askyourgran - that's bloody horrific!!!
The girls I know in arranged marriage have rows with heir husbands over which cruet set to get from Ikea, over who will be driving the kids to soccer practice on Saturday, on whether the mother-in-law should come for the whole weekend, or just Saturday, and whether £230 is an appropriate amount to pay for a pair of shoes...
I suppose these ordinary Muslims are overlooked because frankly, they're just as boring as the rest of us, and don't provide the delicious ammunition that some people like to use to propagate the whole 'Islam is evil' thing.
Give you an example - I met my mate Habib's dad a few years ago. He said to me after a coupe of hours (at a barbecue), "So...you're the homosexual one, aren't you?"
I steeled myself for an uncomfortable argument, and said, (a little over-defensively), "Yes...I am".
Without a beat, he replied, "You're lucky - you will never have to put up with a woman", whilst grinning and winking at his wife.
Genuinely, one of the loveliest men I've ever encountered...but because he's not beating his wife, or screaming obscenities at soldiers, he will never be represented in certain sections of the press...which is a great shame, because he is what I call 'balance'