Some questions

[surprised]

Hi there lovely ladies,

I have been wanting to post in here for some time. I am a committed Christian and not looking for a faith change or anything like that, but I would really like to understand what the day-to-day life of an Australian Muslim woman is like? I don't want to argue about theology - I just want to know how your lives work.

We often go to Lakemba for the delicious food and it always makes me curious. So, here are some questions to get the convo rolling - but feel free to add other info if you think it important!

- What kind of food do you eat at home (and I do realise that Muslims are from lots of different countries)?
- What kind of involvement do you have at your mosque?
- What do you do on Christmas Day? (I know you have Ramadan etc, but Christmas day is Australia is difficult not to notice, even if you don't celebrate it)
- What do you think when you see a non-Muslim woman? Do you think we are tarts because we don't cover up (I dress modestly, but obviously don't cover my head)
- What is your relationship with Allah like? Does he seem close and personal, or distant and aloof?
- What is the best thing about being Muslim in Australia?
- What is the worst thing?

Thanks ladies! xoxo

[*Sparklez*]

Hi Hun,

I am an australian maltese reverted muslim,
I can help you out on the understanding side of things if you like, Onyx too will probably shed some light also.
Basically being Musilm is acknowledging that there is one god Allah, and Mohammed is his messenger.
Islam is one of the most known religions for remaining unchanged and untouched in all its years. Even though you have those radicul sectors, they are not goign by the Quaran.
ok your first question.
1. Food: We eat very similar to everyone else, excpet we dont touch pork or any food involved in pork. Its actually Hardom to eat pork.
My Dh family is lebanese, so the foods we eat, Tabouli, Kafta, Fattoush, SHwarma, Kusa, bemeh, etc.
Alot of us eat alot of these dihes with rice and/or lebanese bread

2. Mosques: These are our "church", We go there regularly, some go everyday for prayer, which we do 5 times a day, from dusk to dawn, But fridays is a day you will see all mosques packed out. We do alot of things to do with the mosque, fundraisers, lectures, lessons, of course the funeral. etc. But we do not get married in a mosque.

3. CHristmas Day, Its hard to say, due to everyone being different , but we do celebrate it per say, My family do, being australians and that, we just have a dinner, but my In laws will often have a bbq or just a get together (not unusual we have on eevery week lol). We do ramdan every year, its actually where we fast for 40 days, and at the end we have Eid, were its a huge celebration, but we also have another Eid A month or two afterwards so my kids get basically 3 xmas's lol

4. Non Muslims: No way do we see non muslims in that light, we, well most, are taught not to judge others, what you do, wear, act is how ever you think is right for yourself, as long as it doesnt impact on us, me, personally than you do what ever makes you happy, we have muslims that dress that way too, doesnt make them any better really.. so we can not judge, some dont like it, but hey, thats not their business.

5. That is a question that gives me an answer but doesnt, I feel close to allah, i pray 5 times a day and i live by his lines. I make sure my kids are raised with the love of allah in their heart but i dont brainwash them, hey, my eldest two boys are christian orthodox!! You can definently feel close to him due to the fact you live for the right to be who you are itms?
I dont know maybe onyx maybe able to explain it beter.

6. The best thing? Is that no matter who you are, or what you are, every muslim accepts you as though they have known you their whole life! You can help others understand what they dont, you can guide poeple to the right path and show them the wrongs without patronsing others.

7. The worst thing? Is that we seem to be painted with the same brush, no matter what good is done something bad will always over right it. We do cop abuse, get slandered, get mocked and definently intimidated. You just had to watch today tonight the other night to see some's reactions. But that was to the Niquab. Thing is overseas terrorism and extremists have blackened our name so we will be known for it.

[surprised]

Thanks hun! Really interesting and enlightening

Some questions about what you've said:
what is hardom?
what are kusa and bemeh? I love all the other foods you've mentioned, but don't know these
where do you get married?

ox

[*Sparklez*]

hardom, it means it wrong, its immoral. itms?

Kusa, is stuff zucchini, often with rice and mince, either in tomato or yoghurt soup like substance.
Bemeh, my fav!! its okra with diced lamb cooked in tomato paste base, its soooo yummm!!!!

When we get married we often get married before our wedding, we go to a sheikh or they come to our house, and do a special agreement, and thats that lol.
Then we do the whole huge wedding, with the drums and singer etc...

[ummAadam]

thanks for asking questions its nice to see people sincerely curious.



