Assalaam walaikum,
Why do many non-Western females have difficulty with directness.
May I interrupt here?
You said it yourself, She is not western, as we know it. Social directness and aptitudes are something you learn and grow up with, as is INDIRECTNESS and GENTLENESS. I would advise you to use care in your interactions with someone who is known to be not only of a different culture but a different language and value set.
Over the last month, I have had the honor and privilege to call Revert Sister. Not as a Muslim sister, for I am not, but as a sister of the heart. MANY times we have had to stop our conversation in order to double check the true meaning of what we were trying to communicate. Language carries emotion and intent. We
can notforget that! I recently learned that if it were not for a single letter, Salam would not be a wonderful greeting but a huge insult. We all need to remember that we are different for a reason but its our duty to not hold one person's ethics and judgments up against our own. There is only one who has the right to judge....and inshallah.....I'll be forgiven for my own misjudgments.
As for Mr. Tyson, I do not believe him to be a sincere person. His pattern of behavior has shown that he will say what his audience most wants to herar. If he is in a Christan country, he fears God and loves Christ. If he is in a Muslim country, he loves Allah and doesn't agree with Christan practice. The only thing I personally think is that he needs pity.