Science Talk

Ramabriga · Guest

Inside the world of UK Muslim women

A major survey shows most want to marry their soulmates and enjoy high street fashion, while
keeping a delicate balance with their Islamic values

She wants to marry her soulmate, shops in Primark, TK Maxx and Topshop, and dreams of starting
her own business. Meet the typical Muslim woman in Britain today.

A thousand women throughout the country have responded to the biggest lifestyle study of Muslim
women undertaken in the UK. It appears to show that Muslim women have established a delicate
balance between a desire to live a contemporary lifestyle and tap into consumer trends while
sticking to values underpinning the Islamic guide to life.

The survey shows that 58 per cent of Muslim women do not think the racial background of a
partner matters, although two-thirds believe it is very important for their man to be
knowledgeable about Islam.

Success to 37 per cent of women means being a good Muslim, while 32 per cent say it is about
combining work with family life, with 52 per cent wanting to run their own businesses.

When asked which Muslim causes were most important, 70 per cent of women said matters affecting
Muslims in their own community or in the UK were a priority against 21 per cent who said that
the Middle East was the most important issue facing Muslims today.

Talat Ahmed, 32, from Redbridge in east London, is a married with a three-year-old daughter and
works in human resources for a charity. She said: 'I become so English when the Rugby World Cup
is on. We're British and we love it here.

'[But] it's complex because living in the West we feel alienation. The media and the government
categorises Muslims. We choose to be Muslim and we want to be respected and we want people to
understand. A lot of things get misconstrued because Islam is a private thing. I totally
respect people of all religions. Sure we are British. We choose to live here. To me it's
terrible being told to go back where you come from.'

Half of British Muslim women polled for the survey - carried out by Muslim women's magazine
Sisters and Ummah Foods, a halal food business - say the hijab is about dressing modestly, with
19 per cent equating it to 'covering up completely'.

More than half the women polled never go on holiday in Britain for fear of not being welcome in
coastal resorts, lack of halal food outlets and uncertainty over where the nearest mosque would
be. Eighty-two per cent of Muslim women want shops to sell products that are halal- and
sharia-compliant - a desire mainstream retailers largely fail to satisfy.

'I'm proud of my religion, and being British as well as Muslim is important for my identity,
but as I've got older, I've started to feel like I don't belong here,' said Farah Mulla, 27,
who lives in west London and works in marketing. 'I don't hide my religion though - I'll do
things like pray at work, even if there are people around - that makes no different to me.'

For Farah, praying and reading the Koran is part of her daily routine. 'The Koran gives me
guidance and praying puts me at peace. It gives me a sense of belonging.' When it comes to
marriage, she says she would only ever marry a Muslim although some members of her family have
married out of Islam. 'Mixed-faith marriages can work, but it just wouldn't work for me. I
wouldn't feel comfortable if I didn't marry a Muslim.

'My faith is so important to me and I wouldn't want any misunderstandings or conflicts arising
from that. But Asian culture confuses things too much and sometimes people get too involved
with caste and background, which just isn't right and isn't anything to do with religion at all.'

Nabila Pathan, 25, from Leytonstone, east London, presents Women's Voice, a woman's chat show,
on Press TV, an English language channel funded by the Iranian government.

She says: 'The government is always funding these quite contrived attempts to "understand"
Muslims, but to be honest I think a lot of Muslims are fed up with that. Sometimes it's better
to read things about ourselves if it's come from ourselves - that way, it's on our terms.'

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/jun/01/britishidentity.islam

** Posted from http://www.teranews.com **

\"The Rifleman\" · Guest

Aye but what if she wants to date or marry a white boy, or christian or
jewish lad, what if she wants to go night clubbing with her English friends,
what if she wants to go on an 18/30 holiday, what if she wants her own house
without an extended family moving in with her. What if she wants to adopt
the faith of her boyfriend if hes not a muslim.

How long will she live ?

Muslim girls can never be free unttil they are allowed to control evcery
aspect of their lives without have their fathers,, brothers, cousins etc
dictating how she lives

"Ramabriga" <Ramabriga@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:8bd2c$48431015$7696@news.teranews.com...

count zero · Guest

Halal and Kosher food should be banned it is a barbaric way of killing
an animal.