Muslims

[palilover 1]

<quote>

Now as far as Islam goes that is the beauty of Islam the cultural diversity and accpetance that I enjoy sooo much. We just have to be careful what we label "Islamic" and what is "Cultural"

</quote>

yes that is a neat thing about Islam. Or so in paper anyways:/ I've found Muslims to be not so good when it comes to reverting. the men can be nicer than the women in fact. But the problem is is that the women here do not talk to people outside of their own culture. If I go to mosque, I'm lucky to get a salams out of people. Sometimes though the sisters collect phone numbers to act popular but do they ever call? No. The men are fine, but the problem is that you cannot hang out with men if you are a woman so it makes things just awkward if you are a woman in Islam trying to fitt in. The female Muslims want to stick with their own kind and if you are a revert, anyone will use you to make dawah. But as for being a real friend, you can forget that. This is what I've come to realize in Islam and I've been a Muslim for 5 years. Slowly debrainwashing myself of the religious propoganda given to women so they revert:) In fact, the biggest liberation I've found in Islam is actually getting married because my husband is the best Muslim I've seen in the entire 5 years I've been Muslim. May Allah keep him well.

[sereia 0]

<quote>

Now as far as Islam goes that is the beauty of Islam the cultural diversity and accpetance that I enjoy sooo much. We just have to be careful what we label "Islamic" and what is "Cultural"

</quote>

yes that is a neat thing about Islam. Or so in paper anyways:/ I've found Muslims to be not so good when it comes to reverting. the men can be nicer than the women in fact. But the problem is is that the women here do not talk to people outside of their own culture. If I go to mosque, I'm lucky to get a salams out of people. Sometimes though the sisters collect phone numbers to act popular but do they ever call? No. The men are fine, but the problem is that you cannot hang out with men if you are a woman so it makes things just awkward if you are a woman in Islam trying to fitt in. The female Muslims want to stick with their own kind and if you are a revert, anyone will use you to make dawah. But as for being a real friend, you can forget that. This is what I've come to realize in Islam and I've been a Muslim for 5 years. Slowly debrainwashing myself of the religious propoganda given to women so they revert:) In fact, the biggest liberation I've found in Islam is actually getting married because my husband is the best Muslim I've seen in the entire 5 years I've been Muslim. May Allah keep him well.

Hey you just did it! Why didn't you just say God? Just teasing........

[palilover 1]

<quote>

Now as far as Islam goes that is the beauty of Islam the cultural diversity and accpetance that I enjoy sooo much. We just have to be careful what we label "Islamic" and what is "Cultural"

</quote>

yes that is a neat thing about Islam. Or so in paper anyways:/ I've found Muslims to be not so good when it comes to reverting. the men can be nicer than the women in fact. But the problem is is that the women here do not talk to people outside of their own culture. If I go to mosque, I'm lucky to get a salams out of people. Sometimes though the sisters collect phone numbers to act popular but do they ever call? No. The men are fine, but the problem is that you cannot hang out with men if you are a woman so it makes things just awkward if you are a woman in Islam trying to fitt in. The female Muslims want to stick with their own kind and if you are a revert, anyone will use you to make dawah. But as for being a real friend, you can forget that. This is what I've come to realize in Islam and I've been a Muslim for 5 years. Slowly debrainwashing myself of the religious propoganda given to women so they revert:) In fact, the biggest liberation I've found in Islam is actually getting married because my husband is the best Muslim I've seen in the entire 5 years I've been Muslim. May Allah keep him well.

Hey you just did it! Why didn't you just say God? Just teasing........

LOL yeah I did didnt I?

