Actually, they probably do and maybe there just isn't a large population. Orthodox Jews cover their hair. Many wear wigs to do it, but some cover with scarves. I cover my hair. i know Christians who cover their hair and one of whom does live in Los Angeles. I'm sorry if you've never noticed them, but i assure you some people really do cover their hair who are not Muslim, most notably Orthodox Jews.

Yeah but that's like associating Chinese Green Tea with Guatemalans, it's Muslims who've been in the news lately and "covered" women plastering the newspaper photos being beaten, so maybe they were asking me if I was Jewish so as not to offend me, because I didn't look like an oppressed Muslim woman. Just a Muslim woman. Only people who have studied the history of religions would know that Jewish and Christian women historically wore headscarves, but not your average everyday American. I didn't know any of that before, most Californians don't because if they're not religious, they don't really care.

Actually, I disagree, but everyone is entitled to their own opinion. It's not a matter of knowing religious history at all, and it's not just history-- it's present-day as well. Muslims don't have the monopoly on scarves. It's not a historical matter but one of knowing present-day adherence.

http://www.tznius.com/cgi-bin/tying.pl

The above link is some of the more common Jewish styles. I've seen Muslims wear the same styles at times. They could have been asking you because they were more familiar with Jewish covering or whatever reason they had-- maybe you're right... But my point is that Jews and Christians do cover, and even do so in the state of CA I personally wouldn't tend to confuse something like al-amira or most neck-covering with Jewish or Christian covering, but a huge portion of Jews and Christians who cover do use square scarves and pin them under the chin.

So I wanted to know something, if it was just a Moroccan thing or what. There's the whole legend about not pouring hot water down the drain because a jinn is gonna pop out and slap you in the face (and other versions of the story ) Do people not pour hot water down the drain in other Muslim countries, or is it just a North African thing? I have many friends who are married to Moroccans and they all have testified to being practically jumped by their in-laws when they unknowingly went to pour hot water down the drain for the first time. Luckily my in-laws are a little less physical. They'll put an empty glass in the sink and pour the hot water into that. I do that in front of people but when I'm by myself I don't, because I haven't found its validity from my Islamic resources (texts, imams, Islamic studies professors, one of whom is rajl loosti), and I'm afraid of being superstitious because we're not supposed to be superstitious either. Share your thoughts!

April

April, Sigh. I wish you'd just get it that Jews and Christians do cover, Christians not so much in the US but Jews yes.

Yes they say that thing here too and i dont actually believe it becoz like u i didnt find any hadeeth on the subject!! as long as theres no proof ure free to do whatever u want

My thoughts are...Seriously, you can't be serious.

Hey we've already moved on to another topic so let's not make a mountain out of a molehill. (No hagas una tormenta en un vaso de agua)

HisLittleMisriya, thanks for the advice. My American friends tell me to not worry about it but also to not argue with my husband's family because I won't win So I'm not touching that one with them!! Also I found out that my mother-in-law is deathly afraid of donkeys at night (?) she says that they're shayatin (?) have you heard of that? I haven't researched that one lately cuz I've been a little busy. And it's not like I happen upon hmir every day! Gosh what else is there, so much. Lots of Moroccan culture mixed in with Islam over here to create a "Moroccan Islam" is how I see it.

It's veeeeeery interesting though to see how converts practice Islam, for the most part, at least the ones I know, they're like cultureless, they don't have any cultural baggage that they bring into the religion with little superstitious practices, but keeping certain American cultural habits and traditions isn't un-Islamic either, I mean, aint nothing wrong with SuperBowl Sunday or baby showers or house-warming parties or countless other American traditions because they're not religious. (Right?) Oh yeah last night my husband told me that whenever I hear a hamar going eeeaawwweeeeaaaawww at night to say authoobilahiminashaytanirrajim. Do you guys do that too? Not like I would've known that back in the States, not many asses around. (Well...)

April

Como podremos encontrarlo con direcciones tan confusas?

