Farina Irfan comments on business attire

Hi Judy~

Your column today made me realize the possibility of 'putting off' people around due to my 'obvious adherence to Muslim traditions' .

That it was a favor Scheinman bestowed upon the Muslim guy when he overlooked his ' appearance' and ventured on to enjoy the the ripe fruits of this lucrative business.

Judy! on a daily basis I come across people with pierced tongues, navels, naked midriffs and bellies. In fact a cocktail of explicit AND offensive dressing up. These may be remnant of the days of Slavery, BUT why....Why I never have the guts to say ' I am putoff by his/her appearance.'

Maybe becoz I am not living in the Medieval times ....

And here I see your article where you are judging this person based on his traditional religious attire.  Judy, will a Rabbis robe or a Nuns dress will 'put you off 'too.

Please take the time to purge out the inhibitions which reside somewhere in the sea called the 'unconscious' and look deeper into the hearts of people. Turn back the clock to the 21st century where technically it is permissable to live by our own rules sans breaking the law.

So why be bothered by a harmless guy's appearance! Be it a muslim, christian or Jew! Can we retrain our minds NOT to be religion conscious and live by the simple rules of Humanity.  Or maybe I am too idealistic a person.

Are we really working at 'Bridging the Gap'???

Farina Irfan

Judy Steed comments: Thanks for your comments. In the business context, it's a reality, I think, that "business exectives" expect other business executives to be more or less dressed like them -- and indeed, the suit and tie has become a global cultural norm. In any culture, the manner of dress of the dominant group tends to be the norm. That's what I was referring to, in the context of Derek Scheinman doing business with Omar Kalair.