ForumTitleContentMemberSexCountryDate/Time
Middle East and North AfricaDoes Islam allow Muslim men to marry Christian women?
QUOTE (peezey @ Oct 2 2007, 09:52 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
This might be one of the worst, biggest generalizations I've heard in a long time.

Furthermore, the doctor just doesn't fast, end of story. It's not a freaking hardship for an ob/gyn to fast. Men who work in the desert all day in 115 degree weather fast while they work all day. A doctor in a US office in air conditioning doesn't fast because she doesn't want to, not because it's a dang hardship. And, if she chooses not to fast, that doesn't mean she isn't a real Muslim, it means that's her choice in her faith, and it's quite serious to call people out as a hypocrite, something I would think people would at least refrain from during Ramadan.

I completely disagree with your first point. It is a hardship for a doctor to fast, especially one who's on call at all hours. I'd hate to have a car accident at 6:00pm and be brought to the air conditioned emergency room where the Muslim doctor has been fasting all day and is ready to pass out from thirst and hunger.
rclouseMaleMorocco2007-10-02 10:07:00
Middle East and North AfricaDoes Islam allow Muslim men to marry Christian women?
QUOTE (coolred38 @ Oct 2 2007, 12:06 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
"There is nothing in sharia that makes it haram for a Muslim woman to marry a kitabi man. That's why I felt free to do so myself, as are a growing number of Muslim women."

No matter how many times you point out that fact to Muslims they just close their ears to the facts and insist on following the ways of "their fathers".... its a sad state of affairs when culture and tradition have replaced the Quran in nearly all matters...and many many muslims dont care or bother to distinguish the difference between the two. sad.gif

I'm finding the same thing. The faith encourages thinking and reason, but dogma has taken over and Muslims refuse to think or question anything.

Case in point: my wifes OB/GYN is Muslim, but she's not fasting during Ramadan and thus my wife says "she's not really Muslim". I pointed out to her that she has a very important job to do. She cannot risk being weak or faint at 6:00pm and have to deliver a baby, so it's an extreme hardship for her to fast. Thing is, I had just found the sura in the Koran that says if it's an extreme hardship for you to fast during Ramadan you can feed a poor person instead. But my wife refused to listen (probably cause she hates to be wrong).

And that's the crux of the problem. People don't want to learn they've "believed wrong" all this time, so they'll fight you tooth & nail regardless of whatever valid arguments you can find. Like fundy Xtians and the scientific theory of evolution. Evolution contradicts part of what they believe, so they'll fight it because they don't want to be wrong.
rclouseMaleMorocco2007-10-02 09:15:00
Middle East and North AfricaDoes Islam allow Muslim men to marry Christian women?
Interesting discussion. As our situation is the converse of most here (American man, Moroccan woman) I did a lot of research into this subject. First off:

QUOTE
On the other hand, the holy Qur'an expressly forbids a Muslim woman from marriage to a non-Muslim man (even if he belongs to the people of Scriptures -- e.g. Christians or Jews).


Not the way I read it. The line says (something like) "Do not allow your daughters to marry the mushrikoon". The word "mushrik" means someone:

1. Who has heard the word of God through the Koran
2. Understands it
3. Knows it to be true
4. Rejects it anyway
5. And actively works against it

Your average Jewish/Christian man does not fill that criteria, so they're not mushrik. They should be allowed to marry a muslim woman. The Koran does not otherwise specifically disallow such a marriage.

But, as was pointed out before, getting past the cultural expectations can be a very difficult task. In my case, it was easier to convert rather than get my future in-laws to understand my Ghandi-esque philosophy. Well, maybe they'd understand it, but they still wouldn't let me marry their daughter!

