Avery & Omar: ISIS, Shmisis

[Mrs. Hanson]

53 minutes ago, Auntie Anxiety said:

Terri should be happy to marry Avery off. Now she’s someone else’s problem.

When this romance is over, Avery should try some other religion, like Rastafarian or Scientology. Why not?

Yep, and Teri should have sat back and said "Well I guess you are going to figure it out" when the paperwork was delayed, they had to rush to get a license, etc.  You want it, you do it.   And Teri, if you wanted to be at your daughter's wedding so damn bad, why did you sit there and roll your eyes, speak when you were supposed to be quiet and grumble?  From my former Somali co-workers, it was a blessing Avery was there AT ALL.   It is very typical for the bride's brother to act as proxy and she is not even present.  Islam is a VERY conservative religion, deal with it.  Look, I have told my sons to marry who they want but please slow your roll when it comes to LDS girls:  I have told them - if you marry her in a temple, which means you convert, your dad, your stepdad and I can NOT be in attendance.  Get married in a civil ceremony then get sealed a year later.  (I sound like Miss Bossy Boots, no?)  But those are the rules, you gotta play by those rules.  

[Pepper Mostly]

7 hours ago, mamadrama said:

I don't think Avery ever had any intentions of living in Syria. Hell, even Omar wants to leave there and go to the US...I think Avery wanted to be on TV and considering what a hot topic Syria is at the moment, applied for the show with that being her "shocking" storyline. My guess is that she'll travel back to Lebanon to secure her place in next season's shitshow and then either Omar will be able to move to the US or they'll somehow drift apart and have the marriage annulled (or whatever they can do it it). She may genuinely like Omar and may even be a little infatuated with the culture and religion right now since she's still in the honeymoon phase of ALL of it, but once the excitement and shock to her family wears off, I don't think she'll press forward. 

I don't think Avery ever intended to move to Syria either. She wanted to be on the show and she wanted to get out from under her mother's thumb. I don't doubt that she loves her mother but Teri is overbearing, and I think that, in a way, Avery is setting some boundaries. In a dramatic, teenage girl way. Maybe Islam really speaks to her, who knows? I know she's not popular around here but I give her credit-she converted, she follows the rules, she's learned some words and phrases in Arabic, she prays. She seems to be trying. Maybe she loves Omar, who knows? Stranger things have happened. She seemed sincere when she said she'd go to Dubai or Malaysia or anywhere, as long as she was with him. Maybe they'll make it, maybe they won't. (My son's high school GF was Muslim, her mother was an American woman who'd converted. Shadia didn't cover but her mother was full on-abbayah, hijab, the works. I used to see her around town.) Sometimes you can't tell what will motivate a person. In any case, I wish Avery well. She's only 19. If I'd gone on TV with all my foolishness at 19 I'm sure you all would have a field day with me!

[Twopper]

On 9/16/2019 at 7:24 AM, Mrs. Hanson said:

So they had a religious wedding so they could jiggy jiggy but not a legal one, correct?  Hey I was relieved to hear she has, and is keeping, a JOB!!

I wonder if that is the type wedding Laura and Aladin had when she was on her first trip to see him and her 3 day wedding is the legal one.  

On 9/8/2019 at 9:30 PM, iwasish said:

Isn’t a visa to a foreign country only good for 90 days? Isn’t that why Nicole had to leave Azan. And that there’s a waiting period before you can get another visa to go back. 

It varies by countries;  I think some have shorter time limits, but India has a much longer period.  You get a Visa good for 10 years, but each visit is limited to 180 days, but not more than 360 days in a calendar year if I recall correctly.  So Jenny has 6 months to be with the scummy Sumit. 

8 hours ago, Auntie Anxiety said:

Terri should be happy to marry Avery off. Now she’s someone else’s problem.

When this romance is over, Avery should try some other religion, like Rastafarian or Scientology. Why not?

Having watched Leah Remini's show on Scientology,  I would hope Avery avoids it. 