[nunyab 0]

<quote>

Now as far as Islam goes that is the beauty of Islam the cultural diversity and accpetance that I enjoy sooo much. We just have to be careful what we label "Islamic" and what is "Cultural"

</quote>

yes that is a neat thing about Islam. Or so in paper anyways:/ I've found Muslims to be not so good when it comes to reverting. the men can be nicer than the women in fact. But the problem is is that the women here do not talk to people outside of their own culture. If I go to mosque, I'm lucky to get a salams out of people. Sometimes though the sisters collect phone numbers to act popular but do they ever call? No. The men are fine, but the problem is that you cannot hang out with men if you are a woman so it makes things just awkward if you are a woman in Islam trying to fitt in. The female Muslims want to stick with their own kind and if you are a revert, anyone will use you to make dawah. But as for being a real friend, you can forget that. This is what I've come to realize in Islam and I've been a Muslim for 5 years. Slowly debrainwashing myself of the religious propoganda given to women so they revert:) In fact, the biggest liberation I've found in Islam is actually getting married because my husband is the best Muslim I've seen in the entire 5 years I've been Muslim. May Allah keep him well.

Hey you just did it! Why didn't you just say God? Just teasing........

LOL yeah I did didnt I?

I hear you on the whole "true friend thing" but that's their deal not yours to worry about.. I can say I have one truly best friend that's a girl and my husband... both muslim and both exactly what I need. right now Hamdolah

[April and Mohamed 0]

<quote>

Now as far as Islam goes that is the beauty of Islam the cultural diversity and accpetance that I enjoy sooo much. We just have to be careful what we label "Islamic" and what is "Cultural"

</quote>

yes that is a neat thing about Islam. Or so in paper anyways:/ I've found Muslims to be not so good when it comes to reverting. the men can be nicer than the women in fact. But the problem is is that the women here do not talk to people outside of their own culture. If I go to mosque, I'm lucky to get a salams out of people. Sometimes though the sisters collect phone numbers to act popular but do they ever call? No. The men are fine, but the problem is that you cannot hang out with men if you are a woman so it makes things just awkward if you are a woman in Islam trying to fitt in. The female Muslims want to stick with their own kind and if you are a revert, anyone will use you to make dawah. But as for being a real friend, you can forget that. This is what I've come to realize in Islam and I've been a Muslim for 5 years. Slowly debrainwashing myself of the religious propoganda given to women so they revert:) In fact, the biggest liberation I've found in Islam is actually getting married because my husband is the best Muslim I've seen in the entire 5 years I've been Muslim. May Allah keep him well.

Yeah as far as the name changing, I've read that it's only mandatory if you have a kafr name or a name with a really horrible meaning like Bint l Haram Rajaa I like your name. Palilover, I experienced the exact same thing you did. Even the phone number thing, they did that too. Never heard from them. Let's try to change that ourselves and reach out to new converts and actually do something.

[sara..... 371]

<quote>

Now as far as Islam goes that is the beauty of Islam the cultural diversity and accpetance that I enjoy sooo much. We just have to be careful what we label "Islamic" and what is "Cultural"

</quote>

yes that is a neat thing about Islam. Or so in paper anyways:/ I've found Muslims to be not so good when it comes to reverting. the men can be nicer than the women in fact. But the problem is is that the women here do not talk to people outside of their own culture. If I go to mosque, I'm lucky to get a salams out of people. Sometimes though the sisters collect phone numbers to act popular but do they ever call? No. The men are fine, but the problem is that you cannot hang out with men if you are a woman so it makes things just awkward if you are a woman in Islam trying to fitt in. The female Muslims want to stick with their own kind and if you are a revert, anyone will use you to make dawah. But as for being a real friend, you can forget that. This is what I've come to realize in Islam and I've been a Muslim for 5 years. Slowly debrainwashing myself of the religious propoganda given to women so they revert:) In fact, the biggest liberation I've found in Islam is actually getting married because my husband is the best Muslim I've seen in the entire 5 years I've been Muslim. May Allah keep him well.

Yeah as far as the name changing, I've read that it's only mandatory if you have a kafr name or a name with a really horrible meaning like Bint l Haram Rajaa I like your name. Palilover, I experienced the exact same thing you did. Even the phone number thing, they did that too. Never heard from them. Let's try to change that ourselves and reach out to new converts and actually do something.

im sorry u guys had such rude behavior towards u that is really wrong and they them self have to answer to Allah for the way that they behave........i hope that u dont think all Muslims that are not converts are like them........it would be a tragedy we are Muslim and it is our duty to help each other as well as non Muslim.....but particularly to another Muslim.....how can we show the world what love and peace we have because of Islam if we do not act correctly to even each other? As far as names my mom didnt really give any of us but one a truly Islamic name......we get kidded about it sometimes but for what ever her reason was we never complain lol.......

