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 :)

:)

what makes us Muslims?

If we believe Islam is the haq then how can we wonder why people come to it?

If we understand the awesomeness of Allah how can we question y someone would give up drinking or clubbing etc for His swt sake?

if we have not contemplated Allah or Islam, and it is just something that is inherently part of our identity as we were born that way, like being British or being female then have we truly accepted Allah?

In that case have the conditions of shahadah been met?

What makes us considers others Muslims, makes us decide to say salaam in the street, and when it comes to laws of inheritence etc consider them as Muslims, is it not what is apparent?

i mean she asks the question "why would people convert to Islam, why would they leave the freedoms of going out and getting pissed to be Muslim?"

If you know who is Allah, then how can you even ask that? how can you even think that something like going out would be more important then haq?

to her muslim is and identity not a belief she has consciously accepted it seems.

condition one is knowledge of the meaning of la illaha ilAllah, and someone who asks the question," why does someone become Muslim?", to me something is missing in that knowledge if what it means to KNOW there is NO deity worth or worship apart from ALLAH. If you know that then it is only natural for people to realise that and come to Islam.

Also she keeps saying she is Muslim, but in Islam we abide by the principle of judging by what is apparent, as only Allah knows what is in people's hearts, so if she does not look like a Muslim, act like a Muslim, talk like a Muslim, pray or fast then she may have Islam in her heart, but we judge by what is apparent.

But didn't it end so beautifully, she was persuaded to explore that side of her heritage (for use of a better word), by the kindness and warmth shown her by the revert sister.

I have to say I had a lump in my throat when she asked the sister to pray out loud so she could follow.
Earlier she'd been sat watching the first Welsh revert sister pray and said, I know how to do this, but I'm not doing it.

I can't imagine how painful it must feel to forget how to perform salat. And then to watch sisters struggling to perform it when you had it and neglected it to the point it left your heart.

I hope she finds peace and fulfilment in the new direction she has chosen for herself.

yes I did get the warm glowy feeling.

However did salaah leave her heart? was Islam even in her heart before now?

if we judge by what is apparent, like being in a masjid and not praying, we have to say no.

obviously we dont know what is in her heart, only Allah knows, so we dont presume to know.

Speaking as someone bought up in probably a similar kind of environment the presenter was, I've been doing the basics of Islam for so long that its almost automatic.

To forget how to perform salat, for me is unthinkable, its so deeply ingrained. That's what I mean about leaving the heart, she didn't have confidence to perform salat alongside Alana, when before she was saying 'I can do this.' (so she must have at some stage been able to pray).

I can't imagine that.

But you're absolutely right, I can't presume to know what was in her heart.

I think it's dangerous territory to questions whether someone is Muslim if they claim to be.
I liked the presenter and I understand that she not only felt some of the truth of Islam, but also valued western freedoms. I think by the end of the show she was beginning to question whether it was really possible to have both, to the extent that she had thought possible previously. Perhaps during her upbringing there was something incomplete about the way she was taught about Islam, which led to to think what she was doing was OK.
May Allah guide her on the right path and forgive her for her mistakes. There are worse people than her who have come to straight path.

I must admit, i was shocked that she had forgotten how to pray, but was absolutely amazed that she chose the most critical sister's interpretation mashallah. The fact that she WANTED to pray and learn more rather than continue with the way that she was living her life. It is so true, whom ever Allah guides....

The critical sister wasn't actually critical tho, she replied when the presenter asked her what she thoguht of her dress, she was honest and not rude or judgemental. 'would my dress be considered halal' to hwich Alanah said 'errmmm no' which is fair enough she was asked her opinion and gave it.

I thought the programme was great and thought the revert sisters were really lovely mashaallah, Alana made me laugh with the 'halallify' phrases lol. I have to admit though, it was painful to watch because it was two extremes...the sister Shanna who identified as Muslim and believed in Allah but didn't practise/wore perhaps not the most modest clothing,to the sisters who had changed their entire lives and were covering and trying to practise etc. I sobbed my heart out after it finished. My husband sat with me and was like what's wrong? I just said how I felt like sometimes how shanna felt..judged a little because I don't cover my hair. It upset me that if feels like there two ways in the deen according to some..you either cover everything and that's the best, or if you don't cover your hair you may as well not bother with modest dress elsewhere. That's how I've felt I'm treated sometimes by my sisters in islam. Although I don't wear a load of makeup, tight clothes, straighten or curl my hair to beautify it while I'm outdoors etc, and cover everything from my neck down to my wrists and ankles, some people make me feel like I'm walking around naked. It was hard to watch personally and I was disgusted and gutted at the hate mail shanna received. Muslims need to learn fundamental lessons in kindness and morality to be able to guide and bring closer their misguided brothers and sisters. I seek refuge in Allah from being a judgemental or proud person and just hope I can give dawah with humility and love. Even the hate mail the sister got on her twitter was appalling, Muslim girls calling her horrible things, some of them hijabi and apparently practising. I sometimes feel hopeless about the Ummah walahy.

