Gender Relations

Crouching Brother, Hidden Stalker

Published

April 12, 2013

Dr. O

Dr. O blogs at Muslim Medicine, a site that strives to serve only the freshest grade-A certified ẓabiḥah ḥalāl comedy. Contact your local ḥalāl butcher for more details.

For generations, the age-old gender battle between hormonally-repressed stalker brothers and utterly creeped-out sisters has been waged from college campuses to Mosque common areas, and to this day you can usually find this war waged almost exclusively amongst our youth.

Keep supporting MuslimMatters for the sake of Allah

Alhamdulillah, we're at over 850 supporters. Help us get to 900 supporters this month. All it takes is a small gift from a reader like you to keep us going, for just $2 / month.

The Prophet (SAW) has taught us the best of deeds are those that done consistently, even if they are small. Click here to support MuslimMatters with a monthly donation of $2 per month. Set it and collect blessings from Allah (swt) for the khayr you're supporting without thinking about it.

Little is known about elder uncles being MSA creepers, partially due to the fact that a 50 year old man who’s still in college and is peeking through the dividers in the university prayer room just cranks up the creepiness factor to haramarifically fitnatastic levels. Alḥamdulillāh, thankfully our MSAs don’t have to deal with that, though apparently to society’s dismay, sisters shockingly fantasize about these sort of things:

“I’ve been repeating the same year of high school 92 times just for the chance to meet you and fall in love with you, sister…”

Yeah, no thanks. I’m not a girl, but at least I have enough standards to know that a sparkly vampire guy who needs to repeat high school 92 times clearly doesn’t rank very high on the intelligence scale.

But aside from sisters’ undead fantasies, the reality that every MSA in the nation does deal with are the threat of creeper brothers. Like Ninja Gollums (use your imagination to visualize that), these creatures skulk in the shadows waiting for MSA events and gatherings, the perfect opportunity to creep out in the open disguised as a regular attendee. The “precious” that they desperately seek? None other than the tempting golden One Ring… …to be put on the finger of a “lucky” hobbit sister. I think I’ve gone a bit overboard with this analogy, but just to be sure- make sure to shave your feet, ladies.

One of the rare times when lowering your gaze results in painful regret.

Now then, “crouching brother, hidden stalker” is a secret ancient ninja art passed down from creeper master to creeper pupil for generations. How do I know so much about this secret art? Because shut up. I know what you’re implying with that question. I’m not a creep, don’t even try pinning that on me, this entire article is NOT from experience. Stop judging me with your cold, accusing eyes.

This ninja art, practiced predominantly by desperate brothers who have been “divider-zoned” in their MSA, is a covert means for them to creep on sisters without their knowledge. Back in the pre-facebook days, this would consist of the following techniques:

OLD-SCHOOL FIQH OF CREEPY STALKING

1 – Divider-peeking

Place any sort of object or barrier in front of a man’s field of vision, and he’ll naturally want to see what’s behind it. “Dividers” have been a classic defensive structure constructed by sisters in order to keep the overwhelming wave of testosterone and Axe body spray smells at bay.

So naturally, curiosity builds in the brothers, and imaginations run wild as to what exists in the other-world dimension of the “sisters section.” Are there possibly manicure and pedicure parlors, mini shopping malls, and a roller coaster in the 7-square-foot closet that we’ve allotted the sisters for their prayer section? There’s only one way to truly know, according to Captain Kirk- “to boldly go where no man has gone before.”

2 – Overly-Enthusiastic Volunteer

Anyone who’s been an MSA Board member knows that when it comes to getting volunteers, sisters are usually a highly-organized well-trained platoon awaiting orders, and the brothers are usually just a group of lazy, lethargic sloths who spring to action only when food or sports are involved.

So it always seems a bit suspicious when a brother is overly enthusiastic about volunteering, especially when it comes to tasks related to sisters. Unlike the natural creeper bros who just gawk at divider gaps, these bros are able to creep under the guise of official MSA duty.

