hi Robert. i noticed a similar thing when i was in paris a couple years back. i do not myself cover my hair, but my aunt who was with me does, and my father has a mustache and slight beard. with those markings and our dark skin, we are obviously non-european, and muslim. the hotel people were rude to us, obviously answering our questions and serving us because they must. the only french person who was friendly was the tour van operator, and considering he is in the tourist business, you might say his livelihood depends on not offending foreigners. i did most of the talking and granted, i don't speak french, i only am able to pronounce the words a bit better than my father and aunt and so could make myself more intelligible when asking about places and roads. my father thought it ironic in a country that fought for 'liberte, egalite, fraternite'.

interesting article

Most people are reacting nonconsciously in accordance with their cultural programming. Strange term, cultural programming, but European universities even offer degrees in it. The cultural programmers, however, are not so innocent. They know what their goal is, and that goal is a secular society. The West has already been effectively deChristianised. Pick any Pre-World War 1 book with photographs, and the people are all wearing head coverings - men and women and a some of the kids too. Skirts were all well below the knee.

With Hollywood and its ability to culturally progam societies through their films and magazines that supported their films, the erosion began. Both World Wars, however, accelerated the erosion process. Many good Christian boys left America for Europe and learned about wine and women. After the First World War, the returning GIs were so corrupted that their women responded by voting into law the Prohibition on Alcohol. Imagine! Just eighty years ago, America had outlawed alcohol. Today, every football game or rock concert is an outdoor beer drinking party. And that was not by accident! Cultural programming is very powerful and very effective.

The tools of cultural progamming are books, magazines, school texts, radio, tv, cinemas, sport, clothes and fashion.

There are still Christian groups that abstain from all of the above right here in America. The are Old Order Mennonite, Amish, Hutterites, and some Pentecostals and Seventh Day Adventists. But because most of these denominations shun secular society and maintain their own schools, own jobs, own social welfare, they are left alone.

Muslims, however, want to intermix with the dominant culture. Hence the culture wars. Britain and her former colonies such as America have enough tolerance to not get hung up about it in their state schools. But the French have always been confrontational. In May of 1997, my Sikh friends and I were in Paris in the Chunnel train station. We were walking quickly to make the train that we ended up missing anyway, but on the way, a French guard with a fully automatic assault rifle strapped over his shoulder made a vile groin jester towards my friend's Sikh wife who was covered. She never saw it but I did. Then the guard's eyes met mine. He turned away quickly with that look like he had been caught with his hands in the cookie jar.

Right away I understood that he thought she was an Arab. He couldn't tell a Sikh from a Muslim. But for a man in uniform representing the law to think that he could gesture his hips in that way in full view of other French witnesses thinking they would not disapprove, does not say much for Paris or France. I wondered if the French would treat Amish or Mennonites in the same terrible way that they treat Muslims? My friends assured that unfortunately they don't like any religion apart from Catholicism. In Strasbourg, the French have a special prison just for Jehovah's Witnesses because JWs
believe in turning the other cheek rather than joining armies to kill people.

Anyway, it's right in the Bible that men should grow beards and not trim their corners and that women should cover their hair especially at prayer. But today men are all womenly faced and women go about naked. Even Catholic nuns are discarding their coverings. Christianity is fast becoming a footnote in the history books. And many Muslims are not far behind them. They are disrobing and shaving when not partying behind closed doors.

The cultural programmers are taking us backward 2,000 years to Pagan Roman times. Two millenia of religious guidance for naught. But we still have our Amish, our Mennonite, and a Muslim or Sikh here and there. There's still hope.

Safi, I don't think it matters. It's just that we aren't used to seeing head coverings in hot weather. If you were my neighbor and I saw you everyday, I wouldn't bother me. It's just takes a while for me to become conditioned to it and that probably is the same for others, too. Love, Patty

Be proud of who you are, Safi; I sure am! What a courageous write! Well done! (((HUGS))) and much love, your friend in America, Karen Lynn. :D