azilana - THANK YOU!! I thought my family (extended family) was just.. well, a bit hickish. My parents are surprisingly educated and accepting of all my shenanigans. I finally sent the aunts some pictures of women not wearing the niqab and being beaten by their husbands (yes, it was a concern that this would happen in the street!) and it was decided that maybe I'm not as batty as previously thought.

Next lesson: it's pronounced "Qatar" and not "Guitar"!