"I wasn't going to shake your hand either"

Asalamu Alaikum sisters!

Time to tell you about an incident while attending Jumah prayers today. As my father, brother and I got out of the car, a guy who apparently knows my dad was parking and honked wildly to get his attention. My dad waved and we walked on.

30 seconds later the dude's jogging towards us with a big grin.
"Hey Ali!" He says to my dad and shakes his hand.

He sees my brother and says "Woah, you've grown taller!" And shakes his hand.

Now I'm on my dad's right, clutching his arm. (It's a habit since I was a kid, and although he complains about it I'll never stop!) My brother and Mr.Cheery here are on his left.

The guy looks at me and says, "Oh, I'm not going to shake your hand, you're a girl" and continues to smile. Like an idiot.

I just look back and reply, "That's okay, I wasn't going to shake your hand in the first place."

Shoot. Trying to brush me away like that.

But my dad just looks at me and smiles because we've encountered people like this before.
Flashback Minnesota, Circa 2006: It was a really big mall with a bunch of muslim stores in there. This guy of an Islamic shop shakes my dad's hand and my brothers. But refrains when he sees my hand duck out. (I didn't wear hijab since I was still a tween)He also said my older brother should be more advanced than me in the Qur'an when I said I knew more Surahs than my brother. My dad later tells me he's just an extremist and try not to get mad at idiots like those. Which I didn't; however, I couldn't understand why they would never shake hands.

I mean, my father was never strict in Islam. He never forced my mother or I to wear the hijab, but just encouraged me. He didn't pray as a youth, or young adult nor sported the beard he has today. (I still think it's fake, but that's another incident for another post, don't worry it's real)He shook hands with woman and wasn't 'lustful' as some extreme people say about shaking hands.

But back to this annoying guy, my dad and I laugh and I then find out more about "Extreme dude"
He's part of this Somali political party (tribal based) and that they claim this land that belongs to this other tribe and blah blah blah. Ogaden Liberation Front? If that rings a bell to my somali viewers go comment.
Anyway, I seethe on the inside because this guy's seriously messed up in the head. You can't be all 'holier-than-thou' and support tribalism while fighting for Ogaden liberation rather than Muslim liberation. A'outhobillah

In the end, I was glad to not shake his hand in fear his backwardness might rub off on me.
Plus, I really don't like to shake hands with older guys anymore. Especially my dad's friends. Well old friends, the ones before my dad had before he became more religious. Granted I don't see them, but whenever an occasional one stops by our house or we see them somewhere, at least they shake my hand. But no hugs, that's too far and awkward.

Then again, there was this one acquaintance of my father who just gave me the heebi-jeebies whenever I saw him long ago. Totally uncomfortable for a 12 year old to feel like some old guy is checking her out.

Ugh, I'm done, peace
-Modest Justice