Deficiency!
Dr Nimco Cali an eminent Canadian anthropologist has gone back to her homeland to do “her bit” for her people. Dr Nimco was not a feminist, though she believed in women’s rights. Dr Nimco was not a sexist, though she supposed all Somali men to be a bunch of sick misogynists. Dr Nimco was born and raised in Toronto in what could be termed a middle class family; her father was also a doctor and her mother was a university lecturer.
Nimco was an ambitious bookworm who studied and worked hard to gain her doctorate in anthropology at the young age of 30! She was single and fairly inexperienced.
Nimco was an independent and strong willed individual. As soon as she set foot back in her homeland, she hired a small house and bought herself a landcrusier! She could have stayed with her relatives but this was a statement of intent on her part. Nimco’s mission was to empower her Somali sisters. She believed the first part of achieving that was by asserting her very own independence and showing the women of her homeland that a woman can take charge of her own destiny.
After a few months of staying in her country and mingling with the womenfolk, Nimco decided it’s time to up the ante a little and tackle one of the main problems facing Somali women. She dreamed of abolishing the dreaded practise of FGM!
During the same period, the rumour mill has been working extra hard and various stories have sprung up about this western-acting spinster who lives alone and drives a car! People wondered about the reason for her single hood at the age of 30. Some used this, her independence and some of her “shameful” western ways to suggest that it would not be a farfetched idea to assume that Nimco also had a secret smoking habit. Others spread more sinister rumours about her. In no time at all, it was agreed by most that western and uncultured Nimco was a lesbian. Living alone, driving a car and having an alleged smoking habit were all strong signs of this “western” disease.
Nimco, unaware of these rumours, got down to work and started questioning women about FGM and their feelings about it. Being the studious scientist that she is, she did not start by asking specific questions but rather limited her questions to those that were general in nature at first. She would strike up a conversation with a woman and ask her if she was married, how good is married life, were bedroom activities to her satisfaction, etc.
By using this gossipy style of eliciting information, Nimco hoped to get an honest and fair idea of the effects of FGM on married women. The married women on the other hand, thought this western lesbian was flirting with them and were all aghast at her daring and shameful behaviour.
The womenfolk decided to save this lost child and talk her into changing her disgusting ways. One day, while Nimco was sitting at home reading a book about FGM, a delegation of females knocked at her door and asked to be let in. Nimco put her book down on a table and invited them in with the usual exclamations of how her humble house has been blessed by such a visit, etc.
The women, upon entering the room, noticed the book on the table and saw a glimpse of a photo of a female’s private part! They were horrified and one of them loudly declared this to be a lost cause and suggested that they all leave. The chairwoman of this delegation was adamant that they should all stay and have a word with Nimco. Nimco on her part, was very excited, and having been reading the FGM book for the past hour or so, felt equipped to tackle the issue head-on!
The chairwoman started by eulogising the Somali culture and the Islamic faith (as you do). She went on to talk about how hard a woman’s lot in this world is and how Somali women always bore such hardships and responsibilities with great dignity and never neglected or rejected their duties.
Nimco interrupted the old lady and told her that while it was indeed a noble thing to adhere to one’s duties, some parts of the Somali culture were wrong and needed to be eradicated. She was using FGM as her point of reference and assumed that the women implicitly understood her aim. The women were using her abnormal lifestyle as their point of reference and assumed that she tacitly understood their aim.
When Nimco informed them that God created humans equal and that women should not meekly submit to the unreasonable whims of men, the women sighed in unison. This was, in their eyes, a confirmation of Nimco’s lesbianism and her desire to really be a man! Some of the women quietly surveyed the room for signs of cigarettes, but when they did not find any, the sight of an empty ashtray on the table was enough confirmation of this woman’s deviant ways!
Nimco was appalled by what she perceived as meekness and submissiveness on their part and thought it was high time for plain talking. She was not going to mince her words anymore and was going to talk, directly, clearly and specifically about the horrid practise that is FGM.
The women, having seen the stubbornness of this mixed up western spinster, were also outraged and decided to, once and for all, put this woman in her place. Whatever credit or respect she had from them was gone, the benefit of the doubt was no longer to be extended. This was a wayward child that’s needed a telling off!
Nimco started speaking and mentioned FGM and how barbaric that practise was. The women were instantly on the defensive and, despite hearing the sense in her words, were not going to agree with a lesbian! One of them stumbled upon the brilliant idea of asking Nimco if she had gone through the, very normal process of FGM! Nimco told her that, fortunately for her, she never had to suffer such barbaric treatment. The women all looked at each other in shock and stared back at Nimco with petty, as if she divulged an embarrassing secret!
Nimco, for her part, was shocked at their reaction! She was on the point of losing her temper and that was becoming obvious from her words as she told them that they all are, in a very small way, deformed! The women laughed, all at once. Some had tears in their eyes as they informed her that, in this society at least, she was the one who was deformed. Dr Nimco Cali the eminent Canadian anthropologist was independent, intelligent, highly cultivated and deformed!
A few weeks after this incident took place, Dr Nimco was back in Canada where she felt normal again and was in no way deformed (though of course, being a Hijab wearer, the Canadians regarded her as a poor and oppressed woman who was forced by men’s interpretation of their and her faith to be submissive and meek).