The hate mail was utterly inexcusable.

What I find bizarre is why she put herself out there in the miss world thing as trying to be the first Muslim woman to represent miss world.

That was never going to be acceptable. Why did she have to make her religion such a big deal, miss worlds don't call themselves, Catholic, jewish, Sikh, mormon etc so why on earth did she advertise herself by a religion?

I don't think she was being judged at all during the show, none of the sisters said a word to her and she was welcomed by everyone, even sitting on the side whilst the sisters prayed, nobody reproached her or said anything (and nobody would at our local masjid either). The only time her appearance was an issue was when she attended a class where head covering was pre-requisite for the owmen and she hadn't a scarf on. But she wasn't being singled out, it was a rule of attending that class.

I think a lot of what Shanna percieved as other being judgementle was a reflection of her own inner turmoil, not how others were treating her. The revert sisters all let her in to their lives and shared their personal journeys with her and she clearly felt a closeness to them as she called Alana and asked her to go to the masjid with her.

I would agree with you there. I do think her perceive meant of judgement was due to her inner turmoil because she knew what she was doing wasn't right. I loved those revert sisters. I think obviously the whole miss universe muslim thing was very misleading to people in general but I felt from the end of the program that shanna was ready to start changing things. May Allah guide and have mercy on her inshallah. God knows its hard to change old habits.

Salams, I watched it too. Crescent how did the fatwa justify plucking out of interest ?

Yeah I'm interested in that too!! Haven't plucked mine in years now. I don't miss the pain though lol. Salaams by the way to any new Muslims on this thread. I take it you're niqabi Ninja

Ok but I am still confused how a Muslim can wonder why people come to Islam?

That's the point crescent, for the sake of Allah was not something mentioned much, outward changes were emphasised, and the fact it is natural for people to turn to haq wasn't.

I think she asked it purely on the way she sees or saw islam..a religion with restrictions on many things as well as family expectations and cultural difficulties. That's not the truth of course but the way shanna perceived the Islam she was brought up in, for a free thinking western person to abandon all those freedoms to cover themselves, have to make wu'du and pray 5 times a day, fast an entire month etc, must seem crazy to her if she isn't practising. My husband and other born Muslims say its sometimes hard to get that deep connection with the deen when you are brought up with it all your life and everything's done in motion. We reverts are particularly blessed to have been guided and must never forget that and start judging others who may not be as strong in imaan.

I am not judging her, I am not a judge person. I just dont get it. If u believe something is real, and then someone else turns around and says yes it is real, and u asking y r they saying it is real?

I know non practicing Muslims, have family friends who don't like me wearing hijab and stuff, but they still would know why people turn to Islam.

As teens I am sure most of reflected on faith and spirituality?

And when do people stop being reverts and just start being muslims? 5, 10, 2o years? There are many born Muslims who go through the same process as reverts, of discovering Islam and starting to practice against cultural expectations and stuff, I don't think there is this major divide.

You may not feel a major divide sis but there is a divide in some cases for a variety of reasons. Those can be cultural, social etc and obviously yes we become Muslim and start living the deen, but there are big differences between reverts and born Muslims in terms of environment. I as a white Muslim have been stated at and made to feel unwelcome at a masjid that's predominantly African born Muslims. I have a friend who wants to get married but can't because all the Muslims she knows are born Muslims and of a certain background that dictates who they are permitted to marry..and it certainly isn't a European woman like herself. Also, reverts sometimes have a setious thirst for knowledge when they come to islam and a born Muslim can find that hard to quench..as in answering question after question, perhaps things that they don't know. Anyway in terms of our sister shanna, we should just make dua for her and our other sisters featured on the programme, and although we may not understand/agree with a lot of things she said or did, we should just leave it to Allah SWT.

Also born Muslims in many cases have things easier at Ramadan and Eid because they are with family and have that moral support and cause to really celebrate. I and other reverts I know have personally spent a few lonely eids and ramadans because we don't know others to celebrate with. Alhamdulilah that's changed now.

Salaam,

I am a British Pakistani Muslim (though not necessarily in that order! :) ). I felt really sad reading your message waynetta about reverts spending lonely ramadans and eids. I just want to say if there are any revert sisters on here who would like to come celebrate with me on eid day or during ramadan, i would be SO SO happy to have them with me.