No sabía que hay tan muchos otros latines aquí

Si no quieres participar en la conversacion, vale, no digas nada a proposito de ciertas cosas, pero hay otros que quieren de verdad hablar de ciertos asuntos asi que si no te interesen, dejalo en paz para no perder tu tiempo y lo nuestro. Deberiamos mantener el respeto por todos aqui y si algo te parece estupido o lo que sea, no hagas una respuesta por el amor de Dios. A mi me pasan muchas cosas extranas despues de haber mudado a un otro pais asi que me interesa saber si ciertas cosas que no me parecen hacer parte de mi religion existen de verdad, quiero saberlo y tengo el derecho de pregunarselo, o no? No es necesario ser grosero con los demas. Que tengas un buen dia!

April

Necio. " General chat for muslims or anyone interested in particpating. "

Not sure about being Arab, but I know I am always pulled off and searched, especially in other countries. Last time I came home, my luggage didn’t make it home with me. The next day they delivered my suitcase, and when I opened it there was home land security calling card. They had gone through all of my stuff, broke some, and then sent it on to me. I have been strip search, question, all of it, I always think, they peg me as a drug mule. I dress normal, no scarf’s, nothing, doesn’t matter, they smell me coming miles away.

What'll happen if you refuse to get stripsearched? And it was female officers right? That's just ridiculous.
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you have not read the Patriot Act have you? Oh wait, as a matter of fact, neither did most who signed it.

Yes it is always a female officer, they had like seven of them one time pull me out of line, and this one french officer, she was a woman, but I swear she looked like a man who had just had his surgery to become a woman. I knew I was in deep #### trouble, but I remember I kept looking at this woman thinking DAMN, I wanted to ask her so bad, like, where you a dude like a month ago? I know awful, but if you would have seen this woman, you too would have been DAMN.

Hola a todos mis amigos de Latino

yep. And don't you guys remember Little house on the Prairie? Those women (at least the Ingalls girls and many old women in the town I think) covered their hair. Growing up watching the show I thought maybe they did not want the wind to mess up their hair. But now as I see society allowing less and less clothing, I wonder if that was just the way women dressed back then since modestry was more respected and looked at unlike today.

well we had nothing like that happen but one time when transferring in Germany.........my mom was coming out of the bathroom at the airport and it was one of those only room for one things.........she saw to people waiting to get in and she very kindly told them to be so helpful im sorry but that rest room is for women only..........both answered we are women..........i swear........they both looked like men dressed hair cuts facial u name it now see i would never had said anything......but my mom well my mom what can i say but when they answered her in women voice i would have paid money to get a pic of my moms face

Never been strip searched in America, but, America has gone though my luggage and searched me. When I was living in Germany, in the day, I remember coming in through LAX, and the lady asked how long I planned to stay in America. WTF, I am an American, didn't know I could only stay a certain amount of time. In Germany, cold war days, when I flew to America, the lady police would take you to a room and you would have to be searched, this is before all the modern electronics. So being searched is not a new thing for me, it happened to me before 9/11, and after 9/11, even more. That is one reason I would never be a mule, NEVER, cause if they are going to search anyone on the plane, even if Osma himself was sitting next to me, they would pick me without a doubt. I am their damn wet dream.

Ok so this is what i've found out.. if a donkey bays or a dog barks at night you are to say that because they've heard something at night that you haven't. We typically not find the "best" of people roaming around at night, not to say they are satan but well who knows? but per my book

"Fortress of the Muslim Invocations from the Qur'an and Sunnah" it says "When you hear a dog barking or a donkey braying in the night, then seek refuge in Allah from them, for surely they have seen what you see not." (abu Dawud graded it authentic in Sahih Abu Dawud)

As far as the Gin in the sink?? I remember asking my husband about this when we got off the phone and he seemed like he didn't want to tell me... he's on the site i'll ask him to see if he'll contribute to the "moroccan" tales.

That sucks about the luggage. My mom's didn't make it here when she came to visit for my wedding, and it was sitting in CDG the whole time, when it finally got here, it was 2 days before she was gonna leave! Luckily we're the same size. Mine also sat in Heathrow when I went to visit my mom but they delivered it to her doorstep the next night so all was good. About the Patriot Act, I never signed anything. When, where, how...?

LMAO.... way funny, did your mom do the face for you??? like to recreate what she did???