11 hours ago, Kiss my mutt said:

From what I understand, gymnastics can be rather expensive.  They didn’t appear to have a lot of money especially if all three kids were involved.. Is Teri single, remarried? 

I have no idea about the family.  At a certain level, all those competitive sports get really expensive.  Our daughter was a great swimmer, but it was getting super expensive with travel to meets and it really cuts into your time with practices before and after school in addition to the out of town travel.  The costumes for highly competitive ice skater and gymnasts are very costly.  Fortunately, our daughter decided she preferred a life to a swimming "career" as she wanted time for piano and  theater as well.   Also once a high competitive level is reached, all the energy of the family tends to go to that one child. 

On 9/4/2019 at 7:09 AM, blubld43 said:

Avery doesn't have any of what I believe would be the "normal" mannerisms of a woman born and raised Muslim: she doesn't defer to men automatically, she looks them in the eyes, I'm not Muslim or middle eastern and I see it plainly.  These are the kind of things that are going to cause problems IMO.

I agree with this.  She seems to be a perfect mini-me of her mom in both looks and attitude.  She has a relatively pretty face because she is young. As shallow as her question about the availability of buying make up in Syria was,  I understood it because the Muslim women I see usually wear lots of make up.  The ones who wear American clothing don't, but those who wear the tradition Muslim garb do.    I thought the wedding dress was lovely, but then they made her wear the brown cape with the hood which reminded me of the Handmaid's Tale.

Edited September 24, 2019 by Twopper

[Mrs. Hanson]

34 minutes ago, Twopper said:

I wonder if that is the type wedding Laura and Aladin had when she was on her first trip to see him and her 3 day wedding is the legal one. 

Yes, I believe it was.  Many countries see the religious ceremony as just that:  Just the religious part, not the legal one.  You must have a legal ceremony first followed by the religious one.  That is how Laura could jiggy jiggy in a shared room in Qatar.

Liam is an ass.  Straight up passive aggressive ass.  Take you hat and leave.

[Persnickety1]

6 minutes ago, Mrs. Hanson said:

Yes, I believe it was.  Many countries see the religious ceremony as just that:  Just the religious part, not the legal one.  You must have a legal ceremony first followed by the religious one.  That is how Laura could jiggy jiggy in a shared room in Qatar.

Liam is an ass.  Straight up passive aggressive ass.  Take you hat and leave.

So am I interpreting this correctly, in that essentially Laura and Avery essentially just got a licenses to fuck?  

If that's the case, damn...chasing foreign dick is expensive.  

I totally agree about Liam.  He needs to get the fuck over himself.  He's a grown assed man (23?) worried about mama cutting him off of the financial teat.  Get a job and get a life, Liam, you immature asshat.  Ugh.

[iwasish]

48 minutes ago, Persnickety1 said:

So am I interpreting this correctly, in that essentially Laura and Avery essentially just got a licenses to fuck?  

If that's the case, damn...chasing foreign dick is expensive.  

I totally agree about Liam.  He needs to get the fuck over himself.  He's a grown assed man (23?) worried about mama cutting him off of the financial teat.  Get a job and get a life, Liam, you immature asshat.  Ugh.

Laura’s kept him dependent and immature so that she had someone there when her relationships fell apart. Liam is the only person in her family she says she wants there at the wedding but she conveniently lied to him about already being married. Liam actually came, I wouldn’t have bothered. 

Looks like he turns out to be right anyway, apparently things aren’t going well. 

[Evangeline]

Just looked at Avery's Instagram for the first time - it turns out neither Avery nor Omar knew what the robe was for. A few people familiar with Muslim weddings said it is done to cover up the bride's dress beforehand, so there is an unveiling of sorts at some point. A couple people mentioned that it stayed on the whole time because of the camera crew. This was all news to Avery, she learned along with the rest of her Instagram followers.

