I'm not super knowledgable about fermented foods, but Egypt is known as one of the places where beer originated. Also, the Turks have raki which is an anise liquor. Most Middle Eastern countries do a wide variety of torshi, pickled vegetables. Some can be quite spicy. The Muslim scientists were very involved in distilling stuff for medicine and stuff. Hopefully somebody who knows more than me will answer. :)

Absolutely. There are lots of cultural Muslims. There are lots of holiday-only Muslims who show up at Eid or during Ramadan. There are liberal/progressive Muslims too. There used to be the Progressive Muslim Union a few years ago, but I'm not sure what happened to it. I would probably look like that. http://mpvusa.org Of course, historically, Islam was the liberal/progressive religion. Unfortunately, we've kind of lost that mantle.

How very scary. I actually think you handled the level issue really well, which should have worked for everybody involved. Yes, I think this is the right approach to take. I'm sorry you went through this. How very scary.

Forgot to add…"Dr. Strangelove"…. oh, and "Truly, Madly, Deeply" was better than Ghost IMHO.

Why doesn't he want mine? Is my urine not good enough?

Cool. There may even be people who slightly freeze it first.

I saw it once, but would have seen it a gazillion times if my Mom had let me. I did have the album…it was a double…and it folded out…and me and my friends would sing the songs all.the.time.

Yes! When I saw the link…I thought….hmmm… I wonder if it's Leila Ahmed's book. <3 It really has been interesting to watch the necessity of hijab (for lack of a better term) evolve. When I first converted, the only people I saw wearing it were people from the Gulf countries, and this was in DC, which has a pretty sizable Muslim population. It wasn't even an issue/consideration. Now, it's take the shahadah (basically say the statement of faith), here's your hijab….but even that is changing. I've seen a few women representing CAIR who didn't wear hijab, which I think is great. I know other non-hijab wearing women at Muslim orgs.

You totally out Neanderthal me. I'm only 2.6% :(

I think historically Muslims did not evangelize (what we call dawa), but it's become more popular. You'll see billboards for 1-800-WHY-ISLAM, etc. Often, however, it's Muslims evangelizing to lapsed Muslims more than to non-Muslims. You do not have to learn Arabic, and what I find strange is that I've met a lot of born Muslims who not only do not know Arabic, they have no idea what they say when they pray means. Usually, converts will start by learning some common phrases (Assalamu Alaikum… peace be upon you… Bismillah…in the name of Allah…Allahu Akbar…God is greater…etc.)…then they branch out and learn what the prayers mean, etc. You do not need to learn Arabic, but I've been impressed to meet a few adult converts who not only learned Arabic but also memorized the Quran (it's about the length of the New Testament, so think of memorizing that word for word in Greek (just because there's the different alphabet thing too).). Muslim is a noun and a person who follows Islam. If you want to get technical, you can even say Muslimah for a female Muslim. Islamic is an adjective, so you'll hear about Islamic Medicine or Islamic architecture or what not. On a side note, most Muslim converts these days do not change their names, but in the past it was common. Hence, why Cat Stevens became Yusuf Islam.

Well, the weird thing about the prayer separation as it does not occur when one makes Hajj (goes to Mecca)…so the holiest place in Islam. It's also handled differently in the Muslim world. My favorite, probably would be in Indonesia, where the barrier tends to go down the center, vs. a front/back type scenario. http://darkroom.baltimoresun.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/AFPGetty-521236267.jpg I think that it's all about modesty and protection, but to a lot of women that doesn't really hold true because in most cases it is definitely separate but not equal. Usually the more converts, the more second and third generation Muslims, the more equal it is in a mosque in the U.S. There's actually some movements among Muslims in the US to improve the situation. As for meals, it really depends on the community. In my experience, the mosques with more Arabic-background people tend to have more separation, so I think it's partially cultural. For example, if you visit a home in Egypt, they will often have two separate reception rooms…one for men…one for women. The beauty of this arrangement is that often these rooms are only for visitors, so they stay clean….but other than that, it's still separate. I've also noticed that women are far different in women-only settings than in mixed. But, i have attended Muslim gatherings where families do eat together, etc…. but it does seem to be more rare.

