My Disdain For Perverts

Yes perverts do exist here, they like to hit on women, even try to touch them, approach them and otherwise be an annoyance to women out and about. Such perverts are in another category in my mind than the young teenage boys who drop their phone numbers for a girl they see to pick up. Or even ones that flirt with girls who are willing and flirt back. Although I do wish the mutawwa would be just a nuisance to them and make their public flirting a bit more difficult.

But the male perverts that are grown men I have a total disdain for. It could be because the Qur'an speaks so strongly against them.

Truly if the hyprocrites and those in whose hearts is a disease and those
who stir up sedition in the city desist not. We shall certainly stir thee up
against them. Then will they not be able to stay in it as thy neighbors for
any length of time. They shall have a curse on them wherever they are found
and they shall be seized and slain Qur'an 33:60-61

I have had only a couple of personal experiences with such perverts since I moved here. The first time it occurred it totally took me by surprise. I have never been flirted with, approached, or other wised annoyed by any man while I lived in the states since wearing hijab. So like most Muslim women, I thought of a fully "Islamic" country as a place where such people don't exist, especially among Muslim men.

The First Time

I was in Tamimis supermarket at about 7 am after dropping off the kids at school. This is before I had a driver so I had my husband take me that morning to get the shopping over with. When we entered the market my husband wanted to explore something in another isle and I made my way to the fruit isle. I wasn't there long, busy in my thoughts, going over my list for the third time already, really who can think this early?. And a Saudi man passed by me, leaned over and whispered something in my ear.

It took me a second to finally get in my mind that this pervert really did just do that. Now I had no idea what he said and I really didn't care I was totally offended. This wasn't me confused in anyway, there was no one else in the isle but me, and it was a fruit and veggie isle so that means its about the size of two normal ones. So the man had no reason to come so close to me and whisper anything in my ear. As this all quickly set into my mind I went into total attack mode. I whipped around and stared him down and yelled

"What the hell is your problem!! You think you can mess with women?"

The man turned beat red, said "sorry sorry" tried to duck his head and leave. OH NO MAN that was not happening with this Muslimah. He started to walk a bit faster down the isle I followed after him.

"You want to mess with me??" I'm screaming after him as he is trying to get away. Confused he turns around and starts to head for the door. Oh no buddy no escape for perverts. I started to yell for my husband.

"Yehya this pervert man is messing with me!!" "Yehya come get this pervert." "Hey pervert man what are you running for" He was half way to the door while my husband is yelling "Where are you" from another isle. He zones in on my screams and managers are just standing there staring. No one came to help me, not one clerk, not one manager, not one other customer. I bet pervert man thought he was getting out when suddenly my skinny husband comes high tailing it out of isle three running and in full position of a line backer to tackle the man, right into the toilet paper display.

The guy was slightly taller and bulkier than my skinny husband but at this point he was like a raging bull. The man went down in utter confusion and balled up like a child in a fetal pose seeking refuge from the attack of my husband. I'm still yelling at the guy "You PERVERT you think you can mess with women in the store". By that time a couple of store employees came around and we yelled "Call the police". They were stunned for a minute, what call who, call the police idiot, yea thats right we want pervert man arrested.

As my husband has the pleading pervert man pinned between him and the toilet paper a young Saudi guy came around and said "Man why don't you leave him be". So my husband asks "Do you know him", the guy responds "No". Ever so politely my husband responds "Than get the hell out of here its none of your business". The audacity of this guy to say oh just let him go as if the offence to my husbands wife (me) was something to take lightly. I wonder if this self proclaimed nosy body would take the same position if it were his sister, mother or wife.

I continued on with my shopping, inbetween coming back a few times to yell at the man. "Shame on you for harassing Muslim women" "You think you can mess with women pervert man" and my husband is like, ok go away the man has this.

It wasn't until after I completed my whole shopping list that the police finally arrived. Turns out the guy confessed to what he did, admitted it was wrong, and pleaded to be let go. Oh no that isn't happening the police took his ID and he had to go to the police station and deal with charges. The police thanked my husband for calling and said that more women should call when these things happen.

As I was walking to the car with the grocery clerk, he told me the guy was known in the store. Turns out he made it a habit to come in the store and bother women, they all knew him and knew what he was doing. He was married, unemployed and had five kids at home. Not one person stopped him from doing this, not one woman called the police, and not one husband knocked him on his rear until us. It was shortly after this that Tamimi's hired security personal for their store.