[iwasish]

40 minutes ago, Evangeline said:

Just looked at Avery's Instagram for the first time - it turns out neither Avery nor Omar knew what the robe was for. A few people familiar with Muslim weddings said it is done to cover up the bride's dress beforehand, so there is an unveiling of sorts at some point. A couple people mentioned that it stayed on the whole time because of the camera crew. This was all news to Avery, she learned along with the rest of her Instagram followers.

She’s going to learn a lot about Omar and her religion in the upcoming months. A lot of it she’s not going to like.  

[Joan of Argh]

On 9/23/2019 at 10:40 PM, Auntie Anxiety said:

Terri should be happy to marry Avery off. Now she’s someone else’s problem.

When this romance is over, Avery should try some other religion, like Rastafarian or Scientology. Why not?

I want her to join a group that takes a vow of silence.  😉

[Joan of Argh]

On 9/24/2019 at 6:08 PM, iwasish said:

She’s going to learn a lot about Omar and her religion in the upcoming months. A lot of it she’s not going to like.  

Exactly, if she thinks her mom is bossy and controlling wait until she lives under Omar's rules for a while.

At least with her mom she could argue and fuss ... with Omar it will just be silence and do as you're told.. No discussion.

[politichick]

We have in our office a woman whose family originally hails from Syria. She said that she has some extended family who live there in an area that is safe but they do experience the extreme utility outages and food is super expensive.

[Christina]

I sympathize with Teri to the extent that Avery is an adult, lives on her own, pays her own bills and was getting married to Omar no matter what. If it didn't happen that day, the day Teri was leaving the country so that Avery and Omar would be spending their first few days of marriage alone, Avery would have done it the next day and Teri wouldn't get to witness it. Avery knows so little about her new religion that she probably thought Teri could sign as a witness, too. 

I'm way behind in my reading, again, so these are old posts:

On 9/23/2019 at 10:55 PM, Kareem said:

The friend’s post re Avery’s marriage is interesting. I thought she had said the rush to marry in Lebanon was so that she could immediately apply for the spousal visa once home, which this person says is incorrect. 

I don't think the marriage they ended up having is the marriage she thought she was going to have. Avery was expecting a fully legally recognized marriage that could be used here in the US for purposes of the spousal visa, but didn't have it because Omar did not arrange anything in time for it to happen.

On 9/23/2019 at 11:30 PM, Kiss my mutt said:

From what I understand, gymnastics can be rather expensive.  They didn’t appear to have a lot of money especially if all three kids were involved.. Is Teri single, remarried? 

Avery said her dad was in prison in that Q&A. She appears to be the oldest. Teri is remarried and has at least one son and at least one daughter. The daughter was in a competitive cheer team.

On 9/23/2019 at 11:32 PM, iwasish said:

Anyone know her last name?

Avery's last name was Mills before marriage. Since it wasn't a legally recognized marriage here, I don't know if she has changed it to his or not. 

[Mrs. Hanson]

Call me cold but the way Avery was continually LYING to her mom about moving to Syria, when she said she was coming home to the US after a few weeks, I would have looked at both of them and said, "Well Omar, I hope you are paying for her for a place to stay.  She is YOUR problem now.  She and her attitude don't get to play house with me."

[Ynicknan]

Avery is playing with fire for sure, but I have to say her wedding dress was gorgeous. 

[Mrs. Hanson]

40 minutes ago, Ynicknan said:

Avery is playing with fire for sure, but I have to say her wedding dress was gorgeous. 

I agree, and too bad it was covered up with an Idaho's Best Potatoes sack.

[magemaud]

Pretty sneaky of Avery to keep saying, "I can't tell my mom about going to Syria because she'd stop the wedding" then within minutes of the ceremony she was all "Guess what, we're moving to Syria and you can't stop me because I'm married!"

[Hannah94]

5 minutes ago, magemaud said:

Pretty sneaky of Avery to keep saying, "I can't tell my mom about going to Syria because she'd stop the wedding" then within minutes of the ceremony she was all "Guess what, we're moving to Syria and you can't stop me because I'm married!"

