Is it ok for a Christian to say 'God Bless' to a Muslim?

[thankyouforthedayz]

I'm a Christian and I feel I have more in common spiritually with other people of faith (particularly other People of the Book ie Abrahamic faiths) than people who have no or nominal faith. I will often say "God bless" (ie God Bless you") or "Gods hand is on X " to Christian friends/family, but would Muslim people be offended if I said this to them? I believe there is one God but different paths. I wonder if I should revert, as I whilst I love Jesus Christ as a prophet, a spiritual man committed to social justice in a time when people of faith were oppressed by pagans (Romans) I find it hard to believe the literal truth of the Virgin Birth and Resurrection (though I believe in them as powerful metaphors).
I work in the NHS with lots of Muslim colleagues. I have asked, and she was so kind and accepting and said she felt happy for me to say it, but I think she was speaking as a kind friend rather than theologically.

Which foot for door entering? I didn’t know this!

The right foot :) except the bathroom. The first answer on this Reddit thread explains the logic really well (but to other Muslims specifically so if you're not- taqwa means consciousness of God). It's not about being heaped with meaningless rules, it's about living every bit of your life with mindfulness and intention:

www.reddit.com/r/islam/comments/dwa8ca/why_does_allah_care_about_which_foot_i_enter_the/

Right, except for bathrooms.

I presume you're not praying while also actively doing your job, so it is in your own time? Otherwise you're not doing either properly? Praying on a break is your own time.
I give people of faith the same respect I expect them to give me.

I worked in a discovery centre. We were asked if we could provide space for Muslim women to pray with their children, if we could provide space for a Christian sect to eat apart.

We so took that onboard, and managed space for each.

Simple respect for other's beliefs

I agree. It is well meaning.

That's great you could provide that for those who want it. That's not the same as bringing faith into the workplace in general though. Accommodation isn't a bad thing, although presumably there also has to be a point where some requests may have to be refused on certain grounds.

All the OP's asking about is the use of a culturally normal phrase in social conversation with a colleague. It's not like she's standing up in a board meeting to talk about religion.

You have to appreciate that culturally normal can mean vastly different things to different people though, surely?

And your 'culturally normal' @DieStrassensindimmernass must trump everyone else's. We get it. Take the last word if you must. Our point has been more than adequately made and will reassure the OP inshallah.

It's a culturally normal phrase for the OP in her culture. She's now been reassured that it's likely fine to say to someone else, who from the information given also has a faith in which that is a culturally normal phrase. Job done.

If you have an issue with someone saying it to you, then you can tell them that if/when they say it to you. If it's offensive in your culture, then explain that to a person if they say it to you. Otherwise, you're getting very upset over something that's really not affecting you, or anyone other than the OP and her colleague, at all.

I apologise for helping lead this off-topic, I am really sorry.

As a white non-believer, I am learning so much here, including respect for what you believe.

Thank you. Sorry.

That's my point. Keeping religion out of the workplace would prevent having to have the awkward conversations. It's fine to be religious or not, it's not fine to make others uncomfortable with it.

Again, exactly my point. Nobody 'trumps' anyone else, so it's better to keep secular and communal workplaces religion free. Saying 'god bless' to a non-believer is as insulting as saying something like 'god isn't real' to a believer. The religious folk never get how incredibly insulting it is to bless non-believers.

Well, fortunately, the OP is simply asking about using a phrase in conversation with one person (with whom she is friendly) in a social context (that happens to be in a place of employment because they work together), rather than in a workplace presentation or official meetings. I don't think she wants to use it as her email signature or anything, and she's not blessing you or anyone else non-religious.

It's fine for a person to be religious or not, it's not fine to impose your preferences and expect others to suppress aspects of their identity in their own interactions with people who are their friends, even in the workplace.

I don't think anyone here is looking to impose their own protected characteristics on other people. People are saying to the OP that saying "God bless" to someone who is a practising member of another, closely connected faith is unlikely to cause offence. That's not the same as suggesting it as a universal greeting. People are also saying that it's not realistic to expect people to entirely suppress major parts of who they are.

What would 'keeping religion out of the workplace' look like to you? Because if it means people being prevented from reasonable adjustments such as dressing in accordance with their faith/culture, people being told they cannot use any language referencing religion even in their more private interactions with their peers (tricky if, eg, someone's first language is Arabic, because so many phrases are connected to words with relations to faith), people being told what they can and cannot do in their own breaks, etc., then that's going to go down like a lead balloon with HR and lead to a recruitment and retention difficulty.

This isn't an AIBU about workplace conduct. It's a thread in the Muslim Mumsnetters board started by a practising member of a different faith to ask about a specific situation.

Religious adjustments (eg space/time to pray) are fine, providing there is adequate room to do so and it doesn't stop you doing your job.
Using religious language in a non-religious setting is not so fine, because it's a potential source of conflict.
I appreciate that the thread is on the muslim board but the bigger picture is relevant because the world isn't only comprised of muslims and christians.

😉
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Please ignore this post - DC likes smiley faces.

Aren't those winky faces?
Here's a big smiley face for DC. 😬

If it is genuinely so offensive to you for two people to use the G word in their own private interactions, then being in a multicultural workplace sounds like it would be pretty hard for you. Again, nobody is blessing you or any other non-religious person here. Two people who are friendly are interacting in a socially acceptable way as is widely accepted and legally protected. As a person who doesn't like it, you are entitled to think it's silly or roll your eyes, and if people start blessing you or trying to drag you in to things, you're entitled to say no thanks or tell them it's offensive to you. What you aren't entitled to do, any more than any of us would be, is control what people say to each other in private interactions that don't involve you or constitute potential criminal offences.

Religious language isn't necessary in a secular workplace. What peiple say to each other in their own time isn't my business. It's not about being offended, it's about avoiding conflict.

Then why are you making it your business? Let the OP and her friend speak to each other how they want.

I've always been referring to religious language in the workplace in general, which came under the remit of OPs original question.

Realistically, no workplace in the UK is going to prevent two friendly colleagues saying the G word to each other when it causes no offence to either of them. Far, far more potentially offensive things get said in workplaces up and down the country every day.

Respecting diversity and freedom of expression means respecting everyone else's freedoms as well as your own. In this case, the freedom of people to speak in ways in which they are comfortable, with like-minded friends and colleagues.

Respecting freedom means not using exclusionary language.

Would love to know what you mean by 'exclusionary language'. Do you mean any language that references experiences that you haven't had? Any language that references cultural phenomena that you have actively distanced yourself from? Netflix series that you have chosen not to watch? Forms of learning that you have chosen not to dip your toe into? Conventional expressions of love and compassion that happen to have their origin in a tradition different from that which has shaped the conventional expressions of love and compassion that you happen to use?

That is quite a stretch from the consensual understanding of exclusionary language as words that express hostility, mistrust, etc against particular groups.