Also, there are plenty of Christian families who won't allow their kids to marry a non-Christian, even someone of a different denomination. And there's nothing I'm aware of in the NT that says an Xtian must marry an Xtian.
rclouseMaleMorocco2007-09-27 10:27:00
Middle East and North Africawhen is eid?
The FIQH Council of North America says Saturday.
rclouseMaleMorocco2007-10-11 12:29:00
Middle East and North AfricaSyrian soap opera captivates Arab world
http://news.yahoo.co...oap_opera_craze

I love this part:

At one upscale restaurant in east Jerusalem, waiters hastily set up a large projector screen minutes before the show began one recent evening. Tables of Palestinian men and women faced the flickering screen to watch, hushing children and forcing waiters to duck under the projector as they served beer to Muslims unconcerned with Islam's ban on alcohol.
rclouseMaleMorocco2007-10-12 13:26:00
Middle East and North Africaround trip ticket
QUOTE (SandyNJack @ Oct 15 2007, 11:22 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
In my research on airline tickect for my SO I have found that round trip tickets are WAY cheaper than one way so we were gonna get a round trip anyway but this is good to know. Thanks for the information. rose.gif

Ditto. My MIL is staying with us right now (helping with the baby) and when she came it was cheaper to buy a one way, but for the return to Morocco it's cheaper to buy a round trip. I was shocked when Air France popped up a fare about $500 more for a one way. tongue.gif
rclouseMaleMorocco2007-10-15 14:16:00
Middle East and North AfricaMarriage and affairs
QUOTE (sarah and hicham @ Oct 15 2007, 06:57 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
I do not think there is any excuse for a man to talk to a young girl over the internet while he is married. I would not tolerate it and would never be able to trust the man again. It's unacceptable and no excuses can be made for that man.

Well, it is possible for two people of the opposite sex to have a friendly relationship without it being an affair. With the influence of Islam and the hyper separation of the sexes in MENA some people think that any contact or communication between a man and a woman is tantamount to cheating. Not so, IMHO. It all depends on the intent of the parties involved. If your relationship is strong, then you can trust your spouse not to do the wrong thing. If s/he does the wrong thing, there were probably signs well before of this tendency.

But yeah, cheating is definitely way bad. That's how my first marriage (starter marriage) ended. I know for myself I could never forgive someone for cheating on me, YMMV.
rclouseMaleMorocco2007-10-16 10:16:00
Middle East and North AfricaNew MENA addition
We went with "Naseem" for his middle name (easier for Amurricans to pronounce) but either way it's still a good name.

Congratulations and have a swift recovery!
rclouseMaleMorocco2007-10-23 12:21:00
Middle East and North AfricaMy Fiancee and I are meeting up in morocco
Well, you're already there, so this advice is moot. But from my experience, once you're off the plane and out of the airport, you take the train... and get the hell away from Casa. Dirty, crowded, polluted, noisy, it's my least favorite place in Morocco. Head to Marrakesh or Fez or Essouira instead.

/heading there Thursday w/ our little boy
//grandpa is anxious
///nice pics BTW. how about one w/ the two of you?
rclouseMaleMorocco2007-11-12 10:47:00
Middle East and North Africapay attention on here
On one return trip we declared the produce my MIL packed for us but I forgot about the orange. Since this was LAX (California), they confiscated it but otherwise we were OK.
rclouseMaleMorocco2007-09-18 15:52:00
Middle East and North AfricaI miss our TV



Hicham doesn't care about the Arabic channels he jsut want to watch Real Madrid's soccer matches. Any ideas?

GolTV on DishNetwork. You don't even need a subscription to get it, it's in the clear on Echostar 8.

I didn't understand a word you just said. Sorry, I know nothing about dishnetwork,

GolTV is a free Spanish language channel on Dish Network. You can get an FTA satellite receiver (maybe even an old DN receiver), point a dish at that satellite (Echostar 8), and watch GolTV without paying Dish Network anything. And you won't be breaking any laws or "stealing" their signal.
rclouseMaleMorocco2006-10-27 14:38:00
Middle East and North AfricaI miss our TV

Hicham doesn't care about the Arabic channels he jsut want to watch Real Madrid's soccer matches. Any ideas?

