Autobiography as it Relates to Experiences of Women and Religion

Individuals develop their own perspective angles based on their respective gender role, culture, ethnicity, and environment. When it comes to my life, among the above said variables, culture and environment have played very important roles. Admittedly, women constituted the major influential element in my living environment since my early childhood. Although I may not be able to mention one or two individuals among them in particular as the most central characters, women in general have influenced the way I approach the world and my life.

Studies reveal that where there is a sense of culture, it is followed by conflict or assimilation. I was born and brought up in a Coptic Orthodox Christian family. Although my parents were highly proud of their Christian heritage, they were never indifferent to other religious groups. They never insisted me to pick out friends on the grounds of religion or any other ideologies. Since my childhood I have been lucky with a good number of friends, among whom majority were Muslims. My mom despite her Christian belief was very friendly with Muslim women of our neighborhood. Admittedly, a few of them were my substitute mothers in several occasions. They fed me well, and I often slept with their own children. My parents seemed very comfortable whenever they had to leave me at their homes for some reasons. Although I cannot define the characteristics of a perfect woman, I am sure these ladies possessed some qualities, which women in general do not have. Cultural variance was never a reason for conflict between my family and Muslim neighbors. Knowingly or unknowingly I learned to assimilate my culture into that of others. This is how Muslim culture, especially Muslim women shaped my living environment....

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Cultural traits are sometimes converted to ethnicity when a group begins to acknowledge differences between them and other groups. Regionalism or fanaticism can also occur when people confront cultural stigmatization. However, in my case, cultural assimilation was possible, and this has to be attributed to my parents and those Muslim religious women.

In short, an individual’s outlook always depends on how he interacts with the world. Every person experiences the world through his/her senses. Peers and other community members also form an integral part of the environment which can greatly influence the behavioral formation of an individual. Despite being a Coptic orthodox Christian, my life has been under the realm of Muslim culture. And, Muslim women in my neighborhood played a major role in shaping my religious perceptions and the way I approach life.