I had an Australian friend - he was proud that he had integrated into Polish society.
He started staring at people.
When people stare at what I'm doing ( such as unloading my car, or just leisurely passing by) I become extremely rude.
Now why would that be?
If they bothered to say hello FFS then that would be just dandy.
It doesn't matter if people are muslim, wear a habib - or whatever. People ought to be given a mandate by the Straz for the nasty anti-social habit of staring :)
So are you going to cancel your pointless catholic holiday on Friday - which is costing me 400 zlotys in lost contracts?
No - and following her faith is the ladies ' right too. Except, unlike your objectionable and pointless dated religious holidays, she is bothering nobody.
If that was a Burka, but it's not. Hijab covers only the hair. You can see elderly and middle aged christian women do the exact same thing while going to church. Nuns also cover their hair, please.. go and tell them to take that rag of their head and see what happens.
Also not all Muslim are wearing a hijab so its not needed
I think that covering head for women is not as unusual - as you said ( especially in the countryside) older women wear scarves. I think it is the same in some countries in the south (Greece...)- I think it originated from old custom that women cover head when they are married.
But let's be honest Burka, Hijab.....whatever- it is not sign of modesty for me but alienation.
Exactly, It would be rude to do something like that
But let's be honest Burka, Hijab.....whatever- it is not sign of modesty for me but alienation.
Its their religion that causes the alienation. I admit nikab and burka is too much and clothing has very little to do with modesty. It should be more about mindset.
Could Polish people who live in Poland, have an open mind to Islam, or Hijab if i explain the logic behind it?
How do you think Muslim people of a Muslim country would react if I took my teenage daughter to one of them and she wore her daisy dukes with her lower bare cheeks hanging out of them, a haulter top with no bra, bearing her bare belly, bare footed with her long hair flowing freely in the wind ?
Do you think there may be a negative response to her since no one else wears it and people may not be use to it ?
Could Muslim people have an open mind to the West if I could explain the logic behind it ?
But aren't you also altering your clothing based on a man/society?
Muslim women wear hijabs so that men will not find them attractive because if they do and take sexual liberties the woman is held responsible. That's why in Saudi Arabia a couple of years ago a woman who was raped was charged with the crime. In Muslim society the women are responsible for the men's behavior.
@Mahamat poland . you say that if poland lets muslims in, that means the polish should learn to deal with the cultural differnces. let me ask you, what would happen if tomorow my girlfriend and i became citizens of a muslim country . whould that mean my gf wouldnt have to cover her face with a rag . would i be able to eat pork . would i be able to have a pet dog without it being slaughtered for being ''unclean according to the quaran ''. could i go around wearing a crucifix on my neck .the answer to all these questions is NO . So why should poland accept your culture . I mean look at israel , muslims are burning that place to the ground as we speak . I dont hate muslims back in high school half my football teammates were muslims and they were good guys but what i do hate is people who act like a victum when they 'by choice ' go to another country
I'm a 20 year old Arab/Muslim woman who's been living in Warsaw for about 2 months now. Loving the landscape here :)
I take the metro and bus to school and I have noticed that most people actually avoid sitting next to me, they even cramp up near the door even though there are vacant seats next to me and I'm wondering if it's out fear? or is it hatred of some sort? I'm not saying Poles are hateful, it's just I know that they don't really 'like' foreigners, and I can live with that honestly, I just want to know why.
Also, this might seem weird but what swears should I expect to be thrown at me since I wear Hijab?
Who knows why people act the way they do. It's almost a waste of your time to wonder what people are thinking, as we will never know for sure. Use the rule of " Never take anything personally" as in the Four Agreements book by Don Miguel Ruiz. Have you read that book?
If you wonder why people are not sitting next to you on the bus, why not try turning it into a positive reason, such as "they are trying to be courteous and respect my personal space" this way you have switched the apprehension you might have of being a foreigner on the bus into a good experience.
