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Muslims: Frequently Asked Questions
The IAW team's answers to some of the grittiest, no-nonsense questions about British Muslims we could find...
"Why do women cover the way they do. I mean doesn't it get a bit hot under there? And why do they have to wear those dowdy colours – it must make mornings so boring for them?"
Islam does not deny sexual attraction but it insists this should remain a precious and personal matter between husbands and wives. Sexual attraction is not the aim in public life and the public space can do without sexual tensions. Islam therefore teaches that both men and women should dress modestly (hijab in Arabic). Men should cover from the navel to the knee and women cover their bodies so that their figure is not revealing and in most cases this includes the hair as well (no more bad hair days!). The extent of covering is different for men and women because men and women think and behave slightly differently. We can debate how much of a society’s culture and attitudes are nurtured and how much are truly natural, i.e. hard-wired into our genes. It is a scientific fact however that men’s and women’s brains do work differently.
That’s why, for example, young schoolgirls on average do better than boys, boys and girls, in general, like different toys and in terms of attraction, men generally respond more to visual stimuli and generally women, to emotional stimuli. It is no fluke that top shelves are lined with men’s mags and not women’s. Market forces don’t lie. So we see that in most cultures men and women dress differently and women’s clothing is more covering – even on the beach where there is not much dressing going on at all, this is still true!
Many Muslim women find comfort in the hijab because they feel that things have got out of hand nowadays. Women are pressured into feeling they have to look ‘glamorous’ i.e. attractive, to be noticed in a man’s world. Why are women cultured into tolerating a half-hour ritual of make-up every morning that men don’t have to bother with? There is a constant pressure to dress fashionably, forcing women to forever scout the high streets buying the latest styles, far beyond genuine need.
Muslim women are not commanded to be frumpy! There are no specific restrictions about the colour of dress but some choose to wear plainer colours out of modesty. However this does not stop them from dressing elegantly. A few women choose to cover their faces. However odd that might seem to many people, if they really want to, then that should be their right and obviously passports are an exception. After all, to a lot of people certain hairstyles and facial piercing can look odd too, but we wouldn’t want it banned! As for it getting to hot, in the British climate that is quite unlikely!
It is important to understand that in Britain hijab is definitely not a sign of male dominance. Muslim women are donning the hijab out of choice, often despite protestation from their fathers or husbands. They see it as a spiritual act, a reflection of their faith and a means of attaining closeness to God. Hijab also gives them confidence. They feel people are no longer judging them by their figures but are now freed to respect them for their minds rather than for their bodies.
It is sad that hijab is turned into a political game. Muslim women are not saying, “I want to convert you or force you to wear one.” All they’re doing is what they feel their religion is asking from them - hijab is a very brave and personal decision that a woman makes. We should support them for their courage, not make life harder for them.
Why are Muslim girls and boys forced into marriage?
From an Islamic point of view, boys and girls should never be forced into marriage. Islam gave women and men the right to reject a marriage proposal free from pressure. In fact, in Islamic marriage law, the girl’s consent is a condition 
for the marriage contract to be legal - otherwise the contract is void. It is reported that a young woman came to the Prophet Muhammad and complained that her father had forced her to marry a man without her agreement. The Prophet annulled her marriage. On a different occasion, a guardian who had adopted an orphan girl came to the Prophet, and said that he received two offers for her hand in marriage, one from a rich man and one from a poor man. He added that he likes the rich man, but that the girl likes the poor man. The Prophet answered, “For those in love we don't see anything better than marriage”.
From 1400 years ago, Islam has given men and women the right to divorce if the marriage really doesn’t work out. Women can file for divorce just on the grounds that they don’t love their husbands.
Why don't Muslims go to pubs much?
Cultures across the world have different attitudes to alcohol. It’s hard to deny that a pint or two will make people more cheerful and sociable. The Qur’an mentions that there is some good in alcohol, but on balance the harm outweighs the benefit – and we know that alcohol is behind so many of the crimes, accidents, domestic abuse and health problems in society.
So in the Qur’an Muslims are asked to avoid alcohol altogether. Many Muslims believe this rule extends to going to places where drink is widely consumed e.g. pubs and bars.
But it would be wrong to think that only Muslims avoid pubs. Many religious people of other faiths also avoid them. Even generally, a lot of people are very selective about which pubs they go to, and many other simply don’t like pubs altogether.
How can Muslims possibly manage to pray five times a day? Don’t they get tired of it?
The daily prayers form one of the five pillars of Islamic worship. So praying is an essential part of a Muslim’s life. Muslims do not see praying as a chore. On the contrary, they see it as a way of keeping up their relationship with God. Many Muslims feel refreshed and recharged after a prayer.