[S and S 12]

I have been lucky that the mosques I went to were about half muslim converts so everyone seemed helpful to me. I also have a couple muslim born women friends that have been great for me, but there have been cases where I was treated as an outside for not being middle eastern muslim born. That really frustrated me since growing up Christian the churches are so welcoming of newcomers. I guess you think that the muslim community will welcome you in the same way, but sometimes that is not the case. Really, I thank God the mosques I went to were really great.

As for the airport, I rarely get searched so far and I have been lucky in that. I thought for sure when I flew back from Syria (not on any kind of friendly terms with the US) that I would be harrassed a lot. Customs and immigration asked me why I had been traveling to Syria and I informed them I went to get married. I said it with a big smile like it was perfectly normal for American women to fly to Syria to get married. He let me go and just said congratulations. I was suprised that was all that happened. Suprisingly my bags were never searched either. I'll never know how I got that lucky, but I thank God for it. On a side note, I was dressed conservative but western without a hijab.

[sarahaziz 0]

lol it's cultural on the donkey thing. As far as Islam goes with that Im' not sure. My dad when I was growing up told me stories about half donkey half man asking for something - and my husband and mother in law telling me about crazy things that happened at night long long long time ago like 12 years ago. Finding a group of half animal half human people talking. Everybody was younger at the time of these stories and it happened during 2-5 am so I'm guessing its just imagery on their part or dreams

[palilover 1]

yeah you guys are right. New Muslims should be encouraged to take part in Muslim things and not discouraged. I was very shocked by things happening so bad in real life because the very first guy that I got dawah from was online. Actually he was not purposely making dawah nor did we talk about Islam in major detail. But I was just so impressed of his nature. He was Iraqi and we started talking right before the tanks/bombs went into Iraq. War was pretty obvious tough at this point and I was impressed with him because he did not hate me for the war. I was expecting taht he would stop talking to me but no, he said it is wrong to hate an entire country because of a government. I know for a fact I could not have as much courage as he and many others like him di and do even to this day. He did not warn me ever though about how born Muslims eat and spit out reverts though:) But then again, being Iraqi, he may not see that as much in his country, I cannot say anything on tht aspect because I don't know.

After seeing so many frogs, I am grateful everyday that my husband and his family are not like this. they are all nice and accepting even though I am American. Because I know from past "proposals" that after the guy plays with a woman's feelings and tells her yes he'll marry her, but then he cannot bring himself to tell his parents. I've heard stories such as "you are an american and my parents do not like American women because they think they are no good. but oh no we don't hate America, it's not like that" (ok tell me what it is then, lol). And "Um...my mother is really picky and she would not like the way you look but oh I still see you as beautiful don't worry about that. It's not me, it's my mother". lol When my husband was heading back to Palestine, he had told his family about me the day we got married. He called everyone and everyone was happy and congratulating us. One day I was sitting with him and out of nowhere I asked "do you think your mother will like me after she sees me?" He was totally shocked why I would ask such a thing. To this day, he cannot understand what I've been through here. He just reminds me "habibi there are bad people and not everyone is that bad" And sometimes he makes me show him my hands and he says "Are all the fingers on your hand the same?" he always knows the right thing to say when I'm bummed out. And I love him for that, among other things.

Ok, so on a different note....remember when I said Muslims say arabic things instead of english words right? Well, it was funny. I began watching a movie called Arranged today on netflix. It is about a Muslim girl and a jewish girl in Brooklyn who are teachers and everyone is surprised of why they are friends. Even the kids at school said to the Muslim "don't your people want to shove Israel into the ocean?" So through the movie (I have not finished yet but will tonight), it is about them becoming closer in order to fight people's stereotypes and they end up learning how similiar they are. I've found netflix to be very enlightening in this regard because I love the documentaries I have been getting on the netflix instant movie section:)

So the Jewish family is sitting at the dinner table and they are talking. And I noticed that they are speaking English but some words they say in Hebrew. I was like "wow jews do the same thing Muslims do" But well, who knows, maybe converts to Judaism do not do that, I dont know.

