Just curious - how many muslims are on mumsnet?

[Galvanise]

Hello/Salaam,

I know mumsnet has a wide and diverse population and I tend to recognise some MN usernames as regulars. Just intrigued to know how big/small a community it may be.

Of course, I respect that there may be those who do not wish to even identify themselves for various reasons - which is fine too.

I am not asking for 'religiousness' levels or any vital stats! Nor is this a muslim-only thread or an 'no non-muslims' thread.
If you really wish to tell me that you are not a muslim, that is fine too :)

:)

Sparkling sea Of course ballet has its many benefits and nobody on here has said we see it as princessy etc, but there are other pastimes and sports that are as much if not better and more beneficial. Whilst you loved dancing, I adored horse riding and karate and tbh never had any desire to do ballet in particular. It's what you're brought up with and come into contact with, and it's the parents job to encourage their child to follow what they think would benefit them. I remember wanting desperately to train as a geisha..no kidding..until my mum gently reminded me i was not Japanese and the training takes years/having to sleep with neck on wooden block due to intricate hairstyle etc. I joined karate after that.

Lol sorry for posting twice

I'm sorry, I seem to recall reading somewhere that ballet is actually the hardest sport out there. It is not princessy. I know many ballet dancers personally, having used to be trained in it. They are far from princessy.

To be honest if people choose not to do ballet because what ballet entails is against their religious beliefs, that's fine. Which I believe ballet would be since it involves wearing tight revealing clothes, showing your hair, dancing in front of an audience which includes male and females, and in many cases, having to dance with males too. I can't imagine many strict Muslims would do ballet to be honest. And even if they did, it would be hard to accomodate them. Many ballet schools don't segregate their students into boy-only or girl-only classes.

'she likes kung fu panda as much as she likes princesses. I think ballet would make her focus too much on her femininity'

Of course it is about what you are exposed to but I can not imagine worrying about my 6 year old and how ballet would make her focus on her femininity. That is just so odd to me.

I could understand the concerns from a religious point of view about a 12 year old in a tight leotard but a 6 years old?? I am staggered!

Nobody said anywhere they are concerned about a six year old in a leotard sparkling sea. I think you are taking it a bit far lol. Obviously ballet for the reasons firefly stated above are why practising Muslims don't generally go for it. And actually at six years old, depending on how you are brought up to view yourself as a female, what sort of people you train with at ballet, it can make you focus on things, not even femininity, and that can have an effect on you. Like I previously mentioned, girls can be devastated having their dreams shattered when they are explicitly told they are not the ideal physical build for ballet, and with that can come dire consequences. Facts are, there are many great hobbies out there not just ballet.

Horse riding is sooo expensive I know. I haven't been for years due to being pregnant in such short spaces of time but I'm dying to go!! I want to make sure dd does it though in particular because ds isn't interested and loves football, so may have to get a part time job to pay for lessons.

I think it was the line, DH says 'no way' that caught my attention. I may have mis interpreted what that was meant to convey. I can't imagine my DH having an extreme reaction to anything that my children wanted to try out. There is of course no reason why a girl should do ballet what so ever, i was just surprised that if a child expresses and interest in something that you should say 'no way' which made me ask the question. Along with being very biased towards ballet!

"if i did it in the name of anything else it would be teaching her to be a human being"

Assuming you have the means, which other reason to refuse ballet lessons to your 6 yr old would teach her "to be a human being"? Sorry but totally as to what you mean here.

"why would you want to restrict that?"

Possibly because they know that if they allow ballet now, then they will have a tough time getting her to quit it in a few years when she reaches puberty.

I wrote a detailed post about my views on contraception but it doesnt appeared to have come up and the thread has moved on.

We don't dance, not men or women (I know from previous threads this is one of the reasons Cote classes us as 'fundamentalists'). So I wouldnt send either of my kids to ballet. DH thought gymnastics would be good but I was 'no way' not because of leotards but because I worry about the strain on young muscles and intense training. Similar to ballet (there are often threads on here) where there are concerns about the environment and pressure with girls developing eating disorders and being highly able only for there feet to be wrecked by their thirties due to pointe work.

sparkling - re names and that "religion" box in Turkish IDs:

There is actually a law that says all babies have to have Turkish names for their IDs. That is probably why that guy was surprised to issue an ID with a foreign (unpronounceable, unrecognisable) name. This is partly cultural/traditional - I'm sure you know by now that given names in Turkey are all meaningful words (often used in everyday speech) and are recognized as names. No made-up names, no creative spelling to be original. Even babies from multicultural families need at least one Turkish name.

The exception to this is Jewish or Christian families, who name their kids whatever they like. This is probably why they insisted on writing down your religion. Families spell these names phonetically, like Turkish words. So David becomes Deyvid, Rosie becomes Rozi, for example. I know a guy called Roje. It took me many years to realise that he is of French origin, and his parents meant to call him Roger.

I wouldn't worry about that "religion" box. That part of my ID says "Islam" and we all know how successful that turned out to be . What is funnier, my DCs' TR ID cards also say "Islam".

All this is because Turkey is not used to immigrants, people from different cultures and traditions. With such a difficult language and unattractive socio-economic standing, it's mostly been left to people born there who find all this perfectly normal. Maybe now it will change.

littleducks - I don't remember classifying you as anything, but if you observe a literal view of your holy book, of any religion, than you are a fundamentalist. Simply because that is the meaning of the word.

I was saying the same things just today on Waynetta's hijab thread.

I'm sorry if you feel that "fundamentalist" is a derogatory word.

sooo, has anyone ever been to a Somalian wedding?

As you know Somalis do traditionally wear khimaar, and it is not abnormal to see their girls at 3 and 4 in hijab regularly. couldnt find any vids of women at wedding apart from ones which seem to be paid dancing girls but i did find this which shows what a wedding is like, except in uk the women are blinged out in cocktail dresses and the teens look like they are going clubbing, and the older women wear this traditional see through material dress.

i went to a barawa wedding, was the best wedding i have ever been to, soo much fun!

x post cote did i just manage it??? lol

Nope have you? Been to Asian weddings. Not keen on them tbh. English weddings (without the alcohol and free mixing) are the way to go for me good wholesome food, beautiful scenery generally in picturesque locations such as mansions and castles and no faffing about. I find with other cultures I've been to its been sooo much waiting around, mendhi customs, rukhsati which is a bit morbid IMO and food that is either majorly greasy or just totally over spiced. And I love a bit of spice! What was everyone's wedding like? I didn't have a walimah just a nikah. And what's everyone's opinion on registry weddings?

No, I don't find it derogatory after you explained it on the other thread. I don't think as myself as that strict (nobody ever does I suppose)

my wedding, we had it in in laws house and then had food.

Thank you for that Cote, re Turkish ID, the religion box and names. Memnum oldum by the way!