustrated but eventually I would listen to them because deep down there was this fear clutching to my heart, fear of getting into trouble. Now and thanks to brave young men and women who stood up for themselves, for me and for all Egyptians I don’t have this fear inside of me anymore. Thanks to those brave youth who never feared to say No I got my voice back.

Today and though I am filled with hope for a better future I can’t help but feel frustrated for not being able to take part in the changes happening in my country and for not being able to use the voice I got back.

Hopefully all Egyptians today in Egypt will head to vote ‘YES’ or ‘NO’ to the proposed constitutional amendments which will have a great impact on our future as a country. However because I currently work and live abroad I can’t participate in the vote. I just don’t understand why the government couldn’t allow us to vote in the Egyptian Embassies around the world or create some sort of a web portal to give us the opportunity to express ourselves. Just because we live abroad that doesn’t make us less Egyptians.

For a long time I stopped caring about everything, I stopped caring about politics and didn’t bother knowing what’s happening in my country and who’s doing what because to me it was all in vain, nothing was going to change, so I took the easy way out and I quit. I quit believing in change, I quit believing in a better future, I quit believing in my country, but most of all I quit believing in myself and my ability to changes things.

But now it’s all different, the revolution made it different, I care now, I want to know and I want to use the voice given back to me to change things and make my own choices. That’s why I am really frustrated because I can’t express my opinion today and vote.

Nevertheless, today is a great day for Egypt, as we all witness true democracy taking place with the referendum. I am really optimistic and I have strong feeling that this time the result of the vote won’t be forged, and though I am not taking part this time, I trust my fellow Egyptians back home to participate and make their voices heard to shape our future and I trust that we all will respect the majority’s choice at the end because that’s what democracy is about after all.

Hopefully by the time the presidential election is due the government would have come up with a way for us Egyptians abroad to vote or else I'd have to take a 24 hours trip to Egypt to make my voice heard.

PS. For what it’s worth … today I would have voted NO

What qualifies a woman to be a mother?

2010-03-20T23:42:00.000-07:00

What makes any woman a mother? Is it merely carrying a child inside her womb for 9 months? Or is it feeding a child of her breast? If you ask me I would say neither, I don’t think that these are the things that make a mother, at least not my mother.

I met my mother when I was 7 years old. My biological mother died when I was six and my father re-married again after her death. I guess he thought he wouldn’t be able to handle both me and my brother on his own or he simply realized the fact that no one can ever replace a mother in a child’s life. My father married Karima, or Koki as I like to call her sometimes. Karima is an Arabic word used as an adjective to express generosity. I believe there isn’t a better word in the whole world to describe my mum than this.

I can’t really remember the early days of meeting Koki, but they tell me that when I first saw her I hid behind my dad, but I was also the one started calling her mum shortly after she married him.

I decided to write these lines today because I thought the whole world should know about my mum and how great she is. I look back at my life and I thank God for the bless he granted me the day he brought Koki to our lives. All the Arabic movies ever made portrayed the step-mother as an evil person whose main purpose is to turn the life of her step-children into hell, but I guess I was lucky because the woman who came into our house wasn’t a step-mother, but a true mum with a heart filled with love that is sufficient for the whole world.

My mum didn’t carry me inside her womb but it is between her arms that I found peace when I needed it. She didn’t feed me of her breast but she nourished me just like a delicate rose with all the care you could ever think of. I remember the nights when I used to get sick whether because of a simple cold, fever, stomach pain or whatever and she used to sit next to me and take care of me for days till I get better. I still remember the look in her eyes as I gazed through my bed at her; it was a strange look that combined tenderness and worries, it had a certain beauty and mystery in it, kinda like the Mounalisa smile.

I would be a liar if I said that our life was a fairy tale, we used to fight like cats and dogs; we fought about everything and anything, but that what mothers and daughters do. After every fight and even though I would be mad as hell from her yet deep down I knew that she acted the way she did out of concern and because she cared. My mother has always been there for me, even when we used to disagree and I ended up having it my way, she would support my decision and when things went bad she would stand up for me.