Brothers need help carrying a bunch of boxes? Meh, whatever. Sisters need help carrying a bunch of boxes? I’LL VOLUNTEER! Someone needs to bring a bunch of food trays to the sisters side during an event? I’LL VOLUNTEER! A sister needs a bit of assistance finding a hijab pin she dropped? I’LL VOLUNTEER! A brother needs a bit of assistance finding a hijab pin he dropped? I’LL VOL- wait. What?

3 – Proxy Creeping

Unlike the other two styles of creeping, this is the sneakiest and most subtle form of stalking because the brother doesn’t do any of his own “creeping.” That’s where the proxy comes in- his own big and/or little sisters who also attend college are perfect for being spies, due to their possession of a magical second X chromosome.

The creeper brother essentially relies on his own sister to venture into “no mans land” and report back to him on her reconnaissance mission. What girl would cast suspicion on her own fellow sisterhood of the traveling ḥijāb? Stand back CNN and Al-Jazeera, you guys are amateurs compared to how extensive the news network is amongst sisters. And that’s what makes this technique so dangerous- giving a brother access to that network via a proxy router sister could be disastrous.

Or so you’d think. The greatest opponents to creeper guys are their own sisters, who are able to give them a mahrem-powered slap of reality. Creeping requires subtlety and espionage, and creeper bros often discover that it’s easier trying to convince Nicki Minaj to not look like a kids’ party clown than it is getting their own sister to be complicit in their stalking.

NEW-AGE FIQH OF CREEPY STALKING

With the advent of Facebook, the legendary stalking website, all of the old-school methods of creeping are simply obsolete. Why bother trying to creep in public when you can just do that online? Now creeper brothers can stalk silently and anonymously, with no risk at all of getting caught, except for the poor fool who accidentally clicks “like” on a sister’s profile picture from 2007.

There really isn’t much subtlety to Facebook creeping, since everyone’s personal info is right there- literally anything and everything, ranging from birthdays and hometowns to terribly instagram’d pictures of what you ate this morning. Stalking has become so easy that all it really takes is just a few clicks and perhaps even a twitter search for more thorough creepers.

Limited profiles are such a bore for most creepers- it’s like slapping a niqab on your profile, so the only thing people are able to see is that you’re a human being who’s alive. But public profiles? That’s like a creeper’s lucky day! Four albums of 300 photos each? Well now, it’d be a shame to let all those pictures go unappreciated!

Yeah yeah, I know I know- this article seems a bit too gender biased. What about creeper sisters? Don’t they exist too? You better believe it, and unlike guys, creeper sisters put the FBI to shame with how effectively they’re able to gather information on their targets.

Beware fellow brothers- most of you are probably being stalked at this very moment, but your creepers are so masterfully elusive that you probably won’t ever realize it, nor be able to discover who it is. Or it could be entirely possible that you’re just a lonely loser, and there’s no one who wants to stalk you, but the idea is kinda flattering. If you feel that might be the case, then I feel bad for you. You deserve a bro-hug and a double-cheeseburger as consolation.

Ultimately, whether you’re a brother or a sister, practicing the art of a hidden stalker is just creepy and off-putting. Islamically, the privacy of your fellow believers are paramount, and loving for your brother what you love for yourself is a lesson that rings true once again. If you’d personally feel uncomfortable with some stranger gawking at you in public or at your profile pictures online, then don’t justify committing those same invasions of personal space and privacy yourself.

If you think creeping will score you marriage points, then I’d say you’re sadly mistaken- showing respect and reverence for the honor of others is a virtue far more attractive than memorizing all of the status updates someone makes over the course of a month.

0 Shares

Keep supporting MuslimMatters for the sake of Allah

Alhamdulillah, we're at over 850 supporters. Help us get to 900 supporters this month. All it takes is a small gift from a reader like you to keep us going, for just $2 / month.