Hola mi amigas

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 crap shoot and no one knows what will happen.....

no lol i was standing outside the restroom also waiting for her to get out so i saw it first hand it was so funny i could see her trying to keep her composure and failing badly.......i walked up to her before anything more could come out of her mouth lol and told her mom i found a place for u to smoke and drug her off she kept looking back and saying did u see that

I love how no one read that, and they got it passed in the middle of the night, very very interesting I would not be surprised if they are breathing down my throat as of now, not paranoid, just expect the worst. Just a little tip to my fellow Americans, don’t use humor, or any kind of off colored jokes, these people don’t appreciate humor.

well i know that some place in that mess there is suppose to be protection for the American public but so far i have seen it as protection for bush to do as he pleases and yup i will shut up now before i get myself into trouble

Ganja_Girl... did i miss something??

lol, I can imagine them spending hours going through my mail, and other stuff. I think it is funny as hell, but when did we become the police state we are now, how did this happen, and it happened fast. I am not a fan of Bush and I am pretty open about it. Lol Used to be I always feared being locked up aboard, now I fear being lock up in my own country. We have more people in prison in America than any other country in the world, pretty frightening.

I agree Ganja_Girl... in fact so much so I dare say anything else for fear big bro is roaming here and hay you have to admit it.. the thread headline is "muslims" lol if they are reading this I wish they would focus some of that creative talent on processing our apps!!! instead of sitting around reading our posts.

in the year 2003 there was a joke going around pakistan

A boy sits at the mosque day after day praying to go to the USA finally one fri a man walks up to him and said u really wanna go to the USA the boy answer yes so the man told him i know how u can get there it will cost u NOTHING.....so he told the boy dont shave for one month then for one week sit here after that and scream i am alkida i am alkida and u will make it to the USA and they will even come and pick u up and give u a free ride ..............and yup i misspelled it on purpose lol

I am just bad, like I said before, these guys have no humor.

I agree Ganja_Girl... in fact so much so I dare say anything else for fear big bro is roaming here and hay you have to admit it.. the thread headline is "muslims" lol if they are reading this I wish they would focus some of that creative talent on processing our apps!!! instead of sitting around reading our posts.
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lol WHAT u want them to do something for us that will enrich our life's

I guess I would like them to work at enriching their lives... I am just thinking the reward they can get by helping those that need help. But instead.... well you know.

does anyone live around the salem portland area in oregon that knows of a market that has nice hijabs? i live so far away from anything like portland and there just does not seem to be anyplace i can purchase more........i have made a few but i like the ones that come from saudi, india and egypt..........i looked on the net and only thing i could find was a nice lady from india that sells material and clothing from india from her home...............we did go there to purchase some things that we could not find any place else but she didnt really have any hijab

Noooo sorry I live in seattle but I do know a few places on line you can look at ... heck even ebay has some last time i checked.. but you the prices you'll be paying are more than if you were there yourself..obviously

http://www.alhannah.com/hijab.html

I'll have to look but I do have more.. hope this helps start you in what you're looking for

thank you i do have that site and a few others that i look at for different things but it just is not the same is going and looking and touching and seeing the color against ur skin lol yeah i know it may not be something i can do lol but i sure wish i could

I understand... I would like stores like they have over there where there are hundreds and thousands to choose from... i always get so overwhelmed... and a little giddy hehe

i really miss a lot of things from over seas..........sound of the call for prayer.....we have it on our computer but its just not the same thing ...going to the market shopping where u can find everything and if they dont have ur size u they will make it for u or tell u where to go that can........and u get to haggle the price lol i love that part..........fresh fruit and other foods that u can really afford to buy lol oh gosh the list goes on lol

I know.. i agree the call to prayer is one of my favorites.. My husband lives in the middle of three and they all go off at a min.. differences soooo cool. I miss my husband sooooo and his family Oy! the family thing is what I miss most!!

Ok so I asked my hubby he said that we shouldn't poor hot scolding hot water down the drain because of the Gin.... ummmm news to me. But when I asked him for a Hadith on it he said he didn't know... I asked him to please ask... I'll check out on my end but I think it's more a cutural thing than Islamic...

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"

Kind of like changing your name when you convert... that's not Islamic as far as I found ??? But I did hamdolah and love my name..."hope"

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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"
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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........

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

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.......

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.

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

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:)