“The world contains mothers who do not love their children, children who do not honour their parents wives who deceive their husbands, men who act sexually like women ... and it is not for me to judge or sanction them, unless the person has offended me in the particular relationship I have to him [or her]. It is up to the husband to control and punish his wife, the parents their children, the state – if it so chooses – the sexual deviant. The rest of us are not involved – on the contrary, we are under an obligation always to be tactful and hospitable to people.” - Unni WIkan (1977), from her book "Behind the Veil in Arabia: Women in Oman".
This is in reference to the society in Oman in the 1970s (between 1973 and 1975 to be exact). The woman who the author is quoting is responding to the author when she asked her how/why she's not scared for her reputation by mingling with a prostitute, or by simply being seen socializing with her.
It's interesting how their mentalities were and what they have become now, where people live off gossip and dissecting each other from top to bottom if they do not 'fit' in with their mentality, or are not in sync with their attitudes. It's funny how judgmental people have become nowadays when really we should be more accepting and understanding given that we live in a community that is becoming more and more diverse (culture-wise) each day. We are prejudice, racist and discriminate against those who we consider less fortunate than ourselves. Our attitudes have become a vortex of arrogance and cockiness, topped up with an immense amount of conceitedness. If only times can change back to how they were, when people valued their neighbors, and we can just live and let live.