Mum always encouraged me to have my own opinion and to always be strong and not to fear anything. It was her wisdom and courage that gave me the strength I needed to go on with my live and be the person I am today.

I think the thing that makes my mother the best mother is the fact that she is not really my mother (well biologically speaking) she was a complete stranger that walked into our lives and took me and my brother under her wings and treated us with all the sweetness and love you would expect from any mother. And even when we were rebellious and ungrateful, and believe me sometimes we were, yet whenever we needed her support or unconditional love she was there, simply because she is an amazing person.

So today, on Mother’s Day, this is what I want to tell my mother

Dear Mum,

I want you to know that to me you were never just my mother, you were my teacher, my role model, my nurse and above all my best friend, you were there on my times of happiness but more importantly on my times of sadness and needs, when I needed you the most you were there for me, you are my rock. You did everything you can to make me happy and I know that everything I am today and everything I have is because of you.

Officially, on paper and to the whole world you might be my step-mother but to me you will always be my mum … the best mum in the whole world.

I love you

Laila .. Hold your Ground

2009-12-29T09:39:00.000-08:00

This Post is part of Kolena Laila initiative

I chose to wear the Hijab when i was 15 years old. My family was against this decision and my mum tried to convince me to delay this step claiming that I am too young and when I join college and see my friends dressing up and changing hair styles every now and then I would get jealous and might take it off. But I held my ground. it was my life and I had the right to choose. Now, it has been 14 years 5 months and 15 days and i have never regretted this decision.

I chose to join the Faculty of Arts and study English Literature. If you are familiar with the educational system in Egypt you would know that the Faculty of Arts is not exactly classified as one of the top faculties to join. My grades were really high and my family tried to convince me to join something else, but I loved Literature and I knew I wouldn't be comfortable studying anything else. So I held my ground. it was my life and I had the tight to choose. It has been 8 years since i have graduated and i have never regretted this decision.

I chose to travel and work in a different country. Once and opportunity came in the horizon I had to seize the chance to enhance my career. Again my parents were hesitant and as usual my mum was sick worried about here little kid who would live and work in a different country away from her and faces life all alone (I was 26 then by the way) but I didn't yield and I held my ground, it was my life and I had the right to choose.

If there is something I am really proud of in my whole life, it is my ability to always decide and choose for myself when it comes to things that really matters, things I am passionate about and things that will shape my future.

So you can imagine how mad I get when someone tries to convince me that wearing the Hijab is the result of peer pressure or brain washing and not my free will.

You can imagine how mad i get when i find laws are being drafted to force me into wearing or not wearing whatever I choose.

How mad I get when someone tries to undermine my achievements and tells me that as a Muslim woman I shouldn't be working and that the only place i belong to is at home.

When I see people forcing things on me I can't help but wonder what gave them the right to decide for me? Do they have any idea who am I?

I am Laila ... God created me with a brain and a strong will to decide and choose my path in life. I don't need you to tell me what to do. what to wear or how to live. I don't want anyone to force anything on me under the claims of religion, social norms or women's rights. Once you force something on me you then take away from me God's own gift .. my free will and the right to choose.

So, to all the Lailas out there, here is the bottom line:
Be brave and always hold your ground

Kolena Laila!

2009-12-14T00:39:00.000-08:00

The first time I heard about Kolena Laila was through a tweet from my cousin. I was really intrigued to find out more about it. I mean, why Laila? Why not Samia, or Rawya or any other name?

Kolena Laila or "We are all Laila" is a virtual initiative on the blogosphere that calls to review values and prevalent ideas related to females, and how society enacts them with no consideration of their impact on women themselves. The call here is not to propagate a certain value or culture, but it is rather a call to criticize and review our own daily behavior, with a true desire to change and purify our attitudes in life.

The idea started with a group of female bloggers, and despite the fact that Kolena Laila was founded by bloggers from Egypt, the founders assure that it is for all Arab women in general, not only Egyptians.

Why Laila?