The main part of the story is the jew and the Muslim dealing with the infanous arranged marriage scenrio. I did not know for one minute ever that Jews did arranged marriages. So far in the movie, the Muslim girl saw one proposal and she rejected him due to age and she di dnot see anything in him even though he was a father's frined. but it did not work out anyways, but the father is being very patient with her. In the beginning of the show I was actually bragging to my husband on the phone of how the jews are not forcing the girl to get married or making her feel bad. My husband does not appear to understand the concept of making women feel bad for not beng married or rejecting proposals. but I spoke to soon anyways. When I left the movie, the Jewish girl (poor girl, her proposals so far have been yucky anyways and one of the guys reminded me of the guy on ...hm...whats the movie called with the guy from Khazakhstan who comes over here and he's all lost in American culture....yeah he reminded me of that guy)....the Jewish mother and her aunt are very unhappy with her rejecting all of tehm and the jewish girl says no, I wont settle for anyone and she left it at that at the moment and stormed out of the room.

Anyways this is long enough and I am sorry for getting way off topic. I just thought this was a neat movie and some of it reminded me of what we had said in this thread so I thought I'd share. If you are into this kidna thingk, go see it on netflix. (netflix brings out the nerd in me:)

[Ban Hammer 13,334]

Patriot Act,

I love how no one read that, and they got it passed in the middle of the night, very very interesting

[nunyab 0]

yeah you guys are right. New Muslims should be encouraged to take part in Muslim things and not discouraged. I was very shocked by things happening so bad in real life because the very first guy that I got dawah from was online. Actually he was not purposely making dawah nor did we talk about Islam in major detail. But I was just so impressed of his nature. He was Iraqi and we started talking right before the tanks/bombs went into Iraq. War was pretty obvious tough at this point and I was impressed with him because he did not hate me for the war. I was expecting taht he would stop talking to me but no, he said it is wrong to hate an entire country because of a government. I know for a fact I could not have as much courage as he and many others like him di and do even to this day. He did not warn me ever though about how born Muslims eat and spit out reverts though:) But then again, being Iraqi, he may not see that as much in his country, I cannot say anything on tht aspect because I don't know.

After seeing so many frogs, I am grateful everyday that my husband and his family are not like this. they are all nice and accepting even though I am American. Because I know from past "proposals" that after the guy plays with a woman's feelings and tells her yes he'll marry her, but then he cannot bring himself to tell his parents. I've heard stories such as "you are an american and my parents do not like American women because they think they are no good. but oh no we don't hate America, it's not like that" (ok tell me what it is then, lol). And "Um...my mother is really picky and she would not like the way you look but oh I still see you as beautiful don't worry about that. It's not me, it's my mother". lol When my husband was heading back to Palestine, he had told his family about me the day we got married. He called everyone and everyone was happy and congratulating us. One day I was sitting with him and out of nowhere I asked "do you think your mother will like me after she sees me?" He was totally shocked why I would ask such a thing. To this day, he cannot understand what I've been through here. He just reminds me "habibi there are bad people and not everyone is that bad" And sometimes he makes me show him my hands and he says "Are all the fingers on your hand the same?" he always knows the right thing to say when I'm bummed out. And I love him for that, among other things.

Ok, so on a different note....remember when I said Muslims say arabic things instead of english words right? Well, it was funny. I began watching a movie called Arranged today on netflix. It is about a Muslim girl and a jewish girl in Brooklyn who are teachers and everyone is surprised of why they are friends. Even the kids at school said to the Muslim "don't your people want to shove Israel into the ocean?" So through the movie (I have not finished yet but will tonight), it is about them becoming closer in order to fight people's stereotypes and they end up learning how similiar they are. I've found netflix to be very enlightening in this regard because I love the documentaries I have been getting on the netflix instant movie section:)

So the Jewish family is sitting at the dinner table and they are talking. And I noticed that they are speaking English but some words they say in Hebrew. I was like "wow jews do the same thing Muslims do" But well, who knows, maybe converts to Judaism do not do that, I dont know.

