What Would Allah Think?
A compendium of my knowledge of Islamic religion and culture would hide nicely under the period at the end of this sentence. Having said that, I saw something yesterday that commanded my attention, caused me to put my right index finger upside my dimpled chin, and hum Hmmmmm… loudly enough to cause other diners at Waffle House to look up from their search for the face of Jesus in their hashbrowns.
Walking across the parking lot was a young couple that appeared to be of Middle Eastern descent. He was clad in normal American attire, while she was sheathed in a full-length Abaya with a Tesettür veil, flapping around in the light breeze that was stirring, partially covering her face. And they were smoking. Both of them. I had never thought about it before, and looking back on it now, it may be no different than seeing a Catholic or Jewish or aetheist woman puff on a cigarette. It’s just that I do not recall ever before seeing a Muslim woman smoking.
Are there moral strictures in Islam that apply to social conduct such as smoking, alcohol consumption, dancing face to face, eating Big Macs, and other taken-for-granted aspects of Western culture? Like so much of what we hear about about Islam here in the West, are the rules different for men and women? What would Allah think?
9 Comments so far
It’s my understanding that Islam officially forbids the use of tobacco, but–as you witnessed–it’s often not adhered to.
interesting observations!
Interesting. And interesting what we “think” is part of a particular culture or religion that may not be.
Lord! And not to mention eating at Waffle House! That’s gotta break some kind of Islamic law. (mmmmmmm - Waffle House! Must eat there when I get to Atlanta . . . )
Just goes to show not everyone adheres to all the tenets of their religion. I always find it interesting to observe which ones (whatever the religion) individuals observe and the ones they reject. Then, I wonder, why?
That’s the difference between the US- and the UK-interpretation of “Islam does not allow fags”
If I can step away from my polite, reasoned persona for a moment, this aspect of the Moorish superstition (strictures on behaviour) falls neatly into the “who gives a shit” category.
Having been taken to task for my comment, in that it indicated a lack of curiosity, I eat my portion of humble pie and agree. I have a vision of a completely covered woman with gouts of smoke emerging.
Speaking of the Moorish culture, I read a web-news-blurb this morning that a raped woman in Saudi Arabia got off with only 60 days in jail and 200 lashes. Who says these Moorish folk are evil superstitionists!
she would probably have been stoned or whipped or kilt if she did that in her home country….ain’t American grand..?