Mickey Z

Cool Observer

Monday, December 22, 2008

They chattered away the way friends in all cultures do

Once upon a time...

My neighborhood of Astoria is renowned for its ethnic diversity. In particular, the Muslim population is growing in leaps and bounds. This means I see Muslim women in the full gamut of potential wardrobe—from tight, somewhat revealing “Western” garb to traditional burkas to anything in between.

The other day, I was strolling along 30th Avenue. Walking toward me was a Muslim woman in a tent-like black burka, black gloves, the works. All I could see was a hint of her eyes.

This woman was about twenty feet in front of me. From behind me, I heard a female voice yelling excitedly in what might have been Arabic or Urdu or Farsi or another language with which I am unfamiliar. I turned and saw this woman was wearing a more “modern” Muslim outfit: Head covered in a scarf, loose clothes, etc. The modern woman was obviously excited to see someone and it turned out her joy was inspired by the woman in the full burka. They embraced excitedly and chattered away the way friends in all cultures do.

For a few seconds, I stopped walking and appreciated how cool it was that a woman in a full burka could be recognized by a friend (or family member?) from half a block away.

The End

Who wants to tell us a story in the comments section?

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Caption: An indigenous woman holds her child while trying to resist the advance of Amazonas state policemen who were expelling the woman and some 200 other members of the Landless Movement from a privately-owned tract of land on the outskirts of Manaus, in the heart of the Brazilian Amazon. The landless peasants tried in vain to resist the eviction with bows and arrows against police using tear gas and trained dogs, and were evicted from the land. (March 11, 2008)

(Thank you to Charles for the image)

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