I'm a Muslim. Ask me anything!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is halal meat a lot more expensive?

Yes, where I buy, halal meat is more expensive.

I would say it varies from place to place.

[Anonymous]

Can you tell us more about what Eid is? They sell stamps to commemorate it at the post office, but I never knew what it was about.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How do you feel about Muhammed marrying a 9 year old? Do you consider him a pedophile? If not, would you allow your 9yr old girl to marry a 50 something prophet (assuming that "the prophet" returned?

Not OP but Another Muslim poster: I feel uncomfortable with it in light of my modern upbringing and my personal experience- however knowing that it was about 1500 years ago and that it was common practice for that time- it is more reasonable.. not to mention that the marriage was not consummated until she reached puberty (which is the requirement for any marriage to be consummated in islam).
Also- a 9 year old in ancient times is not the same as a 9 year old these days.

Finally- yes think about Mary at 12 or 13 years getting married and no in modern times today I would not allow my 9yr old to marry a prophet.

[Anonymous]

Is there a basis in the Koran for it being ok to wear makeup but requiring hair to be covered? I've seen several muslim women wearing headscarves with really terrific makeup on, it looked nice but I didn't understand how it was consistent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are you allowed to take birth control? Can your husband have vasectomy?

Another Muslim here.
Yes to birth control.
No to vasectomy.

This will likely vary depending on which school of law you follow.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does Islam impose a higher moral standard for how you treat other Muslims than for how you treat non-Muslims?

Not OP but Another Muslim poster: nope- a person is a person.

My grad school friend's roommate wouldn't shake my hand because as a non-believer I was unclean. I thought there were special tax rules and protected statuses for People of the Book vs. atheists and polytheists, too?

[Anonymous]

Why (according to All-American Muslim) are IVF and other reproductive technology discouraged?

Are you expected to have a lot of kids? How many is customary?

[Anonymous]

Are you required to walk behind, not astride, with your husband? How do you discipline your children? Is physical punishment of children the norm? Are husbands allowed to strike their wives?

[Anonymous]

Can a non-Muslim buy meat from a Halal grocery store/market? Will the employees look at a female oddly if she goes to shop there? Would race matter?

[Anonymous]

Do you consider yourself to be a "patriotic" American?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can you tell us more about what Eid is? They sell stamps to commemorate it at the post office, but I never knew what it was about.

Not OP but Another Muslim poster: There are two Eids. The first Eid is Eid-ul-Fitr and it is celebrated at the end of the month of Ramadan. The second one is Eid-ul-Adha and is celebrated at the end of Pilgrimage. The first one is a celebration to mark the end of a month of intense worship and self-sacrifice. In Ramadan Muslims don't eat or drink from sunrise to sunset and abstain from sex during that time also. They do this for two reasons; first is to increase self-discipline and willpower so that a person can resist temptations more, and second is to have more connection to the experience of the poor and so that we are grateful for what we have and have more empathy for those less fortunate. The celebration goes on for three days and people get dressed in their best clothes and they spend time with friends and family. Kids get lots of presents from everyone and generally people indulge themselves in all kinds of food and treats.
Eid-ul-Adha recognizes the sacrifice that Prophet Abraham was ready to make for Allah i.e. his son. Muslims believe that at the last moment Allah replaced Ishmael with a sheep. So muslims sacrifice in honor of that tradition also- this is a time when they feed the poor with sacrifice. This is a more somber occasion and it is more celebratory for people who finish the pilgrimage but everyone celebrates it around the world and again for the kids it's a time to get lots of presents and celebrate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do you consider yourself to be a "patriotic" American?

Not OP but Another Muslim poster: yes!!! I was not born or raised here, but I went to college and have spent my adult life here. I plan on staying here for the rest of my life and am choosing to raise my kids here. I am not only American- I identify myself dually however, I am a patriotic American. Where else in the world is there a country that is a mixture of so many races and religions living relatively peacefully together... nowhere.

[Anonymous]

Are you forbidden to have dogs as pets?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can a non-Muslim buy meat from a Halal grocery store/market? Will the employees look at a female oddly if she goes to shop there? Would race matter?

Not OP but Another Muslim poster: Yes--- you can. There's no restriction who can eat Halal meat or not. Race may not be as a big a factor as much as how you're dressed maybe. Depending on the level of assimilation in american culture or how conservative that storeowner or people are- they might give you a look. But no one will say anything mean or derogatory to you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are you forbidden to have dogs as pets?

Not OP but Another Muslim poster: Some schools of thoughts say no to having dogs as pets but another school of thought says it's okay. Many muslims have dogs as pets. The only thing is that clothes that have been touched by a dog or a place that has been touched by a dog is not considered to be clean for prayers and so families who have dogs may keep them outside or in limited spaces indoors.