A Story of Social Injustice
As a little child, I lived on a quiet street where most women knew each other and exchanged coffee visits. Some women had nicknames that reflected certain sides of their personality. Sadly, there was a woman known as “Crazy Saniyyah,” who everyone avoided and “decided” that she did not fit in the neighbourhood.
This single-sided story that I grew up “accepting” was that Saniyyah—who always wore black, had a sturdy frown on her face, and lived alone in a small room—was an insane widow who did not like people and hated children. I was warned not to approach her, as she might hurt me; I believed this since she would often come out of her place and start shouting at the children who deliberately threw the ball on her door while wagging her old broom. Moreover, she had been returning the food trucks that were sent to the school where she worked because students did not eat it, and it got dumped in the garbage.
My mother had a different opinion. She said that Saniyyah was a very sensible woman who spoke politely and in a very rational manner every time they met.
When I matured and heard the true story, I realized that my mother was right. Saniyyah was not crazy at all; she had a very tough life. She lost her parents as a child in the massacres of 1948 in Palestine, fled to Lebanon with some relatives, and was raised in a refugee camp. Later, she married and travelled to Kuwait, but her husband soon died and left her completely alone. At that point, Saniyyah had no option but to live as a single woman in a male-dominated society that bullied or neglected single women. With her limited skills and qualifications and the absence of societal support to non-local women, she decided to work by cleaning schools and hospitals. She also had to neglect her looks and look strict and defensive in order to stand up for herself and survive any harassment. She used to work two shifts and needed afternoon rests, which the children and their parents denied.
Saniyyah was not crazy when she hated wasting good food and sent it back to where it came from, food that she was deprived of during her miserable childhood and which many hungry people around the world wish for.
Saniyyah was not crazy and did not pose a threat to anyone. She was a victim of a flawed society that neglected some members and failed to accommodate the needs of certain individuals who required community support and sympathy.
Unfortunately, a considerable number of people in many societies get judged by others, which leads to social exclusion and negative treatment. Call it prejudice, discrimination, unjustified gender-based bias, or social rejection; in the end, it is a completely unfair social practice that keeps certain groups of people away from integrating into the society, robs them of their basic survival rights, and deprives them of others’ respect and sympathy. In fact, social injustice is a serious issue that we should all take quality time to reflect on.
Asmaa Younis is a woman who holds multiple responsibilities and roles within her family and society. She wakes up every day with a determination to be successful and helpful in her daily tasks and missions. She is a passionate educator, a cultural speaker, an optimist, and an adventurer who loves sharing stories from her travels and life experiences for inspiring others through writing and talking.