Or how about making fun of the situation and speaking up whenever you see somebody not sitting down by saying "Prosze Pani/Pan możesz usiąść kolo mnie, ja objecam ze cie nie ugryze." That means..."please Lady/Sir you may sit next to me, I promise I won't bite you." That should make people laugh, because it pokes fun of the situation, and you say it in a formal tactful way.
And what about wearing a Hijab? Women wear it in the apartment complex I live in, I really don't see anyone looking at them in a bad way. Maybe children out of plain curiosity would look, as anywhere in the world.
A fun thing to do would be to wear a button that says "Hug me I'm wearing a Hijab" that would make people smile, and evoke conversation between you and a stranger.
I am a foreigner, i lived in Lodz and now i spend one week per month in Warsaw.
I NEVER felt that people hated me.
Why?
Simple: I Respect polish culture and as the phrase says, "When in Rome, act like the romans". So people even like me. From ALL the countries that i had been, together with Lithuania and Georgia, Poland was were i felt more welcome.
By the way, i live in a muslim/arab country and here most western girls feels really unwelcome (me not, since i am a man) just because they use western clothes. Think about that.
That's excellent advice, Anna. A lot of people in Poland have visited Egypt and for everyone who's sniffy about someone wearing clothes from a different culture there's another person who is generally interested.
@Castamere, some of what you've noticed might not just be because of the hijab - people in Poland are not generally friendly and sociable on public transport. Writers have commented on this since the 1930s and it's sometimes one of the first things that visitors notice.
Merged: Islam in Warsaw - I would like to meet other Muslims and also eat Halal food
Hello everyone, first of all I'm not tending to be rude or racist in any manner and if I have offended you by any chance please forgive me.
So hi, I'll be travelling to Poland somewhere in September and study in a good University, I understand that Poland is not a Muslim country nor is Islam a strong religion in Poland, this does not bother me in anyway however coming from an Islamic society and community I would like to meet other Muslims and also eat Halal food, I would also like to go for prayers and etc.
And since I'll be staying in Warsaw for about 4 years I would like to get to know the Islamic community ahead of time. I still don't speak the language but I'm hoping I would pick it up fast.
So I'm just wondering where are the popular Halal Restaurants and where are the closest Mosques? :)
Once again, please don't judge me because of what I asked, I respect all religions and beliefs its just that I would like to have a little insight on the Muslims and Islam in Warsaw.
There are several mosques in Warsaw. The biggest one is at ul. Wiertniczej 103 (about 20 minutes from the centre by bus). This is where native Poles who are Muslim tend to pray and there is also a small Cultural Centre there.
Another is in Ursus (mostly but not only for the Turkish and Chechen communities). There's also the new mosque (beautiful building) at Ronda Zesłańców Syberyjskich near the city centre. There is also the Muslim Cultural Centre there.
There's also the Ahmadiyya mosque at ul. Dymnej in Włochy and there are two small groups of local Shi'a Muslims.
While you're here, you should make a point of visiting the Seventeenth Century wooden mosque at Kruszniany.
You will have no problem finding Halal restaurants, and there is a Halal butcher round the corner from the ul. Wiertniczej mosque.
I have an offer in Poland, Wroclaw and I'm considering accepting the offer. I'm from Egypt and I'm a Muslim. I will be moving to Poland by my wife and son.My wife wears Hijab.
I did some researches and found out that The people of the country are mostly friendly people :) .
But i needed your opinion: Are we going to face any difficulties? Are the people going to accept my wife?
I did some researches and found out that The people of the country are mostly friendly people :) .
There is lingering racism in Poland and especially in the last year it grew in strength because of the 'refugee' crisis - there have been incidents of attacks on Arab-looking people - one quite serious with a victim hospitalised. Wearing hijab can pose a danger in these circumstances I guess.
Adapt to the local costume and don't obligate your wife to use Hijab.
Poland (and specially Silesia, the region of Wroclaw) is a place where woman are free to wear what they want and it is unacceptable a male obligating their woman to dress what he wants.
There is a fair chance that someone wearing this kind of costume will face hostilities in Silesia.
