All this bleating about segregation is giving me a headache. I don't understand why certain people are so intent on separating male and female Bahrain University students, when they tend to segregate themselves anyway. I recall from the one academic year I studied there in the mid-1990s that they usually sat apart from each other in class. In the hallways there was more interaction, but even there it was pretty limited and I understand that this is still the case. I think most men who call for segregation and dress codes feel some sort of misguided guilt or shame about their own feelings towards the opposite sex, a product, perhaps, of an overly strict upbringing.

They deal with these insecurities by imposing their wills on others, assuming that if their thoughts are perverse, everyone else's must be also. A little eye candy never hurt anyone ... unless, of course, you perceive it to be a corrupting factor and obsess about it. Isn't Bahrain segregated enough? Why is it that men outnumber women 10-to-one almost everywhere you go in Bahrain? Clearly many women are forced, for social, religious or cultural reasons, to stay out of sight. Many restaurants and coffee shops in Bahrain have separate areas for families. Of course, you know these aren't actually intended for kinfolk, right?

The inclusion of just one woman in a crowd of 10 or more is enough to gain it access to these so-called 'family sections'. The real purpose is to keep the all-male groups out because they behave like animals (I know, Mr Sensitive, not all of them...). This is what happens in a society which segregates its men from its women. Segregation of the sexes since early childhood just might be the main factor behind hooliganism and sex crimes in Bahrain, including those which victimize children. The solution? Well, they can de-segregate government schools for a start. If boys and girls interact with each other from an early age, it won't be such a big deal when they reach adulthood.

Not only do private school students (who usually aren't segregated) get a better education, they also come out being less uptight about all things related to sex. A municipal councilor recently called for a ban on 'scantily clad' mannequins at window displays, because they were exciting passers-by. Initially, I thought the claim was too ridiculous to be true, but boutique employees tell me that it actually happens quite often. One boutique manager said that male customers even get turned on by an armless, legless mannequin, just because it has a realistic female shape. Staff also have to tape sheets of cloth over showcase windows when changing the mannequins' clothes. If a guy gets his kicks looking at plastic dolls, who am I to stop him?  At least he's not hurting anyone. But it just goes to show that segregation doesn't prevent perversion, it perpetuates it.

tariqk1976@hotmail.com 

tkhonji@yahoo.com

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