With Apologies to Ellen R. Sheeley

Did not see that one coming.

I don't know if any of you saw my last post, which I decided it best to remove, but Ellen R. Sheeley did...

About the Author

Ellen R. Sheeley is the Founder and CEO of Nob Hill Consulting, a San Francisco, California, USA based management and marketing consulting firm specializing in the international financial services and the technology sectors. She possesses an M.B.A. degree with a marketing concentration, a B.A. degree in psychology, and over 25 years’ professional experience. Ellen has served on the boards of a number of nonprofit and technology corporations and on the faculties of four American universities. She has lived and/or worked in the United States, the CIS, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and the Pacific Rim and traveled to over 80 countries throughout the world. The research about which this book was written is a labor of love for Ellen and was wholly funded from her personal savings. In addition, all time and labor devoted to it were provided pro bono. Information on how to make a most welcome contribution to this effort may be received by sending an e-mail inquiry to forallwomen@gmail.com.

Needless to say I was incredibly surprised, a bit flattered, and ultimately embarrassed that she had come across the post and actually commented. I am primarily embarrassed because of the subject title (meant no harm by it and was not in reference to women), not necessarily for my astonishment at what I had come across. For those of you thoroughly confused about now, the post had been regarding an arranged marriage website for Muslim adults which I came across while reading an article on the Asia Times website on Europe's current struggles with its European identity and acquiescing to certain demands being made to incorporate elements of Sharia law by some, not all, Arab and Muslim residents (see image). I had been amazed that something like that actually existed considering much of what we read, hear, and see about the Arab culture and Islam. The point that I brought up, and was quickly corrected on was the correlation of honor killings and Islam, which she explained was more a product of pre-Islamic tribal code, therefore culture not religion. I think that we can all ultimately agree that regardless of Religion or culture, IT IS WRONG, and I don't believe that I am the only one to have that misconception that these honor killings are being associated with the wrong thing, correct? 

More often than not we are shown on CNN, BBC, MSNBC, etc. that some Arab male(s), in the US, Canada, the UK, the Middle East has detained, beaten, raped, abused or murdered...MURDERED his daughter or another woman for an assortment of reasons: from dating a boy to wearing "western" clothes, to WALKING ON THE STREET WITH A MAN THAT IS NOT HER HUSBAND. And when most Westerners think Arab male, what follows? I will leave that for you guys to finish. The statements and accompanying awe was not completely uneducated or unwarranted I believe. What was said was in no way an insult to their culture or religion and was more expressing my astonishment that a culture/religion which faces many misconceptions as primarily violent and backward was producing something progressive like an online marriage service....who knew right?

So I guess moral of the story is: You never know who's watching...at least now we kind of do.

So if you ever get to reading this one Ellen, my apologies and thanks for the clarification.

To the Regulars, you know who you are, hope you read through the whole thing. Way to ruin a great thing right?