That dum dum is not moving to Syria. She is almost as thirsty as Darcy. She needs the drama and attention so badly, it's disturbing. 

I kinda feel bad for Omar if he is legit. He is a young good-looking guy that married a whore who converted on a dime to his religion, just to get his d. She is fake as fuck. He doesn't deserve a spoiled brat whore; he deserves someone who truly respects him and his religion in every way.

Edited September 28, 2019 by Hannah94

[Jeanne222]

2 hours ago, Ynicknan said:

Avery is playing with fire for sure, but I have to say her wedding dress was gorgeous. 

Who's paying for that dress?  Avery and Omar have no jobs.  Was it her enabling mother Teri?  The one trying to talk her out of marrying Omar?

Enablers like that make me crazy!  If dum dum wants to travel the world let her go!  

A little tough love would do Avery a whole world of good!

[magemaud]

Just now, Jeanne222 said:

Who's paying for that dress? 

Teri pulled out her credit card at the bridal salon and asked if they took it. 

[Frozendiva]

On ‎9‎/‎26‎/‎2019 at 12:11 AM, Joan of Argh said:

I want her to join a group that takes a vow of silence.  😉

Carmelite nun. Pretty austere.

[Lily247]

Yep, how else did Avery pay for her flight? Despite Omar being a dentist/dental student/ dental resident whatever, I doubt he makes more money than to cover food for himself and utilities. Did Avery have a job? How did she pay for all her elaborate Islamic outfits (which were totally unecessary - she could dress according to strict Islamic code without looking like she stepped out of Aladdin), wedding dress, visa, etc. Must be her stepdad covering all this. 

[iwasish]

9 hours ago, Lily247 said:

Yep, how else did Avery pay for her flight? Despite Omar being a dentist/dental student/ dental resident whatever, I doubt he makes more money than to cover food for himself and utilities. Did Avery have a job? How did she pay for all her elaborate Islamic outfits (which were totally unecessary - she could dress according to strict Islamic code without looking like she stepped out of Aladdin), wedding dress, visa, etc. Must be her stepdad covering all this. 

I believe Omar did pay for Teri’s hotel room. When he and Avery were shopping I think he wasn’t thrilled that she was grabbing and oohing and aahing over stuff to buy. I did hear him ask how much something cost. I don’t think he has a lot of money. Avery is not going to be hitting up ULTA weekly or buying fancy head scarves. 

[gingerella]

I wonder how Omar liked his brand new wife years knowing her way around the equipment on their wedding night...just asking for a friend...

[iwasish]

6 hours ago, gingerella said:

I wonder how Omar liked his brand new wife years knowing her way around the equipment on their wedding night...just asking for a friend...

I’m sure he’s enjoying it now, but eventually he’ll throw her past in her face. Her smug little talking head about how he’d never even kissed a woman, as if he’s been waiting specifically for “her” instead of his wife, made me laugh. She wasn’t happy when he told her “no dancing, anywhere”

[pandaindisguise]

I wanted to reach through the TV and push Avery's elbow off the table when was leaning on it.  I felt like screaming sit up, elbows off the table.  Gosh does this "child" not have any manners.  I do not think I have heard a "thank you" once from her.  Between everything her mother and Omar have done for her you would expect to hear it at least once.

[TMI]

10 minutes ago, pandaindisguise said:

I wanted to reach through the TV and push Avery's elbow off the table when was leaning on it. 

she looked like a sloth!

[Jeanne222]

I think the network is paying for a lot of stuff for the show!  That's why Teri got to go!  That's why Avery has nice clothing!  Teri's a nurse and has a husband and younger children at home.

[blubld43]

20 hours ago, pandaindisguise said:

I wanted to reach through the TV and push Avery's elbow off the table when was leaning on it.  I felt like screaming sit up, elbows off the table.  Gosh does this "child" not have any manners.  I do not think I have heard a "thank you" once from her.  Between everything her mother and Omar have done for her you would expect to hear it at least once.

It's so obvious that Avery is playing with being a Muslim, Omar doesn't like her boldness at all.