Related Topics:creep creeper crouching brother Dr. O Facebook hidden stalker msa stalk

Up Next

We Don’t Debate Anti-Muslim Bigots- #MyJihad

Don't Miss

Trees & Butterflies

Dr. O

Hailing from New York, Dr. O is a current medical student who blatantly misappropriates his study time by posting absurd articles lampooning the weird things he often notices within the Muslim community. His articles often contain unhealthy doses of odd wit and humor, sprinkled with overly-pretentious medical-jargon, but covered in a sweet milk-chocolate coating of small sincere life lessons. Despite not actually having a medical license and pretending to impersonate an actual physician online, Dr. O aims to heal patients with just a tiny bit of bitter advice contained within a sugary pill of light-hearted laughter. He hosts his own blog, Muslim Medicine, at http://www.muslimmedicine.net.

21 Comments

azmathmoosa

April 12, 2013 at 9:24 AM

subhanAllah wonderful article!

Reply
Siraaj

April 12, 2013 at 9:32 AM

Aw man, you’ve pretty much outed all the old school and new school msa bros. Thankfully you didnt mention anything about unmarried professionals ;)

Reply
Abu Tawheed

April 12, 2013 at 1:10 PM

Assalam-o-Alaikum. What an article, you have a great sense of humor! :) Everybody is requested to Like my Page and spread it as much possible. Its just a small effort for Allah, may He except it from me.
https://www.facebook.com/IslamIzPeace

Reply
Latch

April 12, 2013 at 4:43 PM

Im not entirely sure why I read all that and while I cant say the article really useful – I did appreciate the humor and you did point out very apparent realities. I just dont understand why you waited so long to make your point. lol.

Anyway, Facebook IS for stalking. Men stalk, women stalk, we all stalk and I dont know if it can truly be helped without concerted effort on the part of the user/profile holder. I get angry when I log into Facebook. Why? Because of what I see and because of what I see people GIVING UP. People practically ASK for others to stalk them and more often than not Facebook is a platform for showing off everything. People will post and boast about their meals, cars, friends, houses, test scores, work, travels, and anything else you can think of and it frustrates me. Why does it happen? Because its easy and “likes” are like small doses of crack that sample you into addiction.

When I complain, others complain about my complaining and ask that I “let live” and dismiss. I see dismissing as cowardly and still refuse to accept poor behavior online as acceptable. Anonymity is bliss I say but people toss out any civility, let alone Islamic teaching, when they post and I have no idea why if they claim such moral high ground so much of the time.

Anyway, I feel as though individuals need to take charge of their privacy. People have prying eyes and that wont ever change. Lock down your profiles and purge your friends lists. Go into your Facebook settings and learn the settings so you dont have everyone and their mother checking out what you say for a status or where you ate last night.

I have one person on my list that repeatedly posts about talking a walk with a spouse or another who posted pics of their honeymoon mere hours after taking them and lord almighty I understand that its a happy occasion but you render it meaningless by not keeping it for yourself as something special.

Share, thats that FB is for but for the love of god dont post like its twitter and please dont give away your life when you could be having a meaningful conversation with a friend about those things later.

Anyway, lol, I dont mean to talk down a good attempt at satire – just think you needed a little more focus faster. Kudos nonetheless.

Reply
ms. H

April 12, 2013 at 8:45 PM

Funny but some of this stuff is semi-true.

Reply
O H

April 13, 2013 at 12:22 AM

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “I have not left behind me any fitnah (temptation) more harmful to men than women.”
Allaahu Musta’an!

Reply
Mohamed

April 13, 2013 at 9:56 AM

On the one hand we have an article criticizing men for going after women, on the other hand we have articles on here calling for greater women presence on Islamic organization and mosques, with some calling for a removal of all barriers to “see the imam”. You can’t have your cake and eat it too!! ;)

Reply
- Gibran
  
  April 13, 2013 at 2:27 PM
  
  Assalamualaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh
  
  Ma’adhallah lest the barrier is removed.
  
  Reply
Ali

April 13, 2013 at 10:25 AM

Assalamu alaikum
It’s a sunnah to mind one’s own business.