The five daily prayers also help to enhance a Muslim’s time-management, as they can organise their day around the time between prayers. Islam lays emphasis on the punctuality in offering prayers so that a regularity and rhythm is established. The prayers themselves take only about five minutes.
Muslims do not see the commandments as unreasonable. When ill, it is up to the person to consider how much they can manage. On journeys they can shorten their prayers and group some of them together to save time. However, they should still be performed, to keep in mind the prayer’s importance in the life of a Muslim.
Why are Muslims always so radical?
In four words: Muslims are not radical! In fact, because of the simple, pure life they are asked to lead, ordinary Muslims can, if anything, appear more plain than radical!!
Terms such as ‘fundamentalist’ and ‘Islamist’ are not Islamic terms, but have been created by the media and western ‘experts’ to pigeonhole people that they don’t understand. There may be a few zealous young men who do extreme actions in the name of Islam, but as far as the majority of Muslims are concerned, they are going against Islamic teachings.
Muslims are noted for the passion with which they hold to their faith and in the sort of age that we live, this in itself can appear ‘radically’ different. But when people learn that Islam is a practical and tolerant religion, they are reassured that a Muslim’s becoming ‘religious’ does not make him or her a threat.
If the word ‘radical’ is taken to mean ‘wanting change’ then indeed Muslims do want change – a change for the better. Muslims get irritated when they see injustice and deprivation, because Islam teaches people to strive for justice and social improvement - but the overwhelming majority of Muslims know that the way to achieve this is through charity and development, not violence.
Why does Islam ask all its followers to fight jihad? Surely that can’t do much good for community relations?
The noble concept of Jihad is horribly misunderstood. The word actually means ‘struggle’ – NOT Holy War!!
Islam asks its followers to first engage in their own internal, spiritual jihad. So jihad is mainly to do with fighting vigorously against one’s weaknesses and lower instincts, e.g. greed, laziness and impatience. Through this kind of jihad, the Muslim should become even more suited to serving society. Rather than worsening community relations, this should enhance them.
However, there is a “lesser” type of jihad, which involves the struggle for justice and freedom. In extreme cases where there is no peaceful alternative, this might even require war, like the idea of a ‘Just War’ in Christianity. Even then, Islam demands very strict ‘rules of engagement’: for example, not harming women, children, non-combatants, places of religious worship, e.g. temples and churches, property and even trees and wildlife. So clearly terrorism cannot be called jihad.
It is a common myth that Islam was spread by the sword. Yet the Holy Quran states clearly "Let there be no compulsion in religion". Faith must come though inner conviction and free choice, not from outside force. Islam spread through the spirituality and inspirational example that early Muslims displayed.
Why aren't girls allowed out in the evenings? It must be so boring cooped up in the kitchen?
In society generally, there are some parents who are very relaxed and think of their children as independent adults from the age of 12 or younger: free to go out and act as they please and ready to take responsibility for their actions. Yet some parents are more inclined to feel that their teenage children are still vulnerable to peer pressure, and so are concerned and careful about the friends they keep, in case they get caught up in the wrong crowd and end up making serious mistakes that jeopardise their whole future.
The Muslims of Britain come from all cultural backgrounds and as with any community, you will find a similar variation in the way parents approach their teenage children. Some parents will have made a robust effort to get their children interested in wholesome extra-curricular activities such as sports, etc.
Like many parents these days, religious Muslim parents are also likely to be anxious about the sort of company and ways their teenage kids spend their spare time, as these precious years not only mark a transition into adulthood but are also critical in shaping the prospects of young persons entire future life. Parents are quite likely therefore to be careful about the way their children, whether girls or boys, spend those precious hours of their spare time. Islam does not allow relationships before marriage, and as hormones are on high charge around that age, religious children and their parents will be careful to avoid situations that could lead to serious relationships developing.
Although there is a popular tendency these days to imagine that a young person has to experience a number of relationships before they mature enough to recognise the 'right one', there are plenty of people that never find the 'right one' and plenty more that decide that their 'first one' was the 'right one'. Islam therefore teaches that the success of a relationship is to be found in the faithfulness and love that is poured into that relationship and that is why countless semi or even totally arranged marriages still manage to hold together with the glue of mutual love and respect.But does this mean that kids can’t have fun? Of course not! A lot of Muslim teenagers like teenagers of all backgrounds find fun in a whole host of decent, wholesome pursuits. As for the kitchen, well if Muslims were to follow the example of Prophet Muhammad’s household, it's the boys who would be in the kitchen!
What’s the big deal with Halal food – surely a tandoori chicken is still a tandoori chicken whether you call it Halal, organic or kosher? And isn’t the halal method cruel?
