Re-opening the Muslim Tearoom?

[perfectlybroken]

Salaam/peace, I haven't seen a tea room thread for ages. Would anyone be interested in resurrecting it? Perhaps we could redecorate, and have a new range of yummy cakes!
The previous tearooms were places where all were welcome, and we could chat about parenting/marriage/Islam stuff. Visits from those we questions about Islam were also welcome.

Hope no one from pedants corner is here, I just used 'there' instead of 'their' twice (hits self over head with dictionary).

Well I'm obviously not perfect then as it appears I've back bited . We're human at the end of the day.

Oh no, pedant's corner! I should quit while I'm ahead...

"Naila; why was she even there? She didn't seem to be following Islam at all. It was like she had her own religion. Islam is a way of life, and she hadn't incorporated even 1 into her life!"

I think religion if you were born into it in your family or culturally - can be difficult to let go or totally opt out of. She must still feel some kind of attachment or some identity to "being Muslim" which probably covers a wide reach. Like being Jewish - it's often more than just practising the religious aspects of it. I imagine there are very many folk like Naila who still feel some link.

STARRY i liked your post made me chuckle for ages about abdul being from four lions. I cringe through some of it but some i found interesting. I dont think you get such a widely disparate group in one room unless theyre all related to each other. Certainly my family gatherings you get big differences in practise and belief. Lots of debates - especially about 'back home politics'! But everyone agrees that islam is about being a holistic good person. The most common refrain is 'whats the point of calling yourself practising if you dont help the needy or downtrodden from those you know and those you dont?'.Surah Al ma'un which iv been teaching youngest recently comes to mind.

myoriginal i reckon lapsed arab muslims get judged alot by practising non arab muslims. people expect the ones from the gulf or arab world to be devout or knowledgeable because they speak arabic the language of the quran. Then get very judgey when they see them not practising. Difficult. I know some convert muslims who love islam but are scathing in their disavowwal of anything to do with arabs for probably the same reasons you feel you get judged as a white christian!

Far more common though are muslim arabophiles. Everything to do with arabs is exotic and to be copied. Theyre the ones who think the black abayah is islamic garb rather than just what the arabs wear. The ones who think a particular religious opinion is more valid because it came from an arab. Who feel thst the only ones who can be the best muslims are the arabs. we got both kinds in my family. Lots of out-devouting goes on.

Salams ladies.

I watched both episodes. I think it had some benefit in that like starry i think it challenged the idea that some people have which is that muslims are monilithic and all think and behave the same way. Islam meant something different to each of them. Like that guy Jason said about which islam do you hate when your an islamphobe. Which should be obvious that in any group not all the individuals are going to hold the same opinion about everything. I also think it challenged the trope that islamophobes use which is that muslims dont challenge radicalism in their community. Everyone challenged Abdulhaqq on that program. Also the idea that radical muslims are predominant or that their views are the correct views. If all the muslims on that programme disagreed with abdulhaqq in one point or another then really it says more about you that you pick him as being the authentic voice of islam.

For me i found it interesting as it highlighted a problem that I think we do have as muslims which is how do you deal with different views about religion and how much difference is allowed. I listened to a talk once by Yasir Qadhi and he said (paraphrasing here) the situation of the Muslims now is that of a family who has inherited a house. Some people in the family think the house should be totally preserved and not one thing changed or moved. Others want to knock the whole house down and start again from scratch. The remaining group think you can make some changes but are arguing about where to move the furniture and what colour to paint the walls. I think all groups were represented in that show.

I identified with Nabil the most especially his 'when in doubt dont be a dick' comment. Naila also made a good point when she challenged the arrogance of Jason who asked if he could call Ferhan 'Ferdinand'. "Only if i can call you Jalaluddin". Lol. If Abdulhaqq or someone else said it some would brush it aside saying look they just dont want to integrate but because she is very visibly integrated her challenging that mindset was more effective. I liked how Mehreen stood her ground and challenged the views she didnt agree with in a gentle but firm manner. She was right as well to challenge Jason that his idea of being British is not the only valid one.

Anyway I did enjoy the programme though I wouldnt admit it to anyone in rl.

Subhanallah please remember to pray for Aleppo everyone. Its so heartbreaking to watch. I saw a nurse in Aleppo saying that her best option was death as she would most likely be raped or tortured by the forces of Assads regime before being executed.

May Allah help them.

Ive been feeling so powerless and hopeless about how to help the people of Aleppo. I was thinking is this how genocides are allowed to happen. Everyone can see whats coming but cant work out how to stop it. There are a few demonstrations being organised but I dont know difference they can make.

I've been feeling the same. All I can think is dua. Money may help at a later point, when they are trying to pick up the pieces I suppose. I've seen so many reports of people asking permission to take their own lives, or those of their family, to protect them from worse. SubhanAllah what a position to be in.

I've seen one lady over there who appealed to people to sit outside the Russian and Syrian embassies around the world. She is one of the trapped ones. Utterly horrific.

The Russian embassy near us had people standing opposite the other afternoon when I passed. They frequently do.

It's going to be a long, hard road for these people. We have seen this all before. Why can't we learn? Russia of all countries remembers being besieged. We say 'never again' and 'but this enemy is worse' but it is all the same. Men, power.

