Consider segregation in mosques: the genders split to enter through different doors, then worship in different rooms. For a young Muslim, it is the first indication that liaising with the opposite sex is not acceptable, a message that is then reinforced by the cultural segregation of social spaces. Even the interactions between family and friends send a message: men hug men and women kiss women, but everyone is careful never to touch anyone outside their own gender, no matter how much ‘like family’ they are.
