mastodon.nzoss.nz is one of the many independent Mastodon servers you can use to participate in the fediverse.
This is a mostly te reo Māori and English language instance, for folks in Aotearoa New Zealand. We talk a lot about openness, technology, and improving our society. Helping folk associated with Aotearoa New Zealand engage in the Fediverse since 2017.

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Strypey

Genuine question for Muslims of the fediverse.

I generally try to be friendly to strangers, particular those who strike me as more likely to get negative looks and comments from the majority population in Aotearoa. When I come across women wearing Muslim style head coverings in public places, I usually smile in greeting, and maybe say "kia ora". But ...

Could I be making these women uncomfortable, and would it be politer to ignore them?

@strypey would a gentle nod of the head be less challenging and equally friendly?

@strypey

Gender-based interactions for Muslims are (to be honest) complicated.

There is an ongoing academic dispute between scholars regarding this.

What isn't mentioned is how culture affected this matter. South Asians have customs that a lot more stricter (or were so in the past) that included gender-interactions.

I know I'm not answering your question, but pointing out that it is complicated means that we don't have a universal principle about it.

As a stranger, ignoring may be best.

@kentoseth
> As a stranger, ignoring may be best

For a person whose manners were inherited from people-pleasingly polite British ancestors, this is *very* difficult. But I'll absolutely do my best. Thanks for the context : )

@tootbrute @prabirkc