By CANDACE PERRY
Islam. The root of the word means peace. A Muslim is supposed to live in peace and harmony with God, one’s self, other people and the environment.
Muslims come from varying backgrounds and each country’s culture brings different perspectives and interpretations, which should not be confused with the religion.
“We eat everything but food relating to pigs and no alcohol,” said Fida Obeidi, a graduate student in chemistry from Ramallah, West Bank.
“We cook rice and chicken called ‘upside-down.’ We eat humus, a mixture of crushed chick peas with lemon, olive oil and parsley. Falafel, also made of humus, is broiled so there is a crust,” Obeidi said.
“For American-Muslims there is something called Emsakham. It’s kind of a bread, and on the top you put onions and chicken and then you broil it with spices. You eat it with salad or yogurt. Also Mansas; rice with yogurt and lamb or beef,” she said.
“According to Islam we have to cover our hair and wear something like a garment, but I don’t wear this, I only wear pants like people here,” Obeidi said. “This was how I was brought up. In my city 50 percent are Christian and 50 percent Muslim. We wear clothes that cover our body. We don’t wear sleeveless things, shorts or skirts above the knees; things that show our body. We practice our religion. We pray and fast.”
In regards to dating and marriages, customs also vary according to the country’s traditions.
“In our country we don’t have dating, but we talk to men. We go out as friends or as a group,” Obeidi said. “After you are engaged, you can go out with him. When anybody asks for your hand, you can say yes or no. You can even bring someone to your mom and say this is the person I want to marry.”
“In our country, brides are given money in an envelope at the end of the party instead of a gift. A white dress is worn. We have a band, dancing and sometimes food. The groom gives the bride gold or jewelry and also buys her clothes,” Obeidi said.
Remembering his wedding, Ahmed Abdeltawab, a pediatrician researching genetics at BYU from Cairo, Egypt, said “We have special clothes. The wife should wear a white dress and I have to wear a new suit. We get married at a club or hotels and invite our friends, and we should have different kinds of foods like chicken sandwiches and a wedding cake.”
“The next day after the wedding they bring gifts and presents to us. In Egypt, friends come and ask if I need something special and I tell them. The mother of my wife should bring us food for at least one week. Mothers of the husband should prepare food for 40 days for the couple. The next day after the wedding, people give money or gifts. A lot of people put money around the neck as a celebration of the marriage.”
“My wife is a physician. She wears a head cover. They should show just the face and hands. It is to protect her and others,” Abdeltawab said.
“Men treat women very well. These days both husband and wife work because the cost of living is very high. We respect education so everybody goes to school there. It’s required to learn English when we are six years old,” Obeidi said.
She said when she finished her master’s degree she would either go back home and teach at a University or open her own business.
Wealth is viewed by Muslims not as personal property, but as something entrusted to them by Allah. Islam instructs Muslims who earn beyond a certain annual threshold to give 2.5 percent of their excess income to the needy once a year.
The Quran entreats Muslim men and women to dress and behave modestly. The large, loose overcoat (jihab) and full head covering (khimar) are worn for modesty.
Muslims also practice the five pillars.
The Creed (Shahada) is a verbal commitment and pledge that there is only One God and that Mohammed is the Messenger of God.
They are required to pray five times daily (Salat) and fast (Saum), which is total abstinence from food, liquids and intimate relations from dawn to sunset during the entire month of Ramadam.
A purifying tax (Zakat) is an annual payment of a certain percentage of a Muslim’s property which is distributed among the poor or other rightful beneficiaries. The pilgrimage (Hajj) to Mecca is required once in a lifetime if means are available. This is part in memory of the trials and tribulations of Prophet Abraham, his wife Hagar and his eldest son Prophet Ishmael.
Muslims are responsible for some of the world’s most beautiful architecture, such as the Taj Mahal in India and many contributions to North America including the Sears Tower and John Hancock buildings in Chicago.
Muslims were pioneers in medicine, chemistry, physics, geography, navigation, arts, poetry, mathematics, algebra, logarithms and calculus, contributing greatly to the Renaissance of Europe and world civilization.