Hey all!

May I please ask a few questions? I've always been very curious about Islam. My Grandad is from Palestine (though was raised a Christian himself) and Middle Eastern culture fascinates me.

So my questions are (sorrry if spelt wrong)

Masha'allah and Insha'allah... in what contexts do you use these words? I'm probably wrong but do they mean something along the lines of 'God willing' and 'God has willed this'?

Also, I imagine that if people knew some general key points about Islam, a lot of the ignorance, hatred and propaganda could be avoided. Are there any key points you feel that if we're common knowledge, would help general relationtions and understanding?

Thank you 😊

Hi ricekrispie.welcome to the tearoom!
Well your first question I think is quite simple, inshAllah means, if Allah wills, and Muslims say it after pretty much any kind of plan they make for the future (near or far)! ' I'll come over after dinner inshAllah'. 'InshAllah those people who have suffered will soon get some help'. The intention of it is to always remember that while we make our plans, it is ultimately Allah that plans things.
MashAllah means thanks to Allah, so you might say it after recieving or giving a compliment, to show that you know that blessings are given by Allah. So you would say'your daughter is very clever mashAllah', or talking about your own talents, 'I'm able to make very good cakes, mashAllah'. Muslims also believe that saying this protects from the ill effects of jealousy (the evil eye).
Your second question is a big one, but a really good one. I think I would really like people to know that most of being Muslim is about struggling with yourself. So much of what you hear is about fighting for political causes, or how Muslims are demanding this, that or the other. Most Muslims I know are busy trying to be the best person they can be, the 'greater jihad'. Sorry I'm not sure that's a very good answer really!

Can I ask you, do you speak to your Grandad much about his memories of Palestine? What is his perception of Islam from growing up there?

So sad about the awful events in a berlin, thinking about the victims and their families. Also very disturbed by the amount of islamophobia on my twitter feed today, so I am also thinking about muslim friends and colleagues, some of whom suffered abuse after previous terrorist attacks.

perfectly

Thank you.

He doesn't talk much about it to be honest, his family fled when he was 12 (I believe to Syria) with him coming alone to the UK aged 18. He married a British woman and didn't teach their children Arabic and with no other Palestinian family here it just seems to have faded out like a missing piece of a puzzle. It's sad really. He went to Jaffa a few years ago (he lived there as a child) and wasn't too affected. He said he would go back. He also laughed at himself for assuming that two women in Islamic dress he saw there were locals and asked them where the resident Arabs hang out, not realising that they were also tourists!

Most of his close friends, social circle and business partners are Muslims and he thinks it's a very lovely peaceful religion.

Understandably he is heart broken over everything going on at the moment

(Just realising how strange it it to refer to him as a tourist when visiting his home country!)

My thought and prayers are with the victims of what seems to be the latest terror attack, and their families. Also, the innocent refugees to the country who may be affected indirectly by the attack.
“Whoever kills a person unjustly…it is as though he has killed all mankind. And whoever saves a life, it is as though he had saved all mankind.” (Qur’an, 5:32).
These people are so far from the truth and beauty of Islam.

ricekrispie thank you for telling us about your Grandad, he sounds lovely, and it's so nice that he has visited since leaving. It would be interesting to find out more about your family history on that side, but that must be very difficult in a place that has been in constant conflict (in terms of records being kept etc).

I read a great book called 'Mornings in Jenin', which is the story of several members of a family in Palestine. It was heartbreaking to read, but I'm really glad I read it. I find that I can't watch news coverage, especially where it shows children, it's just too upsetting, but I find I am in danger of knowing about what is going on in the world only in theory, and not really feeling it. This book really brought it home for me.

Whoever kills a person unjustly…it is as though he has killed all mankind. And whoever saves a life, it is as though he had saved all mankind.” (Qur’an, 5:32). Absolutely.

We should take out the 'unjustly' through. The devil is in the detail here. So much of man's insanity is done 'on behalf of' God.

No I think it is better as it is. Otherwise every soldier, policeman or anyone who is forced to fight or take a life to save others is considered a murder.

Ive always admired pacifism but to be frank its impractical and at times unethical. We live in a world with imperfect people some of whom are capable of great acts of cruelty and violence. Is it morally right to stand by and allow violent groups or individuals to kill innocent civilians, because the only way to stop them is to take their life?

The quranic verse acknowledges the reality that sometimes to save lives sometimes a life may need to be taken by using the word unjustly as there is a difference. That way someone like a soldier or policeman is not forced to act in a way that is inconsistent with their religious beliefs.

In university we had this debate once about whether it is always wrong to take a life. We were presented with a scenario where your family is in mortal danger and the only way to save them is to kill the person threatening them. I think only 1 or 2 people said even in that situation they would let their family die rather than take the life of the person threatening them. It is up to the government through the law however to decide what is unjust and just not the individual.

My thoughts and prayers are also with the people in Berlin and all those suffering in the world. Its such a tragedy and at a time that is meant to be happy. I havent really been watching the news these days because of what is happening in Aleppo so I dont know the particulars of what has happened in Berlin. Its just so depressing to see the amount of suffering in the world.