The Second Time

It was me, my mother and three kids on an elevator in Rashid mall, a known pervert center. I don't go there at night and I don't go on the weekends these are known flirting times. Its not just young guys being received by young girls, its older guys coping a feel. Yes they'll grab a behind or breast and the women do nothing. I have news for any pervert looking my way to do that, I will BEAT YOU DOWN. No ifs, not hesitations I will put a whipping on you so quick you'll never know what is coming. I think my husband is just waiting for that call too, "Yehya I did a pervert beat down come collect me from the police department".

At any rate, a young Saudi girl, fully veiled, very nicely dressed in her crisp abya. Ya know, nothing like a mother of threes' abya that has hand marks, dust and looks worn. And this older big bellied Indian man who hopped on at the last second. Going up to the second floor to get something to eat. The food court is great because everyone can get what they want at the same place. All of a sudden pot bellied man turned pervert says something as he is leaning towards the Saudi girl. Now I have no clue what he said to her but I do know that she turned in offense yelled at him. That was it, I went into pervert alert mode and started yelling "You want to harass young girls on an elevator? You pervert don't you have any shame?"

Those elevator doors couldn't open fast enough for pervert man who ran out like his butt was on fire. Oh no, your not getting off that easy pervert man. Now the Saudi girl left it and walked off, if it were up to her pervert man would be free to bother more women. But I don't agree with that approach of allowing it on any level and this is exactly what happens when you don't cause a scene or don't get authorities in on the situation.

As I got off the elevator I started looking for security who are always up on this floor at the food section. Mainly because there are so many people its a good place to be. Pervert man ran into the bathroom but I saw him come back out waiting for an elevator. I kept my mother as the look out to see where he went off to as I made my way to the lazy security man. Security personal get on my nerves to begin with, why do they insist on wearing sandals or some other shoes they can't run in? Why are they more concerned with laughing, talking with other people, or diddling with their phones? It makes no sense to me, but this is Saudization at work here so I just deal with their presence. I found security man, leaning up against a wall, and I told him there is a man harassing women on the elevator. He looks half asleep, what? What do you mean what there is a pervert on the elevator? He turns, at least not leaning on the wall, "I don't understand". Ok I was angry now and about to beat him down out of mere frustration when low and behold the mall manager comes out of no where with his walky talky asking me "WHO??" Oh this man was ready, I told him and pointed the pervert man out, and as they were running over there the pervert got on the elevator. I said "There he goes on the elevator". Mall manager got on the walky talky, full security alert for pot bellied pervert man. Up and down the stairs they ran but pervert man got away.

The mall manager came back, apologizing to no end explaining its a nice mall but they do have problems with such perverts. He thanked me for pointing it out and said more women should do the same. The security man didn't look happy, running up and down three flights of stairs he was totally out of breath. I do wonder if pervert man still stalks Rashid mall elevators.

The Third Time

As I'm riding in the back seat of my minivan to pick up my kids from school we stopped at a red light. A car with two young Saudi guys pulls up, music blasting but I don't pay much attention. Suddenly the car hits reverse the driver puts his window down as he aligns himself with my back window just looking. He is about 20 maybe, spoiled rich and just an insult to all the good young Saudi boys out there. I told the driver "Move up away from this idiot". So he does, and there we sit waiting for the light to turn.

Young punk doesn't give up, he moves up again and than my driver puts the passenger window down telling him to go away. The young punk just waves him off, oh you Indian driver peon leave me alone type of attitude. My driver is going on, the young punk is not listening and he is leaning out of the window just smiling hoping I'll give him a look. Well I did as I put my window down shouting "Get the hell out of here no one wants you here idiot"

The look on his face was priceless, he slowly turned the corner and left. This isn't uncommon for guys in a car to put their windows down trying to chase after anyone that sits in a car with a driver. The drivers don't mean anything to them and it doesn't stop them at all. It just encourages them because they know the girl is not with a male family member. Someone remind me again the reasons of not letting women drive here.

I guess having only three incidents isn't a bad ratio considering I've been here for four years. Less than one incident a year, and one not even directed towards me. But I know women who have had it worse and that it continues blatantly and with no shame is a very scary thing. But what is very true, although not fully realized, is that women hold the power in these situations. It is on her effort that a pervert can be easily arrested for the offense which carries a penalty of public lashing. It is up to women however to let it be known that no man will get away with their pervert natures and so far, unfortunately this hasn't happened. Until all the perverts are weeded out of society, I will continue going into pervert alert mode and chasing them down.