Halal is an Arabic word which means permitted or lawful. Meat can only be called Halal when it has been prepared according to the strict ethical requirements of kindness that Islam demands. The Islamic method of slaughter is called zabh.
It is never comfortable to think of our steaks and burgers as once being cute animals grazing blissfully in green fields. It is even more uncomfortable to think of the trauma these poor animals might experience at the time of slaughter.
Islam puts a strong emphasis on kindness to animals. The Prophet Muhammad is reported to have said, "All creatures are God's dependants, and the most beloved to God, among men, is he who does good to God's dependants".
So even before zabh, according to the directions of Prophet Muhammad, the animal has to be treated kindly, e.g. well fed, watered and comforted so it does not feel panic. The animal must not be allowed to see either the knife or any other slaughtered animals. The blade has to be sharpened so that with a swift stroke, before the animal realises any pain, blood has drained from its brain and it has lost consciousness.
Prayers are recited during this process and this shows respect to the animal, reminding us that its life was taken only because of need, not for fun, and that God watches us and we will have to account for any distress we might have caused the animal.
Scientific studies (using EEG recorders) have confirmed that there is less distress to animals with the zabh method than conventional factory techniques where there is a recognised failure rate. So whilst ‘organic’ suggests the animal had a non-traumatic life, ‘halal’ should confirm that it had a non-traumatic death.
Why don’t Muslims just call themselves Pakistanis, like Hindus usually call themselves Indian, etc.?
We all have multiple identities that describe the different ways that we each see ourselves – our religion, our ethnicity, our nationality, and our culture. For many Muslims, their ethnic identity is not as important as their religious identity; so many prefer to call themselves Muslims or British Muslims.
Islam is a universal religion, separate from national identities and cultures. It was revealed for the whole of humankind. God states in the Quran, "Truly, this is no less than a message to (all) the worlds”. So even in Birmingham there are Muslims who migrated not only from Pakistan, but many other parts of the world, e.g. Bangladesh, Yemen, Iraq, Bosnia, Somalia, etc.
Why don’t Muslims openly condemn terrorism and suicide bombing, if they really don’t agree with it?
Of course Muslims have condemned such actions loudly and clearly. But if it is condemned in a mosque, who will know about it? Even if we stand on street corners and shout that we are just as appalled by terrorism, our message will only get out to a handful of passers by (who might think all sorts of other things about us instead!)
But how do we broadcast our opinions to the masses? We need the help of the mass media: newspapers and television. The good Muslim citizen is plain boring and will not grab headlines or turn heads. Ratings and sales are driven by emotions such as fear, outrage and hatred.
So it is difficult to hear the voices of the moderate majority, but certain sections of the media will give the oxygen of publicity to controversial extremists.
It is important therefore to sometimes get behind the headlines and read what the large organizations that represent Muslim are saying. For example, regarding terrorist activity, the Muslim Council of Britain says, “We utterly condemn these indiscriminate terrorist attacks against innocent lives. The perpetrators of these atrocities, regardless of their religious, ideological or political beliefs, stand outside the pale of civilised values.”
The words of the Qur’an (5:32) also state that the killing of a single innocent man should be looked on like the killing of the whole of mankind.
If Muslims and Christians share the same God, why can’t they tolerate one another and learn to live together?
Muslims and Christians have even more in common than God: they also share a respect for the prophets of the Bible (e.g. Abraham, Noah, Joseph, and particularly Jesus) as well as a respect for the Bible itself.
It is often said that people are the weakest link in the world’s religions because they often fail to live up to their own teachings. Muslims are taught that all humankind is one brotherhood and sisterhood, having been created from a single pair of a male and female, and divided into nations and tribes, not that we may despise each other but so that we may know each other, celebrating our differences. All are equal and Muslims are taught that there is no difference between people in the sight of God, except in righteousness and nearness to God, which only God truly knows. In fact there are countless Islamic teachings talking about the need to respect people of other faiths.
Having said this, if we open the history books there are specific wars or specific occasions when relations between Muslims and Christians did break down. But what about the centuries of continuous peaceful neighbourly existence that the history books don’t talk about? E.g. Muslim and Christian Palestinians have lived side by side without a single war between them for well over a thousand years. In fact during the crusades, Christian Arabs met the same slaughter as their Muslim brethren. The same record of peace has held throughout Africa and Asia. Even in Europe, under the Ottoman Empire (which lasted 600 years) and in Islamic Spain (which lasted 800 years), Muslims and Christians also lived peacefully together. Why expect that in Birmingham in 2004, things should suddenly be different?
Why do Muslims pray with their face to the ground? Isn’t it a bit undignified?
During prayers, Muslims prostrate to the ground to show their humility in front of God, and their submission to God’s will. All Muslims perform this act when praying, regardless of race, colour, gender, wealth, education and social status. This gives them the sense that to God, they are all equal, as He only looks to what is in the hearts.
