[What's this?] A Salam and a Smile

There is this saying that goes like..."a smile is contagious", right?! WRONG!!

So the Muslims, especially the Arabs, have this problem with smiling back when someone smiles at them AND...get this, when someone says "AL SALAMU ALAIKUM" to them also. I seriously don't get that @_@ This has been a "abnormality" since a long time, but it seems to get worse and worse as years go by.

So there are situations where I'm walking in one direction and a Muslim girl (particularly the Saudi's and Somalians) heading in the opposite direction. So basically we pass by each other. Us being "sisters" in Islam we should at least say Salam or if too lazy 8-\, then smile. But apparently, smiling has become a mission itself O.o In both cases, I get no reaction *fashla*. Once I said "Salamu alaikum" and smiled too. All I got was a long stare and no reply.

G: "O....K! What was that about?! O.o"

So after that, I just smiled to any Muslima I see, but still no use with some *don't want to generalize*

I remember another occasion that happened a while back, where Sara and I were at Bongo filling (=P) our containers with sushi, and there was this Muslima with her husband, looking around seeing what's there to eat. The place somehow got crowded and Sara and I stood against the wall waiting for people to clear the place so we can select the sushi we want. The girl passed RIGHT infront of us. She was looking at us hard out so I smiled and guess what?! She looks away =S Then Sara tells me...

Sara: "I just smiled at that lady and she ignored me O.o"
G: "Even me. I smiled and she ignored...how rude =S"

This is something I really don't like. Fine, if you don't want to smile back okay, but when someone says el salam, you should most probably reply back - rodoo el salam. Also, when they flippin stare it's as if it's the first time they see an Arab, Mu7ajaba (wearing a scarf), Muslim girl. That's just weird, because Mashallah there are many mu7ajabat at uni from all over the Middle East + Asia. So what's the problem exactly?

This doesn't happen with the majority of the non-Arabs/Muslims, it's more like they take the "first move" and they don't stare much either (and if they do stare, then it'd be because of the scarf - 7ejab, which in a way is understandable), which I find disappointing knowing that our fellow "sisters" (in our case) don't do that even though they don't take the "first move"!

(^______^)