Open Letter to Hard-Line Muslims in the US

I'm going to start off by saying what I am about to write may offend. To those who are offended by what I write I say this: it's my blog, get over it.

Many moons ago I was in a Best Buy with my wife, looking to take advantage of a special deal on a DVD player. We didn't have one, and they were offering one for $20, we couldn't refuse.

Well, obviously it was a popular deal, so when we got there there were none left. We asked one of the workers there and he said they had more in the back, and he was going to go get some.

Well a little later, before the worker had come back, a Muslim man, his wife (wearing a head scarf and matching dress) and their daughter came up to where we were, looking for the same DVD players. We overheard the two adults talking to each other, wondering if they had any left. Before I could say anything, the man went out to the edge of the isle, some distance from where we were, to look for someone to help.

OK. You know what? I don't know if they were Muslim, but they looked the part. They fit most every stereotype I know in my very un-wordly knowledge of the universe. He had dark hair, a beard, had very 'American' looking clothes on, where she had the headscarf, and a very long, almost home-made looking, long sleaved (in the Texas summer) dress. Forgive me for being insensitive if they are some other faith.

Regardless.

Not thinking much of it, I told the woman "Oh, are you looking for that cheap DVD player?" I got no response. She didn't even look at me, though she wasn't doing anything but watching her husband.

"Ma'am? We already asked about that DVD player, they have more." Again, no response. Not even a glance in my direction.

"Ma'am? We already talked to a Best Buy associate (I worked at Wal-Mart, 'associate' is in my dictionary now), he's going to bring more out." Again - she didn't even recognize my existance.

Defeated and a little annoyed, I walked away. I figured if she didn't want my help, so be it. I commented about it to my wife later, and she said "Don't you know? She's not allowed to talk to you because you're a man."

Women have every right that a man has in this country of mine. Just because I am a man and she is a woman does not mean that someone can dictate we cannot communicate with each other.

I hereby declare I will discriminate against any and all peoples who live as citizens of the United States of America who act this way - who treat one sex above another, who believe they 'own' their spouse.

You want to own your wife? You want to control her life and what she does in public? Go home.