Irony at Disneyland

As I waited for the Nemo ride to finish, I watched as a woman, I will assume she was sunni, walked by me wearing a chador (I assume sunni for a couple reasons not explicated in the following). 

A chador, to remind myself of these events in twenty years, is a full head to toe covering.  The head is covered although the face was exposed.  This is typically not shi'a and is not something one finds in, say, Indonesia.  Nor do we find this look in Sudan or Egypt.  Their style and dress is very different even if they have a chador, it does not typically look like the one worn by the woman who walked by me.  Her husband walked a few feet in front of her, eating an ice cream cone.  She walked behind her husband, eating her vanilla/chocolate swirl ice cream.  They were looking around as any of the gadzillion tourists were doing (a whole different issue - tourists) on this very beautiful and warm day in Southern California.  I was quite hot wearing a polo shirt and shorts.  She was in dark black from head to toe, while her husband wore a pair of jeans and a blue striped short sleeved shirt (that looked awkward on him).

I paid attention because a) that is what I do, pay attention to specifics, and b) the irony in what I was watching kept slapping me in the face.

Typically (which means in most cases but not every single solitary case on planet earth) the wearing of a full body chador in dark black (versus brighter colors in Pakistan and India and Indonesia) indicates a woman who is particularly religious and more likely sunni than shi'a. 

Typically (which means in most cases but not every single solitary case on planet earth) a person who is more religious than the average person would (if female) wear a veil of some type, but chador's tend to be veils worn by women who are slightly more than simply religious.  They are strict adherents to particular sects within Sunni Islam.  Such adherents tend to view the world very simplistically - those who follow the word of God and then everyone else.  These individuals, strict adherents to the tenets of Islam, accept many of the claims made about the West - immoral, wicked, evil. 

And what place on earth best represents the 'West' ... Disneyland.  The money, the dress of many young people, the hand holding by members of the same sex and opposite sexes, the physicality by unmarried members of whichever sex, the godless behavior of so many, and the Jews in control of movies and the film industry of which Disneyland is a representation.

And into this den of sin and subversion, a husband and wife enjoying the day - albeit quite out of place.  My guess - he is from Saudi Arabia and is here for ... some reason (business related) and decided he would take his wife to the happiest place on earth.

Ironic. 








den of evil