A Muslim Female in UK Questiontime

[WhoevenamIinlife]

To help those who need educating. Fire away.

Incorrect. Islam does not mean ‘peace’.

It means submission.

What would you feel about your children having non-Muslim partners? My daughter's boyfriend is Muslim and I don't think his family know about her yet. Also, is it ok to have non-halal food in the same fridge as halal, so long as its packaged up?

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I said I have thick skin yes but I also said I'm no expert. Your opinions of Islam do not really matter to me at this stage unless you want them to..
Thats a lot of questions you've written and tbh most seem like I would have to research and respond.
Right now it's bed time so if I cannot answer your questions maybe someone else who is more educated on the matter can.

I don't want to think about my children even answering back yet. let alone having partners!

erm I store my food in a communal fridge at work where I'm sure based on what I know of my colleagues, it has lots of non halal food in also.

Because of posters like yourself, out on a witch hunt. Even if I could provide all the answers to all your repetitive questions it wouldn't be enough. On that note good night.

But you don’t or can’t answer my questions. What did you expect or want me to ask?

A Jewish colleague brought in Jewish food for us. They were little three-cornered-hat sweet pies that were eaten on Purim.

Of course all food is food, but are you saying that different religions don't have specific foods? Because that's just not accurate. Jewish people also have challah bread, which is blessed on Friday nights, and lots of other Jewish-specific dishes as well. I thought that Muslims might have religious dishes specific to Islam that are eaten on religious days that they might bless as well. It was a fair question. But perhaps you don't know about things like challah, after all. Do you feel warm and tingly now after your ignorant virtue-signaling? 🙄

Indeed, peace in Arabic is 'salaam'. 'Salaam' is a loanword for 'peace' in many other languages influenced by Islam. Persian and Urdu for example.

I don't understand this response. I'm guessing you're offended by me asking about Muslim food. From this I deduce - since you didn't answer - that you don't have religious dishes that you might bless on religious days, like Jewish people have their challah bread and kugel, rugelach, hamantaschen, babka, and gefilte fish. All of which are served on religious days.

There's no point in inviting people to ask questions and then getting insulted when someone asks if you celebrate your religion with specific dishes.

How do you fit your prayer around (what sounds like) a challenging job? Is your workplace set up with a room in which you can wash and pray?
How does it feel when some people know so little about your religion and about Ramadan?
Do you think that people who are not observing/practising (not sure of correct verb?) Ramadan have enough awareness of it?
Thanks for doing this

There is no specific 'Muslim' food. So when the question was asked I wondered if I had made the typo as I can't name anything specific that would be called Muslim food.

how did you deduce I was insulted?

I just use my lunch hour to pray. My work is flexible and like with anything in life if you want to do it you will find a way,

I am not bothered about people not knowing much or anything about my religion and what I do. What bothers me is when people assume incorrectly without bothering to educate themselves.

I equally do not know much about other religions either but I do not assume anything on anyone's behalf. If I am intrigued about a particular aspect or want to know more I have many methods of educating myself .

Your answer has confused me a bit.

I'm not particularly invested btw, just joining in the spirit of the thread you chose to start. But I asked...

How come you have a child with a man you're not married to?

You replied

Im Islamically married but in the eyes of the law I'm living in sin.

In the eyes of which law?

The issue is that most people will look at you and think you represent Islam. You dont. You represent culture your parents culture with a tiny dash of Islam. Just like modern day Christians. Barely know anything and don't practice the fundamentals.

As a practicing Muslim woman I am very fed up of cultural people "representing" me. They neednto make it clear I follow.... Pakistani culture, bengali culture etc etc. As a mixed Arab Muslim none of the things portrayed by muslims in the media is Islam. People need to preface before speaking "this is from a such and such cultural background". It confuses non Muslims.

Practicing Muslim here. We don't have "special foods" only that as per Jews we can only eat Halal meat we can even eat Kosher as the neat is vlessed and slaughtered in the Name of God and in the proper manner. So I often eat meat that is Kosher and find in the UK Kosher foods are more pleantiful.

