Unique Muslimah

So I’m driving to the mosque, spiritually ready for the evening prayers, when I notice bright, blinding lights in my rear view mirror. At first it was a glimmering spot in the darkness until a minute later it was right behind me. Here I was, driving at the maximum legal speed limit but the car behind me, a jeep I noted, urged me to go faster, revving its engine and staying so close to me I swear if I applied the brakes it would smash into my helpless bumper.

Looking into the mirror quite deliberately while I turned a corner, I could see that the man was a Pakistani Muslim. Sitting beside him was a woman I could only presume was his wife. I was shocked. It seemed he was taking the same route as I was to reach the mosque, but instead of the peaceful cruise I was taking, he was insisting on rude, vindictive behaviour.

It only got worse. As I reached a stop sign, I naturally had to stop and look both ways before proceeding. This only infuriated the man who looked to be in his 50s. He sounded his horn. There is nothing I hate more than someone honking at me. I don’t like to be rushed. If I rush and hit a car it will be my fault, while the person pressurising me behind laughs away. 

He continued his harassing behaviour. He flashed his lights at me and honked again. So I stopped completely and raised my hands questioningly while I joined the road, making sure it was safe to do so. It was at that point when he tried to overtake me, and this was a narrow, winding road. His huge jeep wouldn’t have been able to do so. “This man thinks he’s going to the mosque to pray?” I thought to myself, “with that attitude?” I had to shake my head.

As he tried to overtake I acted like a traditional cowboy and blocked him on my right so that he couldn’t proceed with his threatening manoeuvre- a manoeuvre which could have killed someone as there were oncoming cars approaching. Methinks I did him a favour, otherwise he would have hit the oncoming cars. But I wasn’t thinking like that back then. I was thinking, “How dare you? You think because I’m a Muslim woman you can behave like that with me? Well I’ll show you that you’re not the only one with tricks up your sleeve!”

And because I was angered by the man’s 5 minute harassment, I did the only thing I knew would anger him even more. I slowed down. There I was, laughing away with mischief while driving at around 5 mph. I smiled while driving, but silently cursing the man for his lack of mannerisms. As I reached the mosque I saw that he stopped completely while the woman in his car got out and went into the women’s entrance. I thought I had gotten rid of him. I was wrong. He came speeding behind me again, where I was slowly proceeding to teach him a lesson. He didn’t dare honk at me again as he knew he was dealing with someone who would fight back.

I wasn’t some helpless woman who would give in obediently to a man’s ridiculous, patriarchal bullying. He was probably thinking that a woman shouldn’t be driving in the first place- that her place was in the kitchen! His attitude showed such sexist behaviour that I was quite intent to ‘p’ him off.

I was quite proud of myself as I walked to the mosque, handling a situation like that quite calmly and smoothly. But that angry, sad feeling didn’t leave me. Because a Muslim man should know how to treat others properly, especially a woman. Didn’t the Prophet come to teach us good manners? Isn’t the best person in the sight of God the one with the best of manners? Many of us forget such attributes while we rush to the mosque, swearing, spitting, bullying others, only to stand in front of God and ask for His mercy.

How do we expect God’s mercy if we are not merciful to one another?