We have Muslim Sunday School where I used to live, also called Muslim Weekend School. Kids learn to read Arabic, learn about Islam, etc. They used the "I Love Islam" series. http://www.myislamicbooks.com/index.php?route=product/category&path=81_77 As for Muslim scouts, the ones I know of are affiliated with BSA and GSA…. just made up of Muslim kids. There are special badges they can earn too. http://www.muslimscouting.org

Yes, I'm T2.

If you mean in front of, as in standing in front of, no, in general men are in front of the women. It varies as to whether or not there is just some empty space, a tape divider like you see at Disney, a curtain, or a wall in between the male and female prayer sections. At home, families pray together, but usually the Dad is the Imam and leads the prayer so he would stand in front a little bit.

Thanks. :) Might be a Mother's Day gift for me. :) (Side note, I think sadly her son was recently killed in Thailand or something if I'm thinking of the same woman. :()

I personally know one family who owned a dog. The Mom and all the daughters wore hijab (even starting younger than required), they made Hajj, they did their five regular prayers, fasted, etc. BUT, they did not broadcast that fact to the larger community, which makes me think that a big portion of it is cultural. I'll also say that in Egypt, rabies is a real concern with street dogs. So being wary of dogs is not necessarily a bad idea there. It can be really tough for American Muslims to attend services regularly because they take place at 1:00 or so on a Friday afternoon. Not everybody's job allows that. As far as I know, no mosque has offered evening services or a make-up type Friday prayer. For men it is viewed as a requirement to go. For women, it's not required. Still, in my experience, it varies by community. I've been in two communities where the men and women attendees equal each other. In general, these communities had very nice areas for women too. Where I am now, women rarely attend, but then again, the area is small…and they put up this giant curtain when even one woman attends. (eye roll) Kids 10 and under can sit with either Moms or Dad. In general, over 10 or puberty, they'll stay with the same sex parent. At community events, things are usually segregated as well where I've lived….so women will line up for food, and eat in one area…and men will do it after. It could vary by community, though.

You don't have to wear a special outfit, either at home or a mosque, but you are required to have your arms (to the wrist), and legs (to the ankle) covered, as well as your head/neck. I have seen some teen girls wear a hoodie, but IMHO, that doesn't work well because it leaves too much neck. (Note: If you ever visit a mosque, they will just expect you to dress modestly. Some have scarves for visitors, others do not. You're expected to take off your shoes before you enter the prayer area (there are shoe racks).) Depending on the ethnic make-up of the mosque (masjid), you'll see different clothing. That's one of the best things about being a Muslim in the States, actually. You get an awesome variety of food at community dinners, and you get to see so many beautiful different outfits at Eid.

Oh, I should add re: hijab, that as far as I know, all women do wear it when they pray. Even the Muslim women I know who do not wear it regularly. They would also make sure that their legs and arms were covered fully (so long sleeves/pants or floor length skirt). There's actually prayer garments that people keep at home to allow for an easy cover up. :) Then tend to come in weird prints, IMHO, but have the advantage that you know they cover everything…and as you don't wear them all the time, they're usually clean. http://www.alhannah.com/products/ps353.html

Yes, I've had all that too…but not frequent. By frequent, I would assume a regular experience. I'd say I have about one or two bad incidents per year. I agree, though, regarding converting being eye-opening regarding discrimination…. especially since 9/11. It wasn't as bad before (You were still weird, but not a terrorist. I wasn't told to go back where I came from, etc.)

Is it like mindful eating? Eating very slowly, almost a meditation on each bite?