Simple, it is an adoption of the heroine’s name from the novel "The Open Door", written by the Egyptian novelist "Latifa El Zayyat", which was turned into a movie later on starring the famous actress Faten Hammama, It’s one of my favorite movies by the way.

In "The Open Door" Laila represents Egyptian girls who suffer oppression and injustice in Egyptian society during the time of the Suez Canal Crisis. The novel features Laila's struggle with the community to prove the importance of the role of women in this society.

Of course comparing our position now and Laila’s then I have to admit that we are way better but unfortunately you still find some similarities in how some women are being oppressed, suffering from lack of freedom and not being acknowledged as an element of society. Now, whoever is reading this post please note the word some because I don’t believe in generalizing stuff and it is a fact that only some women face these issues.

Previous Kolena Laila Days

So far there have been 3 Kolena Laila Days; the first day was held on 9th September 2006, the second on 9th September 2007 and the third held on 19th October 2008. Though the initiative started with women bloggers only but later on men were invited to join the dialogue as the main aim of the initiative was to shed the light on oppression and other problems faced by women in the region that are not just the creation of men alone, but women have contributed to them as well.

Kolena Laila 2009

Once again it is time for Laila to speak up, this year Kolena Laila seeks to extend the experience to include as many Arab countries as possible and participation is open for men, women and anyone who feel they have a say about Arab women.

Kolena Laila is seeking bloggers to join and help in this year's initiative which will start on the 24th of December and end on the 30th of the same month.

Come on everyone it’s time for our voice to be heard. If you want to know more about how you could participate and how the process goes you can contact me on marwayehia@kolenalaila.com (forgot to mention I volunteered to be their UAE representative)

For further info and an overview of last years entries
Arabic Website - English Website

My fellow women beware … in France you have no freedom of choice!

2009-06-23T05:42:00.000-07:00

Yesterday President Nicolas Sarkozy addressed both houses of parliament and during his speech he showed his support to banning the Niqb (a veil which covers the face, worn by some Muslim women as a part of their Hijab). Sarkozy attacked the Niqab describing it as “a sign of subservience” that suppresses women's identities and turns them into "prisoners behind a screen."

What amazes me is that Sarkozy assumes that all women who wear the Niqab are forced to do so and he didn’t stop for a one minute to consider that may be … just may be some women wear it because they truly believe that it is part of their religion’s teaching and they are willingly following it.

I am a Muslim woman and I don’t believe in the Niqab but I wear a scarf on my head (Hijab) that was my choice and my belief. However even though I don’t believe in the Niqab I don’t think that anyone has the right to deprive a woman from her own freedom of choice. Every woman has the right to choose what to wear, what to believe in and how to express her believes in any way she wants and that goes for every human being.

Reading Sarkozy’ statement was really disturbing and reminded of how I felt in 2004 when France banned wearing the headscarf in public schools. What right does any secular government has to force their opinions on people’s religion.

Sarkozy claims that the Niqab is “a sign of debasement” … is it really? A study was done in 2003 estimated that about 15,000 - 20,000 women work as prostitutes in France. So which is more humiliating for a woman, covering her body as per her own choice or showing it off and selling her own flesh for money unwillingly.

Sarkozy refuses the existence of Niqab in France "It will not be welcome on the territory of the French Republic." he said.

So, what about French Muslim women who wear the Niqab, they will not be welcomed in their own country anymore? How about Muslim women who are married to French people, are they going to be kicked of France and separated from their families if they decided to stick to their believes? Or will the French government put them under house arrest? Is France now going to dictate to people what parts of their religions’ teachings they should follow and what parts to discard?

I honestly don’t see any difference between KSA and France right now. KSA forces women to wear the Niqab against their well and France is forcing women to take of their Niqab and scarf against their own well. But you know what at least KSA never pretend to be anything than an extremist country while France claims to be a free open country when at the end it only want to impose its own values under the flag of neutrality.

The thing that is funny though, this whole thing is about women, yet women have no say about it at all.

Arab Media Forum Disappointment!

