She asked: how many people are already in the car? I said: 3, including you. She said: we'll read the 'ants sura' (al namel verse from Al Koran) so that God will bring some passengers and make our path easy. She started praying aloud. I had a towel behind my head because the chair is uncomfortable.
Her husband tries to make me change my window seat and give it to her. I ignored him. She decided she's ok sitting in the middle.
She asked: does your neck hurt you?" She thought I was a guy. I said to her I was a her not a him. She asked me where I was from. I said from Bethlehem. She asked: why are you going to Nablus? I said: باستنكار because I am visiting someone there. She said: 'oh! But you're from Bethlehem?' So because I'm from Bethlehem she expects me to be going to Bethlehem. How stupid.
She then asks me: are you muslim it Christian? I said باستنكار : why?? She said: oh nothing, we're all brothers and sisters. I said: exactly. And ignored her question.
Then she gets a rosary out of her bag and starts praying aloud. As if she wants me to pray with her.
She was examining my face and especially my hair. I closed my eyes. I saw her staring at me. I felt her gaze go through my eyelids.
Then I started typing on my iPod. She said: 'subhan Allah. He gave us the gift of the brain with which we can understand the world and make things like the computers. Prophet Mohammad predicted this many years ago. He predicted we would have a way to see and know everything. Subhan Allah. Elhamdu lillah'. She wanted me to repeat after her. She was trying to bully me with her religion. She was trying to use religion to place herself above me. I kept writing while noticing that she was taking glimpses at me.
Her husband was outside chatting with the driver.
She started telling her husband to call someone to drive them to Nablus because this will take a long time. Her husband started fantasizing about having his own car. He wants it to be red. She told him lets pray to get the car. Again she was trying to gain power and practice authority over her husband using religion WTF.
Every now and then she bursts in loud prayers while taking glimpses at me.
All the while, in the meantime. The loudspeakers in the mosque are blasting with the Friday preacher spewing all kinds of bullshit about women.
She starts to investigate the driver too. 'You're from Nablus, right?', from which family? ..
Another passenger apppeared.
She says : verse 61 of the 'ants' sura... If you wants god to make your path easier...
The men interrupted her and talk to each other..
Then one of the men gets back to her: what does aya 61 say?
She repeats it aloud.
She starts asking him about his grape vine. She wants some grape leaves.
She mentioned they went to hajj together.
In every occasion she sticks in a duaa or a prayer very aloud.
Then jumps to talking about grape leaves.
And back to preaching..
All the while the jomaaa preacher yapping.
She keeps repeating information to all passengers about her discovery about aya 61. Did you memorize it? She says? He says: I already know it.
She gets the rosary out of the bag again and keeps on preaching and talking about how she prays and keeps repeating prayers aloud. A woman sat next to her. Preaching lady was thrilled, she preached and prayed aloud and pushed around even more.
The car filled up faster than expected. She affirmed that was a result of her repeating aya 61 of 'Surat el namel'
She preached about the importance of el salat ala el Nabi , mentioning the prophet Mohammad and praying upon him- in Friday at this time of the day. She is yapping and yapping and yapping. I wish she would just shut up.
The azan blasts from more speakers along the way. She goes on praying aloud - again - as if she says: look at me. I'm the righteous one. Look at me. I'm the believer. I'm the good one.
Every now and then she goes on and on again. So annoying - public postering. So obnoxious.
She raises her hands to the sky so pretentiously to show everyone in the car she's a righteous worshipping muslim. she has a prayer for each occasion it seems.. She prays aloud. She talks about her hajj trip and her appreciation for her holy rosary. She preaches and preaches...
I wish she would shut up. I wish she would disappear.
One man who was in hajj with her have her his camera to look at the pictures and video of the hajj.
They started talking again about the prophecy. How Mohammad predicted we'd have a device that shows us the world without leaving our home. The other woman said he predicted TV also and live broadcasting. 'Jibreel took el Nabi and showed him Jerusalem too'. Someone said.
She watches the pictures without shutting up. The man in the back - the camera owner discusses the pictures with her. She goes on and on about the gift of hajj how it is the best thing that god can give a person and was glad to preach some more and posture and jump up and down to show her righteousness. In every conversation she sticks in a doaa. The man in the back shows her pictures of his son and grandson. She says: Allah yihfazo and yihfaz wlad el muslimeen. (wishing well for all children of muslims) Fuck you, I think.
She recites prayers wishing for all people to find god. I felt she was directing it to me. She was stealing glimpses at me and my odd appearance.
Now she talks about an aya 47 from Surat Youssef for protection of your home and from evil eye. She tried to push the woman next to her memorize it.
More passengers joined her preaching rampage.
The man in the back says that if someone had money for 5 years and does not go to hajj. He will die kaffir. (Infidel)
Obnoxious woman starts on again. She said she didn't bother to bring gifts for people. She instead bought stuff from Jenin and pretended they're from Mecca. How honest.
She got only zaman water and holy dates from makka and fortified it with her special prayers.
Some man in the back preaches about smoking and that it is haram (forbidden). The other guy argues that it is only makrouh (hated by god) but not haram. ProSmoking man said : who said its haram? Preaching man said: I say so. I cant decide what is not haram but i decide what is haram.' He comes up with arguments that it is haram. Anything that distracts from prayer is haram. Including TV and anything else. Really?
Wtf.
I can't wait till I get the hell out of this cab. I need to get out from this religious hypocrisy hell.
I long for a bit of solitude.
The cab's here
What a relief.
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