Any Muslim Mums out there?

[SANA]

Salaams,

my first baby is due next year & would love to get to know other muslim mums & how they deal with raising children and maintaining an Islamic presence!!

Wow this is really coming along now. Well a meet up would be great probably after Eid though i guess as my MIl will eb leaving for Pakistan and so i do not have to worry about her being at home on her own, it would be great to meet up with other Muslims and for my dd as i live in Southall but do not have that many .... i think it is coz i am white and the people round here tend to judge they get shocked when i say i have been a muslim for 33yrs though

not long before the fast opens ....food

Thanks for the replies - I will brief DS1 in time for the 13th! There are lots of muslim children in his class and he seems to be friendly with most of them.

I think Farhana is a beautiful girl's name - had a friend at law school called Farhana.

Names are so difficult. fuzzywuzzy, your daughters names r really great but we have so many in our family with the same names, I can just imagine mose people wont b able to pronounce Iman and I suppose it will get confused with Imam.

Slink- when I went to Hajj this year I was amazaed by the diff race of Muslims, its strange how most people associate muslims with dark skinned people when muslims themselves should no better that Allah created us all. Bet this winds u up??

meeting up after Eid is a good idea, how many of u r up for it??

Oh Sana it does but you know i just rise above it i have gone through so much this year that i have decided not to get stressed out. I try anyway, i think this month i am finding a little more faith in my religion it has taken a battering this year...

Slink- no point letting other people get u down, do u live with your MIL? I am having mine come stay for 2wks after the baby is born as my mum cant get the time off work & and not sure how we will get on.......but will see. Can u talk to your mum about this all as she must have gone through this when she converted?

Oh don't get me wrong i am fine, i have a few muslim friends but they are quite religious but they are great. I do live with my MIL 8yrs NOW and i would not wish it on anyone i definatley would not want it for my dd. in the kast yr she has become so demanding (she is ill she is paraniod schozophrenic and has depression) i have a SIL that lives 10mins away that does nothing and is so selfish has NEVER SPOKEN TO ME yet moans that no one tells her anything and another SIL that lives 45 mins away but is so rapped up in their own lives, i feel cheated (i know that sounds bad) but i would jusy love it to be be me and dd and dh MIL is meant to be going to Pakistan Monday but has just changed her plans and is going after Eid, i wish my sil would help out but nothing. Dh bless it fab, but it's not my home (although i have made it mine) on top of that my mum is ill and mil wines when i say i am going to see my mum (i am mil carer)

That was my sunday morning winge but that coz i am due on i always get like this. I am off to do some Eid shopping salaams to all xxxx

Slink, u sound like u have to much on, what u r doing is great and even if nobody appreciates it u will inshallah get your reward hereafter. Have u tried talking to SIL's about helping out, they probably dont realise how much u do or what they can do to help or can u get dh to have a word with them so u r not left to cope alone

did u get anything nice, when u went shopping?

Sana i have brought all my Eid gifts, i love shopping and buying presents.

One sil is ill herself with crippling arthritus but is a bit of a marta likes to carry on regardless but i have spoken to her but it fell on deaf ears and plus her husband is not keen on my mil staying with him as he says she takes up all of my sil's time..

Second sil is so selfish and is a weird one she married an english guy dyes her hair and insiists people call her by her English Surname and sighns it on cards and deliberatly sends my dd a chritmas present so i have told her not to bother. (i am not cruel i just want dd to know she is special and we don;t celebrate xmas..am i wrong)

Anyway my life is mad at the moment my parents have had their windows smashed three times this yr coz of sept 11th on friday they recieved another death threat, my mum is ill oh my lord and i have battled with my faith as i think has he no happiness for me 7 my family. But to know me you would never know i had these situations i am gifted with laughter and fun and thats how i get through life. my dd makes me strong.

Anyway how are you and you bump not long now have you chossen any names. Hope you are feeling well and good heath. sorry for the rabbleing it is nice to chat to someone who understands the culture and dilemas of it all.

My dh is great is so supportive and loving so god got that right.

Slink I feel I'd better post, haven't thus far as I've no words of wisdom. I'm sorry your parents were targeted after september 11, my then amercian boss suggested (nicely) that I might want to swap my hijab for something less conspicuously Islamic from tie rack , I declined and told her why... As for feeling left out because your not asian looking, have you ever been on haj or umrah? You might find your in pretty good company, every skin colour under the skin is present. When we went on umrah during ramadan a few years back I maanged to break fast with a different cultural dish every evening till we left. I've also got two (yes I know I should work harder) revert friends one of whom works for a very prominant company, both are very happy and don't feel excluded from the muslim community, whereabouts are you?? I used to go pray at our local WAMY centre, and met many reverts there one was a white american girl who had come to england after 9/11 as it was easier for her to practice her religion here, she left behind all her non-muslim relatives for a while as they refused to accept her choice of life... You have friends here though, and I may be classified as 'religious' (cos of my choice of headgear) but the level you practice is up to you, please don't feel like your being judged, I bet a lot of the ladies you meet are probably shy. Being painfully shy myself in rlI force myself to smile and say salaam to muslim women who catch my eye, it causes such a lovely atmosphere when the woman turns around and replies to my greeting. Feel free to CAt mye should you wish.