And she kept calling him "habibi", which according to Google is an endearment, and he never once said it back to her...

[Angry Moldovan]

When she did the little hand dance, and then pouted at Omar’s reprimand I knew it would never work. In fact I thought she had more attitude with him than she did with mommy dearest. Avery is too rebellious to subjugate herself for Islam

Edited October 1, 2019 by Angry Moldovan

[Pepper Mostly]

"Islam" means "surrender". She's already done that. I don't think all Muslim women are browbeaten prisoners. I'm reminded of GBBO winner Nadiya, who was Muslim. She was not brought up in a conservative family but as a teenager she began to cover her hair and dress modestly because she viewed it as an expression of faith. She was quite a lively personality and very far from self effacing. She was so popular she went on to host a couple of TV shows and wrote some cookbooks. A Muslim woman can be expressive and outgoing, can be out in the world, can work (we had more Muslim women than men in the Advanced Education programs at the dental school I worked at). Omar does not strike me as conservative or provincial. Avery could put him off by being young and mouthy and obnoxious, but that could be true of any man, Muslim, Christian, Buddhist, or Pastafarian. She is waaaaaay too young to be getting married, but she's Omar's problem now. She'll find it out the hard way.

[blubld43]

1 minute ago, Pepper Mostly said:

"Islam" means "surrender". She's already done that. I don't think all Muslim women are browbeaten prisoners. I'm reminded of GBBO winner Nadiya, who was Muslim. She was not brought up in a conservative family but as a teenager she began to cover her hair and dress modestly because she viewed it as an expression of faith. She was quite a lively personality and very far from self effacing. She was so popular she went on to host a couple of TV shows and wrote some cookbooks. A Muslim woman can be expressive and outgoing, can be out in the world, can work (we had more Muslim women than men in the Advanced Education programs at the dental school I worked at). Omar does not strike me as conservative or provincial. Avery could put him off by being young and mouthy and obnoxious, but that could be true of any man, Muslim, Christian, Buddhist, or Pastafarian. She is waaaaaay too young to be getting married, but she's Omar's problem now. She'll find it out the hard way.

I do understand this, having known American Muslim women in college, just like me but wearing hijab.

I'm basing my comments on Omar's facial expressions, he hasn't once looked happy or pleased with her. No affection, no expressed endearments, like the "habibi" Avery kept calling him.  He looks over all of it, and has from day one, I'm baffled as to why he married her.

[Pepper Mostly]

He married her because he wants out of Syria! Seriously, I do think that was his motivation in seeking out an American woman. He may think he's struck gold with young, impressionable Avery. But my guess is that he's not a controlling, manipulative creep; just that he saw a chance, took it, was pleased to be getting a young and pretty wife. Then Hurricane Avery made landfall, along with Tropical Storm Teri. I do side eye Omar for his apparent lack of affection for Avery, but as of now I'm cutting him slack by considering that he is young, overwhelmed, and getting hit in the face with a Reality Frying Pan. He may be a more private person who doesn't show affection in public. He may be self conscious around the cameras. He may be mortified by Avery yapping about their sex life to strangers. Until he does something really dickish I'm reserving judgment.

[Angry Moldovan]

38 minutes ago, Pepper Mostly said:

"Islam" means "surrender". She's already done that. I don't think all Muslim women are browbeaten prisoners. I'm reminded of GBBO winner Nadiya, who was Muslim. She was not brought up in a conservative family but as a teenager she began to cover her hair and dress modestly because she viewed it as an expression of faith. She was quite a lively personality and very far from self effacing. She was so popular she went on to host a couple of TV shows and wrote some cookbooks. A Muslim woman can be expressive and outgoing, can be out in the world, can work (we had more Muslim women than men in the Advanced Education programs at the dental school I worked at). Omar does not strike me as conservative or provincial. Avery could put him off by being young and mouthy and obnoxious, but that could be true of any man, Muslim, Christian, Buddhist, or Pastafarian. She is waaaaaay too young to be getting married, but she's Omar's problem now. She'll find it out the hard way.