2009-05-12T05:35:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the first time for me to attend the Arab Media Forum. I had a meeting at the morning but luckily I finished just in time to catch the session I was really interested in attending; “Daily Newspapers: Crisis in the West, growth in the Arab World."

We have all been arguing about the death of printed media and the rise of digital and social media. Yet one year ago, The National newspaper was launched in the UAE and a couple of months ago Alrroya Aleqtisadiya newspaper did. In Egypt I honestly lost track of newspapers launched as every now and then I hear of a new one. My colleague just read that a new printed newspaper will launch in Oman. Does this look like a growth in printed media or what?

So I was really looking forward to the session hoping it would shed the light on the reasons behind this growth or proving the death of printed media, especially with the prominent media figures speaking and attending. I was expecting a great debate and a heated discussion among all attendees, but what a major disappointment I had.

The first disappointment was when I found out that the editor in chief of Al Masry Al Youm newspaper, Magdy El Galad, didn’t show up. I was really looking forward to hearing the opinion of the man who runs a relatively new newspaper that managed in a couple of years to attract millions of readers and to even surpass other famous newspapers in Egypt that have been there for decades. I still don’t know why he didn’t show up and no one even tried to explain the reason behind his absence as if he was never part of this forum at all!

The second disappointment was when each speaker simply recited his speech and you could see how most of them were backing the idea of printed media dying, then, and because apparently the whole forum was running behind schedule there wasn’t enough time for a good Q&A. Hence no debate or heated discussion =O(

The third disappointment was when I found myself coming out of the forum with no added value at all. I mean before attending the session I knew that digital media provides more freedom of speech and that printed media is dying in the west. I knew that social media tools like twitter and facebook are widely used in all aspects of life; business, politics, social networking … etc. So what’s new?

I hoped to hear those who believe in the death of printed media to tell me why I still have dozens of newspapers delivered to my doorstep every morning and why new newspapers keep launching and what are they doing to join the digital era since they believe it is arriving to the Middle East.

I wanted to hear from those defending the existence of printed media other reason than merely “A Man can’t enjoy his morning coffee without reading the newspaper and smelling the ink”.

I was expecting more from all the media figures at this session. I was expecting logical answers, I was expecting a discussion between the speakers to analyze the real situation here in the Middle East and discuss all aspects affecting printed or digital media. I mean why should I think that printed media is dying because a couple of people at the mall said they use mobile and internet to access news. Why should I believe that these examples represent the majority of people in the Middle East when I know for a fact that just as there are thousands of people who uses web2.0 and other technologies to access news, there are also millions of people who are still computer illiterate.

Why should I believe that printed media is dying because statistics show that users of facebook and twitter are over thousands when I know for a fact that there are millions who can’t even afford buying computers, yet can afford paying the 2 dirham to buy a newspaper.

The speeches given explaining why digital media was prevailing or why printed media is not dying didn’t provide me with the answers I was looking for. I think I was expecting a more realistic approach to the topic focusing on the conditions of the Arab world and not just speculations form some and reciting statistics from others.

Most of all what I expected and didn’t get was an answer to the main question which reflects the title of this session, “Why there is growth in the printed media in the Arab World when it is dying in the West”

So I ended up disappointed!

In response to: PR and the press: it’s over, but let’s still be friends!

2009-05-06T04:23:00.000-07:00

I have been in the UAE for two years. For the past year and six months I have been working in PR and so far I enjoy it.

However, ever since I started I couldn’t help noticing that weird love/hate relationship between media and PR here. So many times I have read and heard journalists talking about how the PR industry is woeful and PR people are a mere hindrance to them. I kept quiet till I read today’s article in The National.

I really liked it when Tala was talking about the ethics of journalism and said “some of us...” I liked how she acknowledged that some journalists understand true journalism and others don’t. I just wish that she did the same talking about PR because, believe it or not, there are good PR people out there just as there are bad ones. I really don’t think that Tala met or dealt with every single PR person here.

I agree that PR shouldn’t be the journalist’s only source of information. But why not be one of many? I know my client’s business better than anyone, I know what they are doing, products they are launching, events they are holding, conferences they are attending …etc. So why couldn’t I be simply the source who informs you of that. If the story interests you then great if not so what’s the harm? As a journalist you follow the leads you have and see which one gets you the story, right?