Slink, its horrid 2 know your family r being targeted for 9/11 and have so many other problems, please dont doubt your faith, I know its testing but inshallah u will make it through and things have to get easier over time.

Glad 2 c that at least u find shopping theraputic, I know what u mean about xmas presies, I have a SIL who is christian and always gives xmas presies which i think really confuses the kids but I respect her for her beliefs and wish she would respect mine.

my bump at 6mths is coming along...........feel really huge & hungry again so going to log of now to get some munching done!!

dh and I come from a different religious background (muslim and christian) so we end up celebrating Eid as well as Xmas. ButI suppose it is different for us as we ourselves don't believe in"anything" as such and consider Eid/Xmas more an occassion to be together with family/friends.

I do not wear a hijab but feel every way a muslim, i don't dress prodocavly (sp) maybe thats why i get judged. I have a good friend who has annonced that she is going abroad to live and it saddens me as she was great to talk to (her dh was werid though)

Oh ladies i feel such a problem case but you know i thought i had such a ggod family happy and in the last year i have learnt that it is disfunctional i have heard that my younger sister is ill too with our family politics and it doesn't help with another threatening letter left on the door either. I am off to see my parents for the day so will not post tomorrow, thank you all

Enjoy food all those fasting today xxx

Slink, dont beat yourself up - ALL families are disfunctional by definition!!

Slink, i really feel for you. its easy for us all to say for you to be strong, but i know us girls here really mean it. please please remember that your mumsnet friends are aleays there for support. TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF!!XXX

Bugaboo and Sana thank you for your replies, well all seems to be ok (not really) at home but i have started as a volunteer at a group were i liveit is only for 6 weeks till my dd is on hols i love spending time with her.

Eid is nearly here...

Thank you for your support againxx

Were are you all???? am i the only one who is constantly on the mnet???

So when do we think Eid is?????????????

aa
im a muslim who is on mumsnet quite a lot recently, but have only just seent htis thread.

there is a muslim m/t group in morden, and another in wimbledon that i know off. i am sure there are others as well

Slink...... get off mumsnet, u should be getting ready for sunday......... Is your house clean????? Only joking!!!!! we are getting ready for sunday, and I am thinking of keeping the kids off school on Monday, so they can join their grand-dad at the mosque for prayers, at this age they just copy what is going on around them.....My eldest will be 11 years old next year, and so he will be ready to fast......... I hope, I will not push him into it though....

Slink everyone's probably scrubbing their homes from top to bottom, and buying various foods to start making the giant feast in anticipation of Sunday... I'm still on MN cos my sil is doing it, the woman has reams of energy, I cannot however for the life of me tihnk of an adequate Eid present for her so I'm giving her money (before anyone tells me off, money is the normal gift given at Eid for us we're all very limited imagination wise!)!!!

Girls i am what is known as a LAST MINUTE WOMAM

as soon as i hear it is Eid then i will run around like a jack rabbit and clean.... very bad, i will stay up all night. You are good girls..(well surviour is fuzzy you have someone else doing it cheekie.. No not really, Friday i am going to do a huge clean, dd will be at preschool dh will be at work (he has had two days off shift wk) mil will be at the mosque to meet friends and pray so i will have it all done.

I have brought all my Eid gifts although my dh was the most difficult one i was thinking of getting him some property on the moon (as we have yet to find a house we like yet) But i was hoping to tell him i am pg but not to be.

Well we think Eid is on Saturday here, post if you hear anything.

Welcome Stitch glad to hear there are more of us

I guess after Eid we will be on this all the time????? I am on this from 5.30pm-6pm then at 7pm-7.30pm as dh gives dd a bath and then she is in bed xxSalaams to allxx

Slink Inshallah you'll be able to give your dh that eid present for next eid. Love and Duaas.

EID MUBARAK TO YOU ALL!!!!

Yeh Eid. Now i am going to clean my house, chat to you Saturday or Sunday.

Hi and eid mubaarak.... to all... I'm waiting for the boys to get back from the mosque... prayers were at 8.03am this morning.... thank god thats over for another year... now count down to the next one.... 2 months and 10 days to be exact.....anyone know of anywhere in surrey to buy a plump 1+ year old sheep????? And I think now the month of Ramadan is over, its time to meet up and stuff ourselves (I was going to say pig out.... but thats not approipreate)....Looking forward to meeting you all........

I think that is a great idea, when were and at what time???

I am free Monday and Tuesday's as dd is at preschool rest of the week. I drive so don't mind traveling and can pick up others on the way????

Did all have a happy Eid??? i love it i make it really special for dd 3.5yrs

Salaams to allxxx