It wouldn’t matter what his religious or cultural background, Avery would back talk and pout and play her silly little games. Sigh! Too young for marriage 

[FairyDusted]

Avery turned on him as soon as she shoved Teri in the cab! She moved that damn target. She is a very immature 19 year old. Her age isn't an issue for me but that 14 YOLO attitude sure is. He is trying to nip it in the bud but she is openly disrespectful. Not a good start to any marriage. 

[Pepper Mostly]

6 minutes ago, Angry Moldovan said:

It wouldn’t matter what his religious or cultural background, Avery would back talk and pout and play her silly little games. Sigh! Too young for marriage 

Yes, I agree. Omar will just be collateral damage in Avery's quest for, well, whatever it is she's questing for. She's looking for something.

[lh25]

4 hours ago, blubld43 said:

It's so obvious that Avery is playing with being a Muslim

I agree totally.  And she'd going to learn a hard lesson if she does live in Syria.  In the US as a Muslim, she's a bit unique and draws interest, and can be her rebellious self.  There, she's just another women and will be expected to live by their norms.

[blubld43]

2 hours ago, lh25 said:

I agree totally.  And she'd going to learn a hard lesson if she does live in Syria.  In the US as a Muslim, she's a bit unique and draws interest, and can be her rebellious self.  There, she's just another women and will be expected to live by their norms.

If she were to really embrace the culture, she would need to shun any kind of spotlight on herself. Not going to happen.

[Lily247]

On 10/1/2019 at 1:23 PM, blubld43 said:

I do understand this, having known American Muslim women in college, just like me but wearing hijab.

I'm basing my comments on Omar's facial expressions, he hasn't once looked happy or pleased with her. No affection, no expressed endearments, like the "habibi" Avery kept calling him.  He looks over all of it, and has from day one, I'm baffled as to why he married her.

To me, I think that he was enamored that an American girl was giving him attention. He strikes me as kind of shy and reserved.about PDA - he's no Latin lover or Courtneys Antonio from Spain. And Avery is not picking up on it AT ALL. She stubbornly and ANNOYINGLY strokes his face constantly and cant pick up on social cues that he is super uncomfortable.  

[Mrs. Hanson]

On 10/1/2019 at 4:09 PM, blubld43 said:

If she were to really embrace the culture, she would need to shun any kind of spotlight on herself. Not going to happen.

Just think of how much more smoothly the wedding would have gone if it had been explained to Teri:  "Look, this is how it roles:  women don't talk, there is a proxy, a man signs the paperwork.  We are quiet and respectful.  Please be respectful, we are in a place of God."  But no......she rolls her eyes, talks during the ceremony and kinda mocked the whole thing.

I had a Muslim co-worker (still friends!) and I asked her about the religious services for a baby, on par with a baptism.  She explained a lot of great things, including they are traveling back to their home country for a service where a ram is sacrificed.  A boy gets two rams, a girl gets one.  I was like, really?  She just shrugged her shoulders and said, Yeah, that is tradition!  And she was no shrinking flower, mind you.   Reminded me of the two women can sign the marriage license or one man can.  Again, I was surprised Avery was even present.

Edited October 3, 2019 by Mrs. Hanson

[RealReality]

12 minutes ago, Lily247 said:

To me, I think that he was enamored that an American girl was giving him attention. He strikes me as kind of shy and reserved.about PDA - he's no Latin lover or Courtneys Antonio from Spain. And Avery is not picking up on it AT ALL. She stubbornly and ANNOYINGLY strokes his face constantly and cant pick up on social cues that he is super uncomfortable.  

Ack!  I hate when she does that, I feel second hand claustrophobia.  

Antonio....that guy was hilarious!  I'd like to set he and Darcy up just to see what happens?

