Help a misanthropic lapsed Muslim celebrate Eid in London! Looking for ideas from all cultures and none, on manufacturing a better holiday than the traditional one I usually dread. [more inside]
posted by tavegyl on Nov 27, 2009 - 9 answers

Comparing controversial sections of the Qur'an (Koran), and of the New and Old Testament sections of the Bible. [more inside]
posted by jcdill on Sep 12, 2009 - 5 answers

MovingFarAwayFilter: GF is dead-set on moving from Brooklyn to Cairo, Egypt, for at least a year. I'm pretty resistant to the idea since I love NYC and, if forced to move outside the US, there are hundreds of cities I'd rather move to. I desperately need some 1st/2nd person accounts of living in Cairo / Egypt to help make this decision. [more inside]
posted by NolanRyanHatesMatches on Aug 23, 2009 - 43 answers

What should my wife wear to an occasion that requests "please observe Islamic dress code?" We are non-Muslims. [more inside]
posted by feelinggood on Aug 1, 2009 - 15 answers

Using the phrase 'If Mohammed won't come to the mountain, the mountain must come to Mohammed.' [more inside]
posted by Blackwatch on Jul 16, 2009 - 11 answers

Muslim employees + handling an alcohol-extract flavoring ingredient... what should a company do? [more inside]
posted by GuffProof on Jul 14, 2009 - 29 answers

I am looking for some truth about honor killings...and some insight or clarification rather on Obama's agenda concerning Islam. [more inside]
posted by madmamasmith on Jun 11, 2009 - 24 answers

What is the most appropriate outfit to wear to two weddings, one Muslim, one Catholic? [more inside]
posted by chickadee on Apr 29, 2009 - 19 answers

Who is the artist behind / what is the name of this painting? And what do you call art like this? [more inside]
posted by GenTso on Nov 21, 2008 - 8 answers

I'm going to be fasting for Ramadan for the first time. Where do I start? [more inside]
posted by parkbench on Aug 31, 2008 - 18 answers

Do they show women's Olympics competitions in conservative Muslim countries? [more inside]
posted by RedEmma on Aug 23, 2008 - 3 answers

Why would a Muslim man use henna to dye his beard orange? [more inside]
posted by The Straightener on Apr 6, 2008 - 15 answers

Asking for a friend: "A few years ago I saw a documentary about an African Muslim tribe. They were notable because the men cover their faces while the women do not. The only other thing I remember is that the men participate in a ceremony where they adorn themselves to the extreme (paint, beads etc) and line up for the women to chose. There is also apparently a custom where men will abduct wives from another tribe. The location might have been Mali but I'm really not sure. Can anyone identify this group?"
posted by carabiner on Mar 9, 2008 - 7 answers

Is it common for Muslim in India to speak Malay, Thai, Indonesian as opposed to or in addition to Arabic? [more inside]
posted by notsogirliegal on Feb 5, 2008 - 15 answers

Are there Muslim sects/branches that don't go to mosque? [more inside]
posted by yggdrasil on Oct 2, 2007 - 15 answers

In Islamic discourse, how harsh a pejorative is the term "kafir"? Is it necessarily a pejorative at all?
posted by stammer on Aug 28, 2007 - 8 answers

What are the functional and modern differences between Sunni and Shi'a Islam? [more inside]
posted by scaryblackdeath on Jul 26, 2007 - 7 answers

What is this religious symbol? [more inside]
posted by The Straightener on May 20, 2007 - 10 answers

Do the majority of Muslim women in the world wear the hijab (head covering)? What percent do wear hijab?
posted by airguitar2 on Apr 10, 2007 - 14 answers

How do they tell if you're a Muslim if you want to go on the hajj or umra to Mecca and Medina? [more inside]
posted by champthom on Apr 5, 2007 - 20 answers