Reply
Umm Hadi

April 14, 2013 at 1:55 PM

Brother Ali, What’s the reference of the Sunnah?

Reply
ZRahman

April 14, 2013 at 11:48 PM

@ Latch Praise the Lord!!! someone who understands my frustration!!!! ughhh I ended up deactivating facebook permanently because I simply could no longer stand people displaying their private lives. When I saw myself sort of falling into it as well, I took a step back and realized how useless and silly this whole network is..hence got rid of it!! <3 all facebook haters :D

Reply
- Farah
  
  April 17, 2013 at 2:03 PM
  
  lol I totally agree :D
  
  Reply
K.Yass

April 15, 2013 at 12:21 AM

Ah, yet again, a well-written and hilarious post!

Reply
Majida

April 16, 2013 at 2:26 PM

hahahahahhaa!!
Amazing! SubhanAllaah!

Reply
Farah

April 17, 2013 at 2:01 PM

Hahah this was so funny! I initially clicked on this article because I thought it was about Muslim Martial Arts… …. o_O … anyways… I hope this is not the new martial art… Let’s go back to chivalry and sword fighting people cause this new type of behavior is not going to help you score… Anyways I agree… Facebook is creepster central. I deactivated my facebook mainly because I was so fed up of finding out way too much about others (and I was not even trying..seriously). My mind is thanking me for it… less junk to process now so I can focus on real things… Also it also helps me keep a good opinion of people :P

Reply
S

April 19, 2013 at 1:14 AM

Shame on mm authors…

Reply
GreenTea

April 19, 2013 at 12:22 PM

lol…excellent piece of work. A little awkward at times; Good script for a muslim comedy.

One serious observation. Proxy creeping doesn’t sound bad. If one is serious to learn about someone before approaching a family more formally then I believe sisters or bros could use this medium to learn about someone. Nothing wrong with that. MSA events are not like it’s Hajj. You aren’t crossing God because you r trying to learn about a brother or sister when they are more likely to be at their most candid unscripted self. If that goes alright, you can then approach the family to discuss prospect of marriage. This way you don’t have to worry about boys or girls pretending and puttin on a show right before the main event.

Reply
eva626

April 24, 2013 at 9:53 PM

Great article!! loved the Humor

Reply
RMuslimah

June 9, 2013 at 11:25 PM

Hilarious article! Sad but true… I needed a ‘pick me up.’ GreenTea, unfortunately I learned the hard way that there are halaal means that are probably better than the ‘arranged marriage’ set up. I had an arranged marriage recently. I was married for only a few weeks. I was verbally abused by in laws – while my “husband” watched. Eventually he joined in on the insults. We were both educated (both of us are young physicians), and both grew up in the US. As if that wasn’t enough – I’m honestly not quite sure why he got married. I was nothing more than a house guest to him from day 1.

….now all of a sudden I’m divorced – but it wasn’t even a marriage *in any sense of the word*. I can’t put into words how painful it is to know that just because I lived in another family’s home..so much will be assumed about me :(. It doesn’t feel fair…then again not much feels very “fair” at the moment. I lived such a conservative life, had an arranged marriage – hoping that the way I carried myself in college and med school would be a source of barakah in my marriage…and then it all fell apart in front of my face. Absolutely no idea what the future holds, but its really unfortunate to know society will consider me “used” even though I wasn’t acknowledged as a wife.

To all my sisters…be careful..its crazy and cruel out there :(.

I guess I would say, don’t be a creepy stalker…but don’t be naive like I was either. I couldn’t be more thankful I can distract myself with the insanity that is called residency. Alhamdulillah

Reply
Munira

August 11, 2013 at 10:22 AM

Youre now my favourite writer on Muslim Matters.

Reply
Fadi

August 27, 2013 at 9:50 PM

This article really angers me. It rescinds to primary school segregation of typecasting one sex as the villain and the other as the hero as opposed to discussing the taboo and root cause for ‘hormonal repression’.

Reply