GolTV on DishNetwork. You don't even need a subscription to get it, it's in the clear on Echostar 8.
rclouseMaleMorocco2006-10-27 14:16:00
Middle East and North AfricaI miss our TV

The dishes he's referring to are, I believe, what's known as FTA (Free To Air) and they don't carry a monthly charge. Rclouse, correct me if I'm wrong but I think this is what you're talking about. I've looked into it myself and if my tax return is enough this year I'm going to get one... they don't have a whole lot of "quality programming" as compared to the pay systems BUT they are free and as I mentioned earlier you can pick up the Libyan channel which I think Yousuf would like.

Yes, that is exactly what I am referring to. There are several brands, the most popular are ViewSat, CoolSat, and PanSat.

2M and Al-Maghribia come in completely open and free, and there are lots of other Arabic channels that are the same. There are ways to get some of the others that aren't open and free open and free anyway. :whistle:
rclouseMaleMorocco2006-10-27 13:15:00
Middle East and North AfricaI miss our TV
I've got a pretty decent setup for my wife. Dish has lots of Arabic stuff but you're "supposed" to pay for it. ;) You can get a 30 inch dish and point it at 97 degrees west, that's IntelSat Americas 5. Click on that, scroll down to where it says "11749 V" under "Freq. Tp", you can get pretty much everything from that point down for free with a 30" dish (the stuff above that you need a BUD (Big Ugly Dish, 6 foot)).

You need the aformentioned dish, the proper LNB, enough RG6 cable to go from the dish to your TV, and a DVB satellite receiver. You can get used receivers on FleaBay for as little as $50, a new ViewSat or CoolSat with component video will run $170-$200. Also it helps if the south facing side of your house is unobstructed by trees, other buildings, etc. MI is farther north so the satellites are lower in the sky.

Have Mark email me and I'll tell him what he can do. I'm sure he can figure out everything as long as he knows how to use a drill, a compass, & to screw some bolts.
rclouseMaleMorocco2006-10-27 09:51:00
Middle East and North AfricaTravel with Baby
As long as your daughter has a valid passport I can't see how they could object.

An airline shouldn't be worried about things like that. And even if they did, explaining that you're taking your daughter to her dad should be enough.
rclouseMaleMorocco2008-02-29 12:30:00
Middle East and North AfricaDoes anyone know if there is an immigration site for the US in Arabic?
QUOTE (julianna @ Apr 14 2008, 10:24 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
QUOTE (Rocketta @ Apr 14 2008, 08:44 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
QUOTE (sarahaziz @ Apr 14 2008, 09:05 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
i can speak arabic if you need.

but im also a woman so i dont know.



Thanks.... but what do you mean you are a woman? unsure.gif


Sarah is probably alluding to the fact it may not be appropriate for her to speak to your husband from either her, her husband's, your husband's or your POVs smile.gif


God I hate that #######. Why does Islam assume men & women will automatically turn into animals in heat if they're put together alone? Or is it a cultural thing?

/sorry for the threadjack
rclouseMaleMorocco2008-04-15 10:42:00
Middle East and North Africamarriage between muslim women and non muslim men . HALAL or Haram
QUOTE (moody @ Apr 21 2008, 02:43 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
I'm Muslim (although I use that term loosely), why don't you answer me? You know you spent time alone with your girlfriend without a mahram whilst in Morocco and you don't want to admit it because it will prove that you are a huge hypocrite. You probably asked her to flash her tatas in the webcam a time or two, also. Admit it! I know your kind!!!!!


I want to see abdo's fiancee's tatas!

/does GIS on "abdo's fiancee's boobies"
rclouseMaleMorocco2008-04-21 14:55:00
Middle East and North Africamarriage between muslim women and non muslim men . HALAL or Haram
QUOTE (abdo @ Apr 21 2008, 01:48 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

i am not smoking and not drinking HAMDO ALLAH and my fiancee is from AMERICA she was here last month.
she became a mulslim women last month ,she loves GOD and mohamed


You're not? With how uptight you are, you really should. As I understand it Morocco grows some pretty good kif up north...

