Can someone explain for me the whole brother/sister thing? Is this something in Islam, calling people Brother Joe or Sister Jenn? And why is it used for people who aren't even Muslim. I don't get it.

Some Christians use these terms too. I think why both religions (Islam more so than Christianity, though it is the same reason) is that by sharing the religion you are brothers/sisters in Islam (or Christianity, like by saying, My brother in Christ...).

My husband's friends (who are Sudanese) daughter calls me Auntie cause my husband and her parents are brothers and sisters in Islam and therefore she is my niece. She doesn't do it to all her parents friends though, I think it is because whenever we go over their house I spend all the time with the kids.

probably a religious reference as in everyone is supposed to be brothers and sisters

Do Arabic speakers use brother/sister in Arabic when addressing other Muslims?

I guess the jist of my question is whether this is a VJ phenomenon or if you all hear this day to day in your communities. Before VJ, I had only heard it in films that portray Amish people.

In the christian churchs I have attended in Jamaica and the JA based churches here everyone calls each other Brother ---- or Sister ----. Even when not in a church setting you would still use the term bro/sis. I think in some cases it is a respect thing and in others it is just said to show your unity/connection to the person.

It also helps when you don't remember the name and you can just call them Brother or Sister

LOL, good point. Now that I think of it, the Hey You that I use is kind of rude.

I've heard it a lot from American Muslims... not to sure about the arabic though...

in the black churches here listen to them preaching and they will always say brothers and sisters

ya don't you remember the post where I mentioned Muslim brothers and sisters and I got harrassed because of that comment. It IS true that many of them call each other brothers and sisters. I've heard it plenty in America and Morocco.

I hear my fiance call other Arabic-speaking men "Brother So-and-so" in Arabic all the time. He never says it in English. It seems to apply to anyone he has known more than a few minutes My guess is it's more due to tradition than religion. I'll ask him... as soon as he gets off the phone with "Ahoya Ahmed."

I actually experienced this last year when we were car shopping. For some reason 3 of the car salespeople we dealt with at different dealerships were Muslim. They ALL called Abdel "brother". I had to ask him about that afterward.

I think it's abnormal for a non-muslim to call people that. But I think terms of familiarity are abnormal in a setting like this when familiarity is contrived and non-existent for the most part. I also think it is used condescendingly quite often here.

so if i called you "sister" you'd be offended?

My husband just calls people by their name. ONe thing he does do though is say he's "in love" with people.....like, "this is Ahmed.....I am very much in love with him." THAT took a lil gettin' used to.

Thanks, yeah, that's pretty much what I was thinking too.

The church I grew up in was always calling people brother and sister. I guess I just got used to it.

I went on a cruise with my sister (biological lol ) a few years ago and we sat next to two women at breakfast one morning. One introduced herself and said, "and this is my sister Dotty". We were all like, "oh wow, we're sisters too!!!", but then she said, "well we are sisters in Christ". So I guess it's a Christian thing to some.

Maybe it's regional? I've never heard it here in New England.

me either but these two were from nyc.

It is used a lot in Protestant Churches and sometimes in Catholic ones.

Abnormal? Why? I grew up with that in the mormon church (yes we do have cars and electricity). I don't view it as abnormal, but rather quant. But then again, I am rather gross and abnormal.

So yourrrrrrrrr the one.........(just kidding)

I'll clarify since I was speaking of someone specific on VJ. I think it's odd in a non-religious setting. Everything people are bringing up here has to do with church. Outside of that, it's abnormal, to me. To me. to me.

Nothing abnormal or condesending about it if you're looking for something to be abnormal and condesending about it. There are certainly worse things to be called.

Esalaam/Salut/Hello
Use of brother, sister is religiously stemmed but not exxculusive to Islam. Literally we are all the creations, thus siblings of the God. But culturally, again not exclsive to MENA only...a sign of kinship/friendship...kindness basically. So as Martha says "its a good thing"

I get this ALOT from non-muslim people. I am muslim and work for an Egyptian and Pakistanian doctor. All the patients always assume that I am married to one of the doctors, because why else would a muslim woman work for a muslim man if she were not his wife?!
The one doctor always says no she is not my wife, she is my sister. One woman took this literally and says, "Oh, I can see the resemblance now between you too"(I am pale white with blue eyes). I had to explain that he means it in a religious context. Her response: "Oh, so you're like the baptists." My response: (trying to escape the conversation)"Yes ma'am, we're like the baptists"

odd...my response to you, sister peezey, was deleted.

During my stay in Jordan, I didn't notice anyone calling eachother sister/brother.. Just Godly greetings and thanking God frequently "Ah Humdullilah" (forgive my spelling). In Hawaii, where I'm from we would call one another brother and sister "brada/ sista" in a friendly or loving way.. This is just the "Aloha way" to someone close to you or local like you. Maybe it's origination is oriental. Not sure. Also we've said it naturally in churches (non & inter-denominational christian churches and pentecostal) that I've attended. It's common to refer to someone as my sister or brother in a Christian way who who joined to me in through our mutual belief in Christ. However, when speaking to them, I wouldn't always call them as brother/sister so & so.. but their first name.

yes vitiligo, it was listed for Ewok's review. The statement was incendiary to all members here, and bore no insight to the topic.

One thing I noted in Morocco....everything there revolves around Islam. Not that everyone is religious, they aren't. But still, everything revolves around Islam, and that is what they grew up with, so I don't view it as unusual for them. In the US we have a separation of church and everyday life, so yes, to americans it is unusual. Anyway, that is my take on it.

Well, considering the poster in question who uses this phrase is not Moroccan, nor muslim, I can't for the life of me understand his insistence on using it all over VJ. Again, contrived familiarity comes off as quite condescending in my opinion.

why don't you ask him/her directly?

in lebanon, Geo always would refer to men that were nice as ...the word for brother in Lebaense...i dunno how to spell it......and for woman that were close to the family he would always say to her as the word for sister in lebanese...again cant spell it.

Nuns are called sisters.........

In Hawaii basically anyone who is about twenty years older than you is automatically referred to as auntie or uncle. It's kind of nice and makes the whole place seem like a large extended family (Which it often is, actually). Also, with my brother being adopted and not looking anything like me (He's Sri Lankan by birth), we've often had difficulty getting people to believe that we really are brothers and not just close friends who call each other brother.