can men and women be friends?

The Hippiearab Podcast --- S1 E12
The age-old question, despite what you may think. What does it mean for men and women to be 'friends'? Why is it considered a weird and uncommon phenomenon? I take a look at some of your responses that were sent over on Instagram, as well as a an academic study and Islamic perspective.
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credits:
1. Why Men and Women Cant be friends by Jesse Budd and Patrick Romero - • Why Men and Women Cant...
2. Benefit or burden? Attraction in cross-sex friendship - DOI:10.1177/0265407512443611
#friendship #islam #discipline

[@abigailmaccio3977]

I laughed SO LOUD with the “i love studies… they prove me right every time”

[@uzi.goyard6118]

I personally think men and women can be good teammates or colleagues, basically interactions where the reason your interacting with the opposite sex is to work on something (like a project or presentation) but the minute it gets intimate and you start joking around and inviting each other to places thats when you cross the line and there will definitely be feelings involved.

[@madebym5359]

Im obsessed with this style of podcast by you. Hilarious, true, unbiased, open minded, religious, scholastic and credible, relatable. Mashallah your amazing keep up the good work girlfriend i am a fan

[@Karachi_king]

I’ve had one close female friend and it ended up in heartbreak. I thought she was okay looking initially. But once I really got to know her, she became the most beautiful girl in the world. It’s definitely tough, you can’t just predict whether or not a relationship will remain platonic. And subhanallah the Islamic ruling is perfect because the amount of pain this girl has caused me is insane. Sins can definitely seem appealing, but they’re like fools gold. You think you’ve found something special but they only rob you of your peace. May Allah guide us all.

[@christopherhansen6078]

I think it’s entirely dependent on maturity. I think it’s kind of hard now for how much men sexualize women. They may not emotionally like you but they’ll sexualize you. If you can get beyond the “I have a stick you have a hole” neaderthalism than men and women can be friends. Women are capable of being friends with men, men are usually not being capable of being friends with women.

[@hanabelle2431]

I SWEAR TO GOD this is

[@wnt6673]

Relationships are nuanced. People can navigate feelings of attraction while maintaining respectful and meaningful friendships.

[@smokingmarinara9995]

I had a fair amount of guy friends and never had any one of them tell me that they liked me until I lost a lot of weight. At first, I was confused and didn't know how to react because I wasn't used to guys telling me that they've liked me. As soon as I made it clear to them that I am not interested they distanced themselves away from me. I learned my lesson the hard way after attempting to "save" my friendships because I thought that something was wrong with me and that's why they were being distant. It was exhausting at the time and looking back at it now, I'm glad I went through that because that brought me closer to Allah. The more I became closer to Allah, the more I felt this natural inclination to stay away from them.

[@violetblythe6912]

We don't want to admit this, because we WANT to be able to have male friends, but it is true that 100% platonic friendships between men and women are exceedingly rare (especially when younger). They do exist but it is definitely not often the case. I had a very painful experience when younger where I befriended a bunch of guys who I thought really valued my friendship, but after I broke up with my bf each of them only tried to date me and treated me like garbage after I rejected them and asked to just be friends. I realized I had no real friends among any of them and they just saw me as something other.

[@aymenterea]

Give this lady her 100K already

[@o28jun]

We love you Farah, you're the big sister I never had but always wanted🥹🤍🌷

[@ezmadethis]

be diplomatic, take yourself seriously, and don’t let them talk you into anything. know your boundaries and MAKE THEM KNOWN. you set guidelines for how much people have access to you. platonic friendships with the opposite sex are complete and utter BS. a few months ago i’ve started to realize how insanely intimate simple eye contact/locking your gaze with someone really was. I started to not look into men’s eyes as much as I can, even in public places. it makes me uncomfortable to think about all the guys i thought i was FRIENDS with who actually wanted to have intimate relations with me. set yourself straight and grow on your own, carry yourself with respect, and a genuine male partner will come along one day whom you will form a pure and strong bond with, which in islam, simply put, is marriage.

[@treeville6236]

hi so I just found you, I'm a Roman Catholic but I couldn't agree more. I've had a few close guy friends in the past and no matter how strong your intentions of staying friends are, it frequently ends poorly. Men and women should be kind and cordial to each other, but friendships between them are often a recipe for trouble.

[@Muslim_Student]

That fsct that i wait for your episodes every Friday is unreal.

[@MaryCareyStudios]

I am Christian and we are allowed to be friends with guys, but with prudence anyways. I think your thoughts are so interesting and I will even think about the things that I heard because it really makes sense. Thanks for the video! It was really helpful!

[@avamangan4544]

Alhamdulillah you're so honest and real I love your videos. I recently reverted to Islam after my friend introduced it to me, I had some questions, did my own research and fell in love with the messages and positive intent of Islam. Your videos have really talked some sense into me on difficult topics that I didn't want to face but its like listening to advice from an older sister 🥹 Things I didn't want to but needed to hear! It's so difficult to come from a western mindset to realising everything Islam says is haram is haram for a reason! Its so easy for us to say men and women can interact regularly with each other but at the end of the day... I can't think of a single "guy friend" in my life who has NOT tried to make moves on me or flirt with me. Islam has made me feel empowered, beautiful and confident in ways I've never felt before, so much more than any western mindset/beliefs.

[@kenzyelwakil90]

Girlie, you’re the only KZbinr that I can watch for more than 20 mins. I can actually watch you for hours. Love ALL your videos and you taught me sooooo much. KEEP GOING❤

[@melindagallegan5093]

As a Christian girl myself, I think we are supposed to treat all men as brothers (friends) until marriage.

[@fishbarbeque8540]

Alright, now I have to say it, I LOVE YOU!!!! your videos brighten my Friday!!!

[@-rmaryam]

I've never watched one of your podcasts before but I saw when you announced this on your story and have been waiting since. Cant wait to listen to your take on this topic