- What kind of food do you eat at home (and I do realise that Muslims are from lots of different countries)?
well for me, Im aussie revert, Ive always loved spag bol, lasagne, etc. but only since becoming muslim have i been introduced to curries and all the different types of food. in my house we basically make anything lol. my husband is of Ethiopian decent, but grew up in Sudan, he doesnt even like Ethiopian food! which is a relief coz its hard to cook. his basic food from 'home' is diced meat cooked with spices in a tomato based sauce with potatoes and eaten with bread. really easy and yummy. i tend to make variations of this every week. but still throw in a made up curry or lasange here and there lol
- What kind of involvement do you have at your mosque?
my husband goes there to pray pretty much every prayer (5 times a day) if he isnt at work that is. I go whenever i want. there are classes at my local mosque (called Masjid in Arabic) just for ladies every Tuesday that I go to. plus fundraisers for various things such as organise relief funds for Egypt/Syria during the troubles there recently. or fundraisers to help renovate the Mosque etc. all the ladies chip in and we cook food and cakes and sell it with the profits going to the fundraiser.
we can get married there. but we do marriage differently in Islam. first we have the Nikah which is basically saying the 'I do's' and signing the contract etc, it can be done in the Mosque (mine was ) then afterwards, maybe a few days later, there is the big celebration called Waleema, where theres food and you can get dressed up and people bring pressies etc. usually done at a hall or someones big house or something.
- What do you do on Christmas Day? (I know you have Ramadan etc, but Christmas day is Australia is difficult not to notice, even if you don't celebrate it)
for me and my family, we do absoltuely nothing on this day. I forget its actually Christmas til i look at the date lol. and realise thats why everything is shut! im slow lol.
for our family, we tend to be more strict I guess, Christmas is not something we are allowed to celebrate because it has components in it that are Haraam (forbidden) for us to participate in. it is not something from out Religion. but saying that, some people dont mind just having lunch with family that do celebrate it coz its just a cultural event for some, like my dad. hes not Christian but still celebrates it to an extent. I avoid all of that, but thats just me.
- What do you think when you see a non-Muslim woman? Do you think we are tarts because we don't cover up (I dress modestly, but obviously don't cover my head) for me, I just see her a normal person. I only think someone is a tart when they are obviously dressed like one but i wont give dirty looks or say anything rude because its none of my business. she can dress how she wants and I dress how I want. I do hate it however when women are rude to me, coz its mostly women who are. but... thats life. cant have everything perfect lol
- What is your relationship with Allah like? Does he seem close and personal, or distant and aloof?
I feel close to Him, especially in stressful situations because I turn to Him first for Help. but also, sometimes i get busy and life takes over a little and I feel distant coz Im not making as much of an effort to bring myself closer. but overall, its in control how I want to feel. If I feel low, then I turn to Him and feel closer and better. its all in my head. some days Im just lazy i guess.
- What is the best thing about being Muslim in Australia?
I guess in general, we can do anything we want here. I can live in the place I have called home since i was born, but still live the way I feel is correct for me. Im free to go anywhere and still practice and be myself, lets hope it stays that way!
- What is the worst thing?
being abused in the street, being painted with the same brush as Sparklez said. being treated differently just coz Im muslim. it is getting worse in some cases, but aso getting better in other ways. the Niqab (burkah debate) is hard, coz I wear Niqab. am sick and tired of being spoken to rudely or shouted at in public, in front of my kids. its sad

[surprised]

Wow ladies. I'm so sad that you get abused for what you wear. Some days I wish I could wear one - then I wouldn't have to worry so much about hair and clothes! Haha.

How did your non-Muslim friends and family react when you reverted? Why do you say reverted? In Christianity we say converted.

Mmmm I'm coming to your houses for dinner!!!

How do you view the Bible? I know there are bits that you accept but others you don't...?

Am loving this convo! Thank you for sharing.

[RockinSAHD]

Same, thanks for the insight.

[RhiChiChi]

Me too - thanks for asking surprised!

[Aussiegirl777]

Very much enjoying this thread and looking forwad to learning even more.

