So the other day, one of the people on my project told me he is going to take time off for religious holiday/celebration

And then he proceeded to explain to me the Muslim celebration that was going on 🥔😂 I thought that was incredibly funny.. I had to interrupt him and say, yea I know, I come form a Muslim background.. He was like; so you taking time off? Me: no.

Then I was confused, because I remembered earlier in the project he took religious time off too and at the time, I thought he was Hindu (his name is Hindu) and since he was open about discussing religious stuff, I asked him, wait, I didn’t know you were celebrating Muslim holidays.. I don’t recall there was a Muslim Holiday around that time.. He said hesitantly that he was Shiite, while looking at my face trying to see if I am gonna become all angry all of a sudden because he is from another Muslim sect lol I felt bad for him.. I was open because he was open, and I really do know a lot about Indians because I grew up around them. So I told him, I thought you were likely Hindu because of your name, he said he was named a Hindu name because at the time there were a lot of religious conflicts and his Muslim father wanted him to “blend in”..

Made me feel sad that he would think I might have a negative opinion of him because he is from another sect or that he had to carry such a name to hide..

But it was funny because after I interacted with many non Arab Muslims.. I realized how religious Arabs are!! For example, I have a Bangladeshi friend, and I am not saying that she is your typical Muslim, she is not. She is very open minded and by definition honestly cannot be labeled as a Muslim.. but who cares, she still wants to call herself Muslim. Anyhow, she tells me about how rare it is to wear Hijab in Bangladesh and she proceeds to explain to me that her (overly religious husband) prays five times a day. And she says, can you believe it, FIVE TIMES. (Gesturing five with her hand lol) Me: I hate to break it to you, but this is how many times you HAVE TO PRAY, as a Muslim. But what is funny, I feel sometimes she forgets that I come from Muslim background, and starts explaining to me Muslim celebrations like that colleague, and I am like yea I really do know all of that and probably know more than you 🥔😂

Funny.. White people.. they instantly assume I am Muslim.. Muslim/brown people .. they think they need to explain to me what Islam is 🥔🤷🏽‍♀

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HijabaDabbaDoo · F

I don't think Arabs are more or less religious than South Asians lol. The Islamic clothing is just more cultural for Arabs which other Muslims follow suit with. Culturally, south Asian countries tend to wear a dupatta or just a scarf around their neck and a few wear hijabs. I've seen more south Asians in the west wear a hijab than in south Asia lol.

It's like abayas, they're Arab but I know so many south Asians that started wearing them for Eid because Arab customs are kinda the unspoken standard. It's more cultural differences than religious.

Naming a Muslim hindu is funny tho ngl. Bless lmao

BittersweetPotato · 31-35, F

@HijabaDabbaDoo This is exactly what I am saying, in the west they do. In their countries, they don't. Which has been a mystery to me and to my friend, because her husband got incredibly more religious when he moved , because he became friends with Bangladeshi people who became very religious themselves when they immigrated. I do not consider Hijab to be a cultural thing, it is a must and a mandatory requirement for women in Islam. Arabs happen to follow it more strictly because their culture became overly conservative as it became heavily influenced by religion starting in the 80s and 90s, but it remains a religious requirement and not a merely a cultural aspect. I was surprised when she told me it is very rare that women wear Hijab in Bangladesh and that she considers her in laws to be overly religious because they wear it. As an Arab, wearing Hijab is no where close to being too religious, it is the norm for most Muslim women in the Middle East.

Captainjackass · 31-35, M

I think people from this area of the world are generally less religious anyways. Im not particularly religious but every Muslim I’ve met has been a nice person.

BittersweetPotato · 31-35, F

@Captainjackass I view it differently, Muslim in the west actually become more religious than when they are in their countries. I have always seen that and noticed it even before immigrating and after immigration, I became certain about it. Being religious doesn't mean that they are not nice. Many Muslims are some of the nicest, kindest and most generous people you will meet.

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