Where are the most intelligent, thoughtful, broad English language online forums for Muslims? [more inside]
posted by By The Grace of God on Mar 8, 2007 - 4 answers

how can i advise a youth-mentorship organization to be sensitive to the cultural and religious needs of its young participants and their parents? this Q applies to a very diverse group of kids. the issues i've noticed so far have specifically affected the muslim kids. [more inside]
posted by twistofrhyme on Jan 14, 2007 - 22 answers

The Burquini thread got me to thinking about fetishes among Muslims. There is [more inside]
posted by Ynoxas on Jan 12, 2007 - 35 answers

Are muslim women who wear a veil or burka allowed to remove it to be lip read by deaf people? [more inside]
posted by A189Nut on Oct 20, 2006 - 8 answers

I'm looking for recent statistics on the voting rate of Asian communities and/or Muslim communities in Britain. Broken down by country (Scotland, England, Wales) would be great. Exit poll type info of which parties they vote for would be great.
posted by By The Grace of God on Sep 25, 2006 - 1 answer

I need help determining fact-from-fiction in a BBC documentary called "The Power of Nightmares". [more inside]
posted by parilous on Aug 21, 2006 - 6 answers

How do I deal with a Muslim co-worker who doesn't like me? [more inside]
posted by speranza on Jul 6, 2006 - 73 answers

What countries are most likely to take in an Arab Muslim family whose husband is being kicked out of the US for political reasons? [more inside]
posted by By The Grace of God on Feb 2, 2006 - 30 answers

What is the significance of the number 9 in Islamic culture? or perhaps, what is the significance of said number with relevance to "Radical Extremism" (dude! Extreme and Radical! This is in reference to 9 a.m. on 9-11 and 9 p.m., 11-9 and so on. . . [more inside]
posted by punkbitch on Nov 11, 2005 - 15 answers

Can anyone identify an old piece of clothing for me? (pics inside) [more inside]
posted by fire&wings on Apr 21, 2005 - 2 answers

The Christmas holiday is fast approaching as we all know. My fiancee is Muslim, and we have always celebrated religious holidays separately. This year, I would like him to be a part of the family celebration. For my family it is more of a family bonding time (and become more of an American Tradition) than a religious event. If I'm correct, the celebration of Christmas is for the birth of Jesus. From what my fiancee has told me of Muslims, they believe in Jesus as a prophet, but have many differences in beliefs from Christians overall about who he was.

So would there be a debate between the two religions over the actual birth of Jesus (how he was conceived, is he the son of God....etc.) that would be conflicting for him to join us for dinner and this particular holiday itself? I want to be well informed when talking to him about it, and try to find a way to celebrate the holiday.
posted by Gooney on Dec 8, 2004 - 20 answers

The Koran. I read it long ago. I found it confusing, odd, hard to understand, in dire need of unpacking. I'd like to try reading it again. Can anyone recommend a superlative translation, or perhaps even better, a great paraphrase. Or at the very least one with decent annotations. I'm not averse to a version that does intelligent re-arranging of the sequence, as I recall chapters on cows following stuff on love. There are a number of current translations so pointers to informed reviews of them would be welcomed too.
posted by kk on Nov 15, 2004 - 11 answers

I'd like to show my appreciation to the gardien of my apartment building. He helped me carry a washing machine up 8 floors some months ago, and he's a real nice guy. However, he's a practicing Muslim, so a bottle of wine won't do. In France, people often give an end-of-year gift for Christmas to the postman, etc. Ramadan is ending soon and the Eid is coming up. He's a fairly young, single guy, and recently he's had back trouble. Any ideas, seasonal or no?

Tips and thank you gifts always feel a bit weird to me. They can feel feudal or mafia-like ("I owe you"). Maybe I shouldn't give anything and just keep being a friendly, appreciative neighbor.
posted by Turtle on Nov 10, 2004 - 11 answers

Would non-arabic speaking people get anything out watching this performance? Could anyone clue me in on what is to be expected of those performers?
posted by Recockulous on Sep 21, 2004 - 1 answer