SELECTIVE READING: THE BANE OF OUR RELIGION

I was supposed to give a talk about HIV/AIDS to the students of a public secondary school in Awka whose name I would rather not mention for the sake of the government. I do not have a problem with the school and the innocent young minds being raised in the school. My focus is on a particular lady whose name I didn't bother to ask for.

We were about to begin the talk when she called me aside, into her office to 'speak to me'. In a voice heavy with judgement and self-righteousness, she told me how 'indecently' I was dressed, yammering and yammering about God and decency and morality and all her self-righteousness...that they don't even allow corpers wear their NYSC trousers to the school and they fire all their female staff who wore trousers. I looked at myself, dressed in a very decent, non-revealing black top and a pair of very decent black trousers and couldn't see the indecency in my attire.

I respected her age and accompanied her to see the Principal. She spoke to her first. Then I went in and spoke to the Principal. After explaining my ignorance of the school's rules and regulations, and the purpose of my presence there, she agreed to let me stay with my team but I wouldn't address the students....that was the only concession she would make so she wouldn't seem like a Principal who isn't true to her words and the school rules. I applauded her maturity and understanding and decided to stick with the deal. I went back to join the team.

The previous yammerer called me back again. In a voice that sounded like she was addressing a Junior Secondary School student, she asked, ' What did Principal tell you?'. I told her the deal I made with the Principal. Then she started, 'You know you are wrong and irresponsible. Aren't you a Christain? Didn't your Bible say women shouldn't wear trousers? You shouldn't even stand on the podium. You should take a seat and sit by the side or even stand at the gate. Your presence here is influencing the students negatively'. Bla bla bla. On she went.

At a point, I couldn't hold it in anymore. As she was talking, I responded in a very calm, cultured and cold voice. 'With all due respect ma, I am a Christain. I know the verse you are quoting by heart. Let me recite it for you. Deuteronomy 22:5. The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the LORD thy God. As history teaches me, the men of Isreal in that time wore skirts. Now they wear trousers. This pair of trousers worn by me cannot be worn by any man because it has been designed for women. Just as men's trousers are designed for them men. So there's nothing wrong with my attire. Besides, your dress is obviously made of wool and linen and Deuteronomy 22:11 says that Thou shalt not wear a garment of divers sorts, as of woollen and linen together. So why are you teaching these students if you obey one verse of a chapter and disobey another part of that same chapter? This is a case of selective reading of the Scripture. What I smell here is pure hypocrisy and discrimination. And I honestly won't take it from you. Besides, you are not the Principal'.

With that, I turned around and walked off. She was dumbfounded. Maybe she hasn't met a lady with enough spunk to throw her off her high horse. I'm honestly glad she did meet one. I bet before she takes on another young lady, she'll weigh the sharpness of the rebuke she'll receive and the correctness of her argument before launching.

We gave our speech, thanked the Principal and went out of the school.

Oh....I forgot to add. While we were walking out of the school, I saw a female teacher bend over to pick up something. She was wearing a skirt. The skirt got so hiked up that I could see her tights. And nobody queried her. In their biased minds, she was dressed 'decently'. 

Nonsense and ingredients!