The main part of the story is the jew and the Muslim dealing with the infanous arranged marriage scenrio. I did not know for one minute ever that Jews did arranged marriages. So far in the movie, the Muslim girl saw one proposal and she rejected him due to age and she di dnot see anything in him even though he was a father's frined. but it did not work out anyways, but the father is being very patient with her. In the beginning of the show I was actually bragging to my husband on the phone of how the jews are not forcing the girl to get married or making her feel bad. My husband does not appear to understand the concept of making women feel bad for not beng married or rejecting proposals. but I spoke to soon anyways. When I left the movie, the Jewish girl (poor girl, her proposals so far have been yucky anyways and one of the guys reminded me of the guy on ...hm...whats the movie called with the guy from Khazakhstan who comes over here and he's all lost in American culture....yeah he reminded me of that guy)....the Jewish mother and her aunt are very unhappy with her rejecting all of tehm and the jewish girl says no, I wont settle for anyone and she left it at that at the moment and stormed out of the room.

Anyways this is long enough and I am sorry for getting way off topic. I just thought this was a neat movie and some of it reminded me of what we had said in this thread so I thought I'd share. If you are into this kidna thingk, go see it on netflix. (netflix brings out the nerd in me:)

Lol... you know I was having alot of problems with how my husband's family would see me.. before I went over (before we were marriend to meet eachother in person for the first time) I talked via webcam to his mother and sisters so they knew ahead of time. My husband's family is truly one reason I would move from the U.S. to be there. For him of corse but I adore his family. His grandfather and grandmother consider me one of their daughter's... and when I married my husband there the adoul had me say my shahada again his grandfather jumped up crying and hugged me!!

On another note when I was in college I dated (i know this is before I converted) a Jewish Iranian... I know alot about that culture. At one gathering (again while in college and it was a while ago) I actually sat next to a man who had the tattoos of a concentration camp on forearm. Yes they also cover their head. And I am not sure if someone will freak so excuse me if you do but there are alot more similarities between the religions than many think. And this whole Palestinian/Isreali thing.. yeah horrible all started by the U.S. stupid stupid stupid... it makes my heart cry. and i get very angry at the same time but what can I do????

Oh and I too love love love net flix. I did it when it first started but since my divorce 2 yrs ago my ex got the net flix lol maybe time to start up again.. I am totally digging Indian movies these days... Bollywood my fav. I know I am a dork

[mohamed N melinda 0]

mashaAllah borthers and sisters

[S and S 12]

Actually, the start of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict can be rested on the shoulders of the Brittish. The US wouldn't hardly help Israel at all until the late 1960s. Now days you can put a lot of the blame on the US, but not the beginning. The most the United States did was vote for the creation of Israel which many other countries did the same or it wouldn't have passed. It was Brittain who lied to the arabs and promised them the land and then later promised it to the Jewish, so I hold the blame of the start of the conflict squarely on their shoulders.

[Alhamdulillah 0]

It's really a ####### shoot with immigration... my husband was a muslim man, coming from a country that, until last year was on the USA's list of terrorist countries, with a name that's the Arabic equivilant of "John Smith" and was only in AR/AP/name checks for 30 days before getting his visa after his interview..... then he got his GC in no time once he was here without having to go in for an interview. I suspect we'll have to go for an interview when he applies to remove the conditions though.

yeah but in your case, I wonder how many Libyans are trying to get to USA though even now? So maybe that is why AP did not take so long. but in all ways, you are right, it's all a ####### shoot and no one knows what will happen.....

Well Libyans have to go through Tunisia so they have two countries to deal with but, you're right, there aren't a lot of ppl from Libya trying to come to the US right now.

[Alhamdulillah 0]

Arranged

An awesome film!! I've watched it online but would love if anyone knows where I can download it to my zen!