True that my loyalty as a PR person is to my client but that doesn’t mean my job is to trick people/ media into believing wrong things or hide truth from them. I remember that the first thing I learnt in PR was to always stick to facts and if anything went wrong with my clients not to try and hide the truth because it always finds its way out, instead deal with it. So, stick to fact and don’t lie, does this sound like bad PR?

When I pick up the call to see why you didn’t cover a story, something I have done on some occasions, I simply want to know your opinion because I have seen you cover similar topics or ones related to the story I have shared with you. So, I simply want to discuss it with you and understand your point of view so in the future I would spare you the extra e-mail in your inbox, does this offer of a dialogue sound like bad PR?

When I send out a release I don’t expect you to take it as it is and publish it now, if it interests you, you could tackle it your own way, seek more info, compare the info I gave you with other resources. I don’t want you to take it just for granted. Does this sound like bad PR?

Honestly I think my only problem with today’s article was that Tala accused all PR people of being “too demanding, too clingy” and that “they are usually hired to burnish a client’s reputation, to enhance the client’s image, to “make them look good”.

I know that there is good PR and bad PR just as there is good journalism and bad journalism. I don’t think it is fair to generalize things in our life; I never did and never will.

Why is everything turning into Muslim Vs Coptic Issue?

2009-05-04T04:12:00.000-07:00

Ever since the Egyptian government decided to slaughter the 350,000 pigs in Egypt because of Swine Flu and I have been hearing conflicting thoughts and views as some are praising the decision and others are fighting it and accusing the government of ignorance. Honestly, I was ok with that; after all you could never please everyone.

I still haven’t made up my mind regarding the rightness of this decision though. Sometimes when I read in websites like CDC about how Influenza viruses can be directly transmitted from pigs to people and from people to pigs, I say may be it was the right decision, may be it is better to be safe than sorrow. We already screwed up the Bird Flu situation, should we wait till we screw up this situation as well!

Other times when I read that there are no confirmed cases of transmission between pigs and humans at this point as per WHO and hear people argue; should we kill humans infected as well? I re-think the whole situation. I mean I know I can’t compare humans to pigs but they are still living creatures who shouldn’t be unjustly killed, not to mention the farms owners who will be badly damaged as well. Kinda confusing hah!

I think we can argue about this for ages but what I don’t think we can argue about is these ridiculous claims that I have been hearing lately that this decision was taken merely to persecute Coptic living in Egypt and how since Muslims don’t eat pigs then it was ok to slaughter them. I think this is so ridiculous and I really don’t understand why the f***does everything in Egypt lately is turning into Muslim Vs Coptic issue.

I still remember the old movies talking about the 1919 revolution and how Egyptians walked together holding flags and screaming long lived the crescent with the cross. How Sheikhs spoke in churches and Priests spoke in mosques. Was that just in movies or are those good old days gone?

From my part I have never felt that there were any issues between Muslims and Coptic in Egypt. Our neighbor is Coptic and we lived in the same building for 15 years and I know she is my mother’s best friend. She used to celebrate with us during our feasts and we celebrated with her during hers. I have lots of friends who are Coptic and we never had any issues.

I am not saying that Egypt is a LaLa land. There are some differences and sensitivity issues which unfortunately were created because of fanatics in both sides and people like those with their silly claims who are trying to create divisions, but I really believe that the whole issue is not as massive as some would like it to be.

Right now, I just have one question to those who claimed that the decision was taken to persecute Coptic; do you really believe deep down that the Egyptian government was simply thinking of a way to persecute Coptic and hence decided to kill all the pigs to make them suffer!

Honestly, I only have one thing to say to those kinds of people… GET A LIFE and stop this CRAP because we are sick of it and let us live in peace.

Remember… at the end of the day we are all Egyptians, we are one nation and Egypt is our homeland.

May the cross and the crescent live united longer and longer despite fanatics.

The $1,000,000 question …How many genders are out there?