Muslims do own dogs, but in general it's rare and they're supposed to be "working" dogs…so a guard dog, seeing eye dog, etc. If you do own a regular dog that lives in your house, then it's a pain when it comes time to prayer because you have to wash things a lot more. Still, I owned a dog growing up and would love to have one again. I think we'd probably dedicate a specific room for prayer that could be closed off to prevent issues. There is a saying that angels will not enter a home where dogs live, so that's why Muslims tend not to own them. There's a scholar who went through this whole debate on could Muslims own dogs or not, but a lot of it is cultural. So, it will still be rare to find Muslims who own dogs, and also know that a lot of Muslim kids grow up with a fear of dogs. There's a neighborhood girl who freaks when she sees the local English Sheepdog on his walk, but honestly, he is the sweetest dog I've ever met. He might lick her to death, but that would be about it. ;) There is a debate on hijab too. I would guess that about half of the Muslim women I know wear hijab. Just because somebody doesn't wear it, does not mean that they are not a practicing or good Muslim. There is a debate about that too. (Muslims debate a lot.) Some say that based on the reading of the Qur'an, that the only requirement is really modesty and to lengthen one's garments. Others say that because of the purpose of hijab is to protect a woman and to ideally not bring attention to her, then wearing hijab in the West accomplishes the complete opposite. SO they don't wear it. Others don't wear it because they may acknowledge it's required, but choose not to. While there are lots of punishments spoken about in the Qur'an, there is none mentioned for not wearing hijab. There are also those that say it is 100% required. No debate. No exceptions. That women who do not wear it are going to hellfire. Even for those that believe it, reality of wearing it here is extremely difficult. It is 1000% easier to wear it when I visit DH's family in Egypt. Why? Because I'm normal there. It would be just as difficult not to wear it there as it is to wear it here. A lot of converts wear it so that they can publicly identify as Muslim. It helps them feel like they fit in to the community more. In general, however, there is a tendency for both Muslims and non-Muslim to judge Muslim women whether or not they wear hijab. I try to step away from that. Women have enough to deal with already. There are much more important spiritual things to focus on, such as do you give charity, are you kind, are you forgiving, etc. iMHO.

For a good kind of overview on Islam, I really liked Reza Aslan's book, "No god but God." Also, don't underestimate Yahya Emerick's "Complete Idiot's Guide to Understanding Islam". For actual spirituality, I tend towards more Sufi-oriented stuff. On the prayer, one of the most beautiful books is "The Illuminated Prayer" by Coleman Barks. Robert Frager's books are very good, too. I also recently discovered Jamal Rahman's work. I liked both of his books. http://www.amazon.com/The-Fragrance-Faith-Enlightened-Heart/dp/1904510086/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1398468150&sr=8-2&keywords=islam+seattle For listening to Qur'an, I love Camille Helminski's recitation as she includes English and Arabic. (Note: she mainly does the English, and a native Arabic speaker does the Arabic.) I also like how she's very inclusive in referring to God as not exclusively male. https://sufism.org/store/products/mevlevi-wird-2-cd For actually learning Qur'an, youtube is great. Most people start by learning Al Fatihah as it's the surah that is used in all of the prayers. It's kind of like the Lord's Prayer. Then they often go to some of the shorter surahs in the last Juz (portion) of the Qur'an like "Al Ikhlas", "Al Falaq" and "An Nas." Hopefully others will reply with their suggestions. :)

Y'know, one thing that really resonated with me was reading about NDEs (Near Death Experiences). I have no idea if that interests you or not, but it might be an area to explore.

I'm not frequently mistreated by anybody. :) I've had people of all faiths go out of their way to give a smile, to hold a door, or what not. I remember this Orthodox Jewish guy coming back to hold the door for me when I had DS1 in a stroller…a few years after 9/11. That was very nice. I've had people be incredibly rude…too….but I can't say that they belong to one faith or specific group. But in media, it does tend to be Christians or supposedly Christians, such as Franklin Graham, the Duck Dynasty guy, etc. I think it's easier to be rude and judgmental when you're not dealing with a "real" person, but just an imagined "other".

Oops, saw this too late and started this http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/512771-so-ask-a-muslim/