[ummAadam]

oh yeah, we (not all muslims, but I do lol) say revert rather than convert because we believe that every person was born a muslim, then their parents or whoever brought them up as Christian or Jew etc. we believe that Islam is every persons natural state of being. so when I say revert, I mean that I came back to my original religion. where as convert means changing religions. get me?

my main family members like my dad and brother weren't exactly happy, but just accepted it as a choice I wanted to make. my mother also converted just before I did so Im sure they assume I was just going along with her and that I would 'grow out of it'. well, almost 7 years later and its still going! lol

my friend pretty much all kinda went their own ways. I became muslim while I was in highschool so everyone grew up and I dont really have contact with any of them now. occasionally on FB or MSN, but not regularly. Im sure they thought I was mad or something lol

the Bible - we believe it to be very corrupted by man over the years and do not take anything from it as proof. whereas, we believe the Qur'an to be free from any errors and we know that it has stayed the same since it was revealed over 1400 years ago. there is only 1 version of the Qur'an whereas there are many versions of the Bible.

liking this convo

oh yeah and the niqab is great for when I need to go out but am having a bad pimple day

[RockinSAHD]

the Bible - we believe it to be very corrupted by man over the years and do not take anything from it as proof. whereas, we believe the Qur'an to be free from any errors and we know that it has stayed the same since it was revealed over 1400 years ago. there is only 1 version of the Qur'an whereas there are many versions of the Bible.

That's interesting, this is my main issue with Christianity.

[Tuesday's Child]

I'm also enjoying reading this.

the Bible - we believe it to be very corrupted by man over the years and do not take anything from it as proof. whereas, we believe the Qur'an to be free from any errors and we know that it has stayed the same since it was revealed over 1400 years ago. there is only 1 version of the Qur'an whereas there are many versions of the Bible.

That's interesting, this is my main issue with Christianity.

Same here. There are a lot of books that weren't included in the Bible and it was men who decided that, not God.

My grandma gave me an interesting insight into why people seem so threatened by Niqab. She feels it threatens the freedom of choice gained in the women's rights movement. (I guess because in some countries women have no choice but to wear it). It doesn't in anyway justify the abuse you have copped and I don't agree with her, but I did find it an interesting perspective.

[Glass half full]

I am also enjoying this thread. Thank you so much for sharing


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[TeniBear]

This is an incredibly interesting thread! I'm an atheist (or, depending on my mood, agnostic/making my own religion-y thing up ) but I love learning about different religions, especially the side of the bigger ones we don't really see.

We should have a similar thread for other religions on BB too, I think And one for those of us who can't decide


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[widdly]

thoroughly interesting thread, thankyou all for being so open and sharing with us

[FabFiona]

Sparklez - I laughed at your reference to constant BBQs. I'm friends with a few Lebanese and Turkish muslims. The BBQs are the best!!!

Also - great thread.


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[ummAadam]

about being able to tell if i know its a friend who is wearing a niqab in the distance, yes i can, very easily lol. you learn how they walk and move, their eyes and certain colours they usually wear. oh and shoes! my best friend always wears out there kind of shoes or bright socks lol

I have learnt to smile with my eyes when talking to people. also using hand expressions as body language helps.

[Girl-23]

Wow an amazing topic. So, this is what I have missed without a few days of internet connection.

1. What kind of food do you eat at home (and I do realise that Muslims are from lots of different countries)?
The answer to your question: Food. . Unforunately, we were colonised by the Italians so therefore we have some Italian inspired dishes. I cook spagetti and sauce, lasagna, rice dishes, etc. I don't cook too many traditional dishes because I have not mastered them yet.

2. What kind of involvement do you have at your mosque?
Unforunately, none. I am very busy with my little babies. However, during the Eid-Ul-Fitr (Eid celebrations) we do go to the Mosque to pray.

3. What do you do on Christmas Day?
My family and I do nothing. Of course, I notice it is Christmas because of the television, shopping centres - it's everywhere. Do I mind? No. Why? Because this is not a Islamic country. So I just take advantage of the shopping that is around. We don't celebrate it. I don't tell my children about it although last christmas a relative of my mine told my eldest child about Santa because she was wondering who that fat man in the red suit was.

4. What do you think when you see a non-Muslim woman?
Nothing. I don't judge a book without its cover. I treat a non-Muslim woman like anything other woman regardless which religion she practices or how she chooses to dress.

5. What is your relationship with Allah like? Does he seem close and personal, or distant and aloof?
Close when I am practicing my religion and not miss a prayer.

6. What is the best thing about being Muslim in Australia?
Freedom. I choose how I want to live, dress, etc.

7. What is the worse thing?
When someone tells me to "Go back to your country", this isn't your country pal That doesn't apply to indigenous aboriginals.