Obviously we do not drink and do not consume any type of alcohol even in small minute quantities.

We have cultural foods. Not Islamic foods or Muslim foods. As long as it is Halal it is all good to eat.

Islam - Sincere submission in peace to the 1 true God.
Which is why we say all the prophets of God are Muslim. As they submitted themselves to Allah/God whole heartedly with peace.

Practicing Muslim here.

Exactly this. As I posted above, it’s a big problem amongst Muslims, where they confuse culture and religion. And the Islam that most people see on TV, etc is usually the cultural practices of south Asian Muslims rather than Islam itself. And it’s incredibly frustrating as people assume that they represent all Muslims everywhere and that’s what life as a Muslim is like.

OP is talking about her experience as a Muslim woman in the UK. She's been very clear that she's not an expert on all theoretical aspects of Islam - just as my Christian friends can't answer every single question on Christianity and my Hindu DH does not have an extremely detailed knowledge of Hinduism. Pretty normal, I'd say.
OP can however answer questions on her life as a Muslim in the UK.

@ThisFluentBiscuit yes there isn't really "Muslim food". There's dietary restrictions (no pork etc) and some traditions that (as far as I know are fairly universal) like breaking the fast with dates but when it comes to food.....it is just food and will vary depending on where someone lives, what is available to them, what is cultural for the country they live in etc.
The everyday diet of a Muslim person isn't the same everywhere as neither the diet of a Christian (or anyone...) person isn't going to be the same everywhere.
It you wanted to ask if there's any traditional foods eaten at festivals you worded your question badly. But even that will vary from country to country.
Look at a "traditional" Christmas dinner - it's not the same in countries all over the world is it?

Practicing Muslim here.

Of course not something I want for my children ever. And will do my best to educate them and raise them in and Islamic environment with education. BUT what God has intended for them is beyound my control. I can only do so much. God guides who he wills.
When we go through challenges like this we are to reflect on the challenges of the Prophets (peace be upon them all) a great example was Nuh (noah) who's som refused to accept the word and command of God and Nuh had to wat g his son drowen as he refused to board the ark. You can afvice and guide and show them what is the correct path the truth but if thwir hearts are sealed that is beyound your control.
We are not to cut off or break family ties but set healthy boundaries and never give up giving them guidance.

Believe it or not I was not practicing in my youth. Made mistakes but God guided me back in my mid 20s, Alhamdulillah. And I now wear full proper hijab I practice whole heartedly and i know what it is like to not be Muslim. I had a taster and I made the best choice. At no point did my parents disown me. At no point was in threatened or harmed. Most youth make mistaies and experiment some cone back to the Deen (way of life) some are lost for a short time some lost forever. As a parent once your child is independent and in Islam accountability starts at puberty the dynamic changes.

I have enncountered in my life people who are KKK and ended up Muslims, peoppe who are heavy metal heads fully tatted and are devout muslims now. Never condemn a person to hell.

In Islam we are told that you will have people. 1 person is from the people of paradise and will do good works all their life but before they die they commit an act of the people of fire and will end up in Hell. Then 1 person will commit the acts of the people of hell all their life but before their death they will commit the acts of the people of Paradise and will be permitted into paradise. No one is a write off and nothing is garunteed. A practicing Muslims can be lead astray just as a staunch atheist can be guided to Islam.
This is why as Muslims we are told to reflect on these stories and lessons from the Hadith and Quran. They are not there for nothing. They help us navigate life.

Not to say as a Mixed Arab we are feee of these cultural practice. I seen some funky things and lablled as Islam. And in my youth being uneducated I assumed it was correct. Thats why knowledge is power and key to practice islam properly. Just copying others and what your parents did is a disaster.

Some elements of my cuotre that stem from Islam that I love. Hospitality, being the neat host and giving your guests the best of what you have, treating your guests well, open door policy etc etc. But then other aspects make me scratch my head.
So is life

@MixedBananas your replies are clear, well written and very informative.

I really think you should start your own thread, because it would be far more educational and an easier read than this one