Edited October 3, 2019 by RealReality

[liammaam]

24 minutes ago, Lily247 said:

She stubbornly and ANNOYINGLY strokes his face constantly 

That really struck me, too. Shoot, I was physically moving away from her. His body language could not be more clear: he absolutely hated her stroking his face. 

16 minutes ago, RealReality said:

Ack!  I hate when she does that, I feel second hand claustrophobia.  

YES! That’s exactly what I’m feeling watching her do that. 

[gingerella]

22 hours ago, liammaam said:

That really struck me, too. Shoot, I was physically moving away from her. His body language could not be more clear: he absolutely hated her stroking his face. 

YES! That’s exactly what I’m feeling watching her do that. 

A lot of how she touches Omar is coming, IMO, from a very overt Western display of affection, and from someone who obviously has ‘experience’, which Omar does not, which makes it all the more awkward.

Edited October 4, 2019 by gingerella

[Lily247]

3 hours ago, gingerella said:

A lot of h9w she touches Omar is coming, IMO, from a very overt Western display of affection, and from someone who obviously has ‘experience’, which Omar does not, which makes it all the more awkward.

Exactly, Im not sure if there are specific rules about this in Islam, but I think she should keep herself quieter. Her chirping Arabic phrases at clerks whom Omar was talking with was grating on me, she was just trying so hard to draw attention to herself,  and because I have a feeling that in Muslim communities, when men are around women should not really draw attention to themselves too much. When she was telling Omar that shes loud and dances in the streets, I saw his face just fall

Edited October 3, 2019 by Lily247

[blubld43]

42 minutes ago, Lily247 said:

Exactly, Im not sure if there are specific rules about this in Islam, but I think she should keep herself quieter. Her chirping Arabic phrases at clerks whom Omar was talking with was grating on me, she was just trying so hard to draw attention to herself,  and because I have a feeling that in Muslim communities, when men are around women should not really draw attention to themselves too much. When she was telling Omar that shes loud and dances in the streets, I saw his face just fall

This kind of thing is exactly what I meant when I said her mannerisms would cause trouble; she is very American in her behavior, hijab or no.  Based on Omar's facial expressions and body language, I don't think he likes any of it. I'm uncomfortable watching their scenes, it is SO obvious to me that he doesn't like any PDA.

And I get how Avery probably feels, they're newlyweds and in the U.S., nobody would think twice about her affection towards her new husband. But she's immature IMO even for 19, these things will be recurring problems between her and Omar.

[Hannah94]

Just now, blubld43 said:

This kind of thing is exactly what I meant when I said her mannerisms would cause trouble; she is very American in her behavior, hijab or no.  Based on Omar's facial expressions and body language, I don't think he likes any of it. I'm uncomfortable watching their scenes, it is SO obvious to me that he doesn't like any PDA.

And I get how Avery probably feels, they're newlyweds and in the U.S., nobody would think twice about her affection towards her new husband. But she's immature IMO even for 19, these things will be recurring problems between her and Omar.

Avery acts very much like Nicole did with Azan. They both think they are young, hot Americans that the Middle Eastern guy cannot live without. They are both #1) wrong and #2) stupid and #C) painfully immature.

[gingerella]

Totally agree with the above posts, in Muslim culture the woman normally walks behind the man and in a shop does not interact with male shopkeepers. One doesn't have to like or believe in a cultural norm when visiting another country. However, one should still follow certain norms to show respect and to remain safe. I was once in Amman for work and my male colleague took me to a famous spice shop after work because we both wanted to buy spices to bring home as gifts. We had to walk in jammed rush hour traffic to get to this shop, and I had on a skirt just below my knees with dark tights on (so I was already pushing norms even though I had on business casual). I grabbed a scarf and threw it over my head so I would stick out less, since my skirt made obvious that I was not from there. We walked side by side on the sidewalk from the hotel but as soon as we crossed into standing traffic, weaving in and out of standstill cars, I realized it might be best to walk behind my colleague so I drew back and fell in behind him, letting him take the lead. Although I was clearly not Jordanian, I received no comments or rude catcalls and I think it was because I was seen to be trying to respect local norms. When at the shop, I had questions so about certain spices, which I asked to my colleague, and he then asked the male shopkeeper because that was more comfortable for the shopkeeper. I didn't feel put out, or like I had the right to change their culture, I was a guest in their country so I followed their rules. These morons on this show who keep thinking they can act American in a Muslim country just perpetuate the Ugly American sterotype, it's embarrassing. Even thinking about the TLC crews running around filming them gives me the creeps because I have no doubt they also represent Ugly Americans as well by virtue of them salivating at filming embarrassing shot in public.