PS
The above story is a work of fiction and none of the characters in it are real. In addition, it was my aim to leave it open to all manner of interpretation and not give my personal take on the issue.
Nimco was an ambitious bookworm who studied and worked hard to gain her doctorate in anthropology at the young age of 30! She was single and fairly inexperienced.
Nimco was an independent and strong willed individual. As soon as she set foot back in her homeland, she hired a small house and bought herself a landcrusier! She could have stayed with her relatives but this was a statement of intent on her part. Nimco’s mission was to empower her Somali sisters. She believed the first part of achieving that was by asserting her very own independence and showing the women of her homeland that a woman can take charge of her own destiny.
After a few months of staying in her country and mingling with the womenfolk, Nimco decided it’s time to up the ante a little and tackle one of the main problems facing Somali women. She dreamed of abolishing the dreaded practise of FGM!
During the same period, the rumour mill has been working extra hard and various stories have sprung up about this western-acting spinster who lives alone and drives a car! People wondered about the reason for her single hood at the age of 30. Some used this, her independence and some of her “shameful” western ways to suggest that it would not be a farfetched idea to assume that Nimco also had a secret smoking habit. Others spread more sinister rumours about her. In no time at all, it was agreed by most that western and uncultured Nimco was a lesbian. Living alone, driving a car and having an alleged smoking habit were all strong signs of this “western” disease.
Nimco, unaware of these rumours, got down to work and started questioning women about FGM and their feelings about it. Being the studious scientist that she is, she did not start by asking specific questions but rather limited her questions to those that were general in nature at first. She would strike up a conversation with a woman and ask her if she was married, how good is married life, were bedroom activities to her satisfaction, etc.
By using this gossipy style of eliciting information, Nimco hoped to get an honest and fair idea of the effects of FGM on married women. The married women on the other hand, thought this western lesbian was flirting with them and were all aghast at her daring and shameful behaviour.
The womenfolk decided to save this lost child and talk her into changing her disgusting ways. One day, while Nimco was sitting at home reading a book about FGM, a delegation of females knocked at her door and asked to be let in. Nimco put her book down on a table and invited them in with the usual exclamations of how her humble house has been blessed by such a visit, etc.
The women, upon entering the room, noticed the book on the table and saw a glimpse of a photo of a female’s private part! They were horrified and one of them loudly declared this to be a lost cause and suggested that they all leave. The chairwoman of this delegation was adamant that they should all stay and have a word with Nimco. Nimco on her part, was very excited, and having been reading the FGM book for the past hour or so, felt equipped to tackle the issue head-on!
The chairwoman started by eulogising the Somali culture and the Islamic faith (as you do). She went on to talk about how hard a woman’s lot in this world is and how Somali women always bore such hardships and responsibilities with great dignity and never neglected or rejected their duties.
Nimco interrupted the old lady and told her that while it was indeed a noble thing to adhere to one’s duties, some parts of the Somali culture were wrong and needed to be eradicated. She was using FGM as her point of reference and assumed that the women implicitly understood her aim. The women were using her abnormal lifestyle as their point of reference and assumed that she tacitly understood their aim.
When Nimco informed them that God created humans equal and that women should not meekly submit to the unreasonable whims of men, the women sighed in unison. This was, in their eyes, a confirmation of Nimco’s lesbianism and her desire to really be a man! Some of the women quietly surveyed the room for signs of cigarettes, but when they did not find any, the sight of an empty ashtray on the table was enough confirmation of this woman’s deviant ways!
Nimco was appalled by what she perceived as meekness and submissiveness on their part and thought it was high time for plain talking. She was not going to mince her words anymore and was going to talk, directly, clearly and specifically about the horrid practise that is FGM.
The women, having seen the stubbornness of this mixed up western spinster, were also outraged and decided to, once and for all, put this woman in her place. Whatever credit or respect she had from them was gone, the benefit of the doubt was no longer to be extended. This was a wayward child that’s needed a telling off!
Nimco started speaking and mentioned FGM and how barbaric that practise was. The women were instantly on the defensive and, despite hearing the sense in her words, were not going to agree with a lesbian! One of them stumbled upon the brilliant idea of asking Nimco if she had gone through the, very normal process of FGM! Nimco told her that, fortunately for her, she never had to suffer such barbaric treatment. The women all looked at each other in shock and stared back at Nimco with petty, as if she divulged an embarrassing secret!
Nimco, for her part, was shocked at their reaction! She was on the point of losing her temper and that was becoming obvious from her words as she told them that they all are, in a very small way, deformed! The women laughed, all at once. Some had tears in their eyes as they informed her that, in this society at least, she was the one who was deformed. Dr Nimco Cali the eminent Canadian anthropologist was independent, intelligent, highly cultivated and deformed!
A few weeks after this incident took place, Dr Nimco was back in Canada where she felt normal again and was in no way deformed (though of course, being a Hijab wearer, the Canadians regarded her as a poor and oppressed woman who was forced by men’s interpretation of their and her faith to be submissive and meek).
PS
The above story is a work of fiction and none of the characters in it are real. In addition, it was my aim to leave it open to all manner of interpretation and not give my personal take on the issue.