Prostration is also a state during which a Muslim is closest to his Creator and they are taught that it is a special time to ask God for forgiveness and help: “So prostrate and come close (to God),” (Holy Qur’an).
Why do Muslims remove their shoes when entering the mosque?
As a place of prayer, Muslims try to keep their mosques clean because the actions of prayer involve standing, sitting and prostrating on the floor.
Why live in the West when Islam disapproves of so many aspects of western life?
For Muslims, Islam is not a religion of the East or the West and Muslims have for centuries lived as minorities in countries all over the world, including the West. In addition many people in the West have converted to Islam and so know no other home.
The phenomenon of twentieth century mass migration has meant that many more Muslims now live in the West than previously. The
reasons why those Muslims moved to the West are varied and complex, but an important factor is that many Muslims found that some basic Islamic values like individual freedoms, tolerance, human rights, and an accountability of government are more respected in the West than in the so-called Muslim countries.
So many Muslims will say that there is nowhere in the world that fits their ideal, but Britain is closer to it than many Muslim countries.
There are lots of people that aren’t 100% satisfied with things in society. But that doesn’t make them traitors and surely they can still be glad to be British? Wouldn’t it be absurd if when a bishop or an MP spoke out and demanded changes in the law, they were considered patriotic and yet if a Muslim asked for changes to be considered, people saw him as ungrateful and disloyal!?
Would anyone expect the citizens of a country to accept life as it is and stay quiet, even if there was much room for improvement? After all, why else do we have this great tradition of parliamentary politics, if not to voice our concerns about the things we see as wrong in society and government?
Would you be offended by a Santa in a shopping centre? If yes, why? If not, then why don’t you speak out when council’s ban them on your behalf?
Although Muslims do not teach their children to believe in Santa Claus, there is no reason why they should be offended by any of the traditions in this country whether they are religious or not. Muslims would probably themselves prefer to join with other Christians in emphasising the spiritual teachings of Prophet Jesus at Christmas over the excessive materialism seen in present day society.
Why can’t councils celebrate with their citizens whenever the citizens have an occasion for happiness? This includes Christmas, Eid, Diwali etc. And though religious Christians may not like it, Santa Claus like many rituals before him, has now become part and parcel of the ‘magic of Christmas’.
No one wants a bland, cultureless council, which invents meaningless festivals but ignores the important religious ones that are dear to its citizens. This sounds like the oppressive ‘secular fundamentalism’ that is seen in other countries, where society harshly stamps out any public displays of religious or cultural identity. This is an unnatural attitude and does not help community relations.
As for speaking out: give us a voice, as this supplement has, and we will shout out against such nonsense! But if we aren’t given airtime to broadcast our feelings, you cannot reasonably claim that we don’t object.
Why have mosques when a prayer mat facing towards Mecca would suffice?
It is a feature of religions through the ages that they have always had places of worship. For many religions, the faith is more than a belief alone: they hold together communities and worship brings them together.
The Prophet Muhammad said that the whole of the Earth is a place of prayer, but Muslims are encouraged to pray in congregation, either as a family or with other people in the community.
This is because Islam encourages interaction and integration of families and neighbours into a community. Although we all need a little quiet time to ourselves every now and again, Islam does not encourage people to wander off into the wilderness abandoning their families and communities so the mosque is also a brief spiritual retreat.
Why can’t Muslims have normal names?
It is fashionable among Muslims, as it is in Britain generally, to choose a name based upon how it sounds. There is nothing wrong with 
this although Prophet Muhammed said that one of the rights of a child is that his/ her parents choose a good name for them, with a good meaning or they be named after notable people. So many Muslims choose names that are mentioned in the Qur’an, or are the names of the men and women who were dedicated disciples of the Prophet Muhammad, or the names of famous prophets, some of whom are also mentioned in the Bible, such as Ibrahim (Abraham), Yusuf (Joseph), Musa (Moses), Yahya (John), Adam and Issa (Jesus). Other common Muslim names include Ahmed and Mustafa, both of which refer to the Prophet Muhammad. A name beginning with “Abdul” simply means ‘servant of’ and is followed by one of God’s holy names.
The reason why these names may sound strange is because they are in Arabic and there often is no simple equivalent in English. However, many new English Muslims do choose to keep their old names, especially when they know that they have a good meaning. Others, however, wish to take on a new name, so that they feel a sense of Muslim identity. Another increasingly common option is to use names that sound the same and mean the same in many languages such as Sarah, a name used by Muslims, Jews and Christians alike.
Also, in Islam, a wife does not take on the surname of her husband, but keeps her family name and roots. This is to reinforce her independence as a person.
