Lav,
First of all, please don’t shout (by typing in ALL CAPS). It makes it difficult to read and is not considered proper netiquiette.
Secondly, I recently ran into a similar issue on these boards. I posted in another thread that I try to say “Good Shabbos” to every Jew I see in the street on Shabbos — man or woman, young or old. A female poster on the board said that I should not do so because it would make her uncomfortable to have a “Good Shabbos” from a man.
So, I’m left with a bit of a conundrum. Do I say “Good Shabbos” to a woman because she might feel uncomfortable? Or do I simply forge ahead on the basis that most people would like to be greeted and therefore ignoring the minority? Heck, I’m sure there are probably men out there too who would rather I not say “Good Shabbos” to them too — but they, too, are the minority. So, do I stop for the minority, or do I just plow ahead? It’s a damned-if-you-do-damned-if-you-don’t situation.
Ultimately, I chose to forge ahead and continue to say “Good Shabbos” to people. I would prefer to err on the side of being too nice rather than on the side of not nice at all.
I believe the people in the shul you attended face the same dilema. Most people, I believe would want to be greeted if they were a stranger in a shul. Your case (where you’d rather be left alone) is IMHO the minority. That being said, I believe the best course of action for you would be to minimize the opportunity for people to greet you. The best way to do that would probably be to daven by the seat closest to the door and leave immediately after davening.
The Wolf