Always the Peacemaker

Canadians can be non-confrontational with the best of them. We’re always looking for the non-violent way out of a situation. Some might say it’s because we’re wimps, others might say it’s because we don’t know how to use weapons, while even more will say it’s too cold in Canada to fight, so discussing the problem over beer is a much better option. Whatever the case may be, Canadians are peacemakers.

What does this have to do with anything? Well, Tom, Pam, Brian, Megan, Simon, and I went back to the Friday Market to see if we could find some military surplus and more endangered animals. We accomplished some of that…there was a giant tortoise that looked positively decrepit and I picked up some sweet Soviet coins. Oh, and my Dad can look forward to a brand new Moroccan fez (pictures pending).

At one point during the day, we were navigating through the decidedly less-busy market with me in the lead. Directly in front of me, a guy a little bit older than me bumped a woman a lot older than me (she was dressed conservatively). I didn’t see any sexually-motivated action, so the guy must’ve said something because the action provoked quite the response from the woman. She started yelling at the guy.

Now, if I were the guy, I figure I have two choices:

1. Leave the situation with my dignity intact


2. Fight back and look like an idiot doing it

Honour, dignity, respect…obviously none of these qualities were running through the guy’s mind because he started kicking the woman. And this wasn’t any sort of decent kick. It was like a kick a girl does to a guy when she wants to ensure reproduction will not be in his cards, but with the guy leaning back to avoid the woman’s arms flailing around him.

Giving the recent events on the first two days of Eid, my attitude towards Egyptian men attacking woman was basically in the toilet. It helped that this was happening a foot from me because I decided to step in and start holding the guy back. At that moment, the woman took off her sandal and started hammering the guy. Finally, she was restrained, but the guy remained belligerent. With the help of a local, we managed to get the guy out of harm’s way and calm him down.

Just another day at the market, I suppose.