folio

At the halal shop, the shopkeeper addresses all his male Muslim customers “brother” and the females “sister”. However, I note he calls me, “sir”.

No doubt I should be honoured that despite exchanging salams at the door — and in the mosque — I am treated as the honourable sahib enjoying some kind of superior rank, born of my ethnicity or perceived nativeness.

At our local corner shop, meanwhile, the Sikh shopkeeper addresses his male customers as “sir” but I can’t help noticing that he always address my wife as “sister”. A more fitting honorific and term of endearment, even for one who in this case shares neither his religion nor ethnicity.

Believing in equality and egality as I do, I’ll take “brother” over “sir” any time. I have done nothing to warrant my association with noble gentry. However, I do believe I am your brother.