Edited October 4, 2019 by gingerella

[Twopper]

On 9/24/2019 at 10:30 AM, Persnickety1 said:

So am I interpreting this correctly, in that essentially Laura and Avery essentially just got a licenses to fuck?  

Well, in that case, can Avery get a spousal visa for Omar?   All I know is Lebanon has no civil marriage at all so I guess she is considered 100% married. 

Of all the people on this show I think Avery and Angie are the most eager to be on TV,  Well, Darcy, too, but I think Avery is most obvious about it.

[Persnickety1]

44 minutes ago, Twopper said:

Well, in that case, can Avery get a spousal visa for Omar?   All I know is Lebanon has no civil marriage at all so I guess she is considered 100% married. 

Of all the people on this show I think Avery and Angie are the most eager to be on TV,  Well, Darcy, too, but I think Avery is most obvious about it.

I agree.  I think once the gymastics spotlight went away, she was seeking something else to garner attention.

On top of the exposure from this shitshow, I'm sure she also has her friends enthralled with her new Muslim lifestyle, her new husband, her Muslim fashion, etc.  

It really was a win/win for her, attention everywhere she turns.

That being said, she's still my BEC and I can't stand the petulant little asshole.  

[gingerella]

7 hours ago, Twopper said:

Well, in that case, can Avery get a spousal visa for Omar?   All I know is Lebanon has no civil marriage at all so I guess she is considered 100% married. 

Of all the people on this show I think Avery and Angie are the most eager to be on TV,  Well, Darcy, too, but I think Avery is most obvious about it.

I wouldn't yet count on that marriage in Beirut to be considered legal in the US for a spousal visa. It seems like, given the shitshow that was Omar's planning, that they may have had a religious ceremony but not one that would be considered legal by US immigration standards. I have no idea, but I'm guessing that's what happened so they can prolong their 15 minutes of famewhoredom with the Trials and Tribulations of getting a real marriage done now, and thus milk yet another season of this craptastic show.

Edited October 4, 2019 by gingerella

[HunterHunted]

On 9/26/2019 at 8:53 PM, Christina said:

I sympathize with Teri to the extent that Avery is an adult, lives on her own, pays her own bills and was getting married to Omar no matter what. If it didn't happen that day, the day Teri was leaving the country so that Avery and Omar would be spending their first few days of marriage alone, Avery would have done it the next day and Teri wouldn't get to witness it. Avery knows so little about her new religion that she probably thought Teri could sign as a witness, too. 

I'm way behind in my reading, again, so these are old posts:

I don't think the marriage they ended up having is the marriage she thought she was going to have. Avery was expecting a fully legally recognized marriage that could be used here in the US for purposes of the spousal visa, but didn't have it because Omar did not arrange anything in time for it to happen.

Avery said her dad was in prison in that Q&A. She appears to be the oldest. Teri is remarried and has at least one son and at least one daughter. The daughter was in a competitive cheer team.

Avery's last name was Mills before marriage. Since it wasn't a legally recognized marriage here, I don't know if she has changed it to his or not. 

Ever since I learned that Teri had Avery at 16, Avery's bio dad is in prison, and Teri didn't marry Avery's step father until Avery was 5 or 6, a ton of Avery's decisions and family dynamics made a ton more sense. Gymnastics gave her order, structure, and discipline. I think she's expecting Islam to give her order, structure, and discipline. I'm sure these were in short supply during Avery's formative years.