2009-04-23T01:46:00.000-07:00

All my life I knew that there were two genders; male and female, apparently however I was totally wrong and ignorant.

According to digg.com there are 16 types of genders that you have to choose from when creating your profile.

1- Guy

2- Girl

3- Dude

4- Lady

5- Fellow

6- Bird (Birdy Egg from Nest Ville – Oak land, signing up to Digg)

7- Chap

8- Grrrl

9- Gentleman

10- Damsel

11- Beau

12- Belle

13- Male

14- Female

15- Transgender

16- None of the above (Aliens who want to Digg)

See how ignorant I was =)

Funky Arab… Are we indeed?!

2009-04-21T03:51:00.000-07:00

I have watched lately Jad Choueiri’s video Funky Arab, I read the comments on Youtube, face book and listen to people at the office arguing about it. To be honest when I first saw the video I was totally shocked. One of my colleagues said "I understand your shock but at least he is out there trying to do something to change how people, especially in the west, perceive Arab."

As an Arab, I for once am totally against labeling Arab as angry bearded men or women covered in black, but the question here is do I want to be labeled in the way Jad reflected in his video?!

I honestly don’t think that what Jad reflected has anything to do with how the Arab or funky Arab looks. I didn’t know that being funky meant wearing bikini, botox injecting my face, smoking and dancing around like a B***h, or wearing sunglasses at night and chains all around my neck. Is this really the kind of image I want people to perceive Arab as!

Some of the comments on Youtube accused those against the video of being uptight, shallow and illiterate. Well, like it or not people as Arab we have our traditions, heritage and customs, and it makes me sad to be accused of these things just for being proud of my traditions. I am sure by now you can guess that I am against this video.

To be fair there are some people who live and act the same way Jad reflects in his video and there are some Arab who fits the angry bearded man profile. However, between those few "somes", there is the majority; millions of Arab who are moderate, simple, smart and educated, Arab who are reasonable and not extremists. From this majority comes; my family, my friends, my colleagues, my neighbors and the people who live in my street and those I met in college. Why there is no one trying to reflect those Arab.

I don’t want to be labeled terrorist and I don’t want to be labeled B***h. I want to be labeled the way I am … a normal moderate human being like the millions who live on the rest of the planet.

Why do I confuse you?!

2009-04-20T04:42:00.000-07:00

I have recently watched this amazing video The Happy Muslims Who Confuse You,by syndicated columnist Mona Eltahway, talking about Muslims stereotypes and how they are seen by media. The image you get about Muslims especially in the West is angry bearded men and women covered in black that are almost invisible in every way. Watching the video I realized that I too am judged based upon this stereotype image.

I am a moderate Muslim woman, I wear the hijab; I am not covered in black, but I have a scarf on my head and I wear ordinary skirts, pants and dresses with long sleeves and I work in PR. I never thought that being the way I am would confuse people till one day when I was having a cup of coffee with a journalist and he said “I don’t think you are wearing the hijab because you are convinced of it.” When I asked why would he think that he answered “because you are so open minded!!” The answer really shocked me!

Does being a Muslim woman in a hijab means I should be close minded! Does it mean I should stay at home with no career ambition or opinion about anything! Is having a career and socializing with people while wearing the hjab confuses people?

Islam has always been about moderation, whether in cloth, opinions, or behaviors. I have been wearing the hijab for the past 13 years and it has never hindered me in anyway.

I graduated from college, worked in media for 6 years and now in PR. I listen to music, read poetry and attend concerts like any normal moderate human being.

I discuss politics and literature and I attend conferences, exhibition and socialize with my colleagues and acquaintances like any normal moderate human being.

So why do I confuse people? For the same reason Mona mentioned; the way media reflects our image as Muslims. People are used to seeing the black bearded angry men and the women in black. True that those people do exist but believe me they are not the majority of Muslims.

I hope that more moderate Muslim men and women like Mona and the happy Pakistani in the video would help change people’s perceptions and end the well known Muslims stereotypes.

And I hope that the day will come when I don’t confuse you anymore!