Dunno if you can find this over there, but friends of mine swear by it:


rclouseMaleMorocco2008-04-21 14:39:00
Middle East and North Africamarriage between muslim women and non muslim men . HALAL or Haram
abdo: it is not your place to judge anything. Only God (Allah) can judge. Can you look into a person's heart and know if they believe that Mohammed is the last Prophet? Maybe someone who says they're not muslim is afraid or acting. Who gives you the right to make judgment?

IMHO this is one of the main problems with Islam. People like abdo deciding who is and who isn't muslim. Which leads one to value certain people over others. You can keep at this and find justification to do anything you want to the "mushrik" you've judged them to be.

Calm down. Have a drink. Seriously. I recommend Maker's Mark. Up.
rclouseMaleMorocco2008-04-21 11:23:00
Middle East and North Africamarriage between muslim women and non muslim men . HALAL or Haram
Your poll is lame and biased. Where are the options for those who think there's nothing wrong with interfaith marriage?
rclouseMaleMorocco2008-04-21 11:02:00
Middle East and North AfricaJust Got back from Jordan
I had a "starter marriage" too, second time's the charm for me.

Congrats and best of luck!
rclouseMaleMorocco2008-04-25 11:54:00
Middle East and North AfricaArab/Jewish Baby Names
We're going to have to think about this, again, because we were just at the doctor where they confirmed my wife is pregnant. Again. smile.gif

Our first child is named Michael Naseem. We wanted an "American" name first since we're raising him here, then Arabic for the second to reflect his heritage. Naseem is easy for Americans to spell and pronounce and it doesn't have any religious or political connotations.
rclouseMaleMorocco2008-04-18 14:16:00
Middle East and North AfricaMena: Good site for Islamic Baby names + meanings
While I was kicking around that site, I found something interesting on the "Introduction" page:

DRESS

Muslims must cover their body properly and decently. No particular dress is recommended.

For men, covering from the naval to the knees is a must For women, covering the whole body except the face and hands is compulsory. A woman must not wear a dress which rouses man’s base feelings, e.g. transparent, skin-tight or half-naked dress Pure silk and gold are not allowed for men Simplicity and modesty are encouraged

So right after it says no particular dress is recommended, it has recommendations. rolleyes.gif
rclouseMaleMorocco2008-04-28 15:59:00
Middle East and North AfricaMena: Good site for Islamic Baby names + meanings
This'll come in handy in a few months.

Thanks, good find.
rclouseMaleMorocco2008-04-28 15:04:00
Middle East and North AfricaQuestion for anyone who has been to Tehran...
Doesn't sound like Arabic to me. I vote legit (Tehran).
rclouseMaleMorocco2008-05-13 16:59:00
Middle East and North AfricaMoroccan woman filing for US Citizenship
QUOTE (morocco4ever @ May 22 2008, 04:22 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
That's not what I have heard at all. I was told that I could obtain dual citizenship when my husband and I got married, and this was from our lawyer in Morocco. Where did you read that?

I read it here, and now that I look closer it's talking about dual nationality of children born to Moroccan fathers. So I don't think that applies in our case.
rclouseMaleMorocco2008-05-22 17:31:00
Middle East and North AfricaMoroccan woman filing for US Citizenship
I figure this should at least start out in MENA and then either move or be cross posted to US Citizenship General Discussion...

My wife is going to file for US citizenship next week. I was looking at the country specific info the USCIS has about this. It said Morocco doesn't recognize dual nationality, or some such like that. Is this something to worry about? Will she have to renounce her Moroccan citizenship? Or can she take US citizenship and just travel on her Moroccan passport when she goes back for a visit?

Has anyone here (or their spouse) from Morocco become a US citizen? Can you give us some advice?
rclouseMaleMorocco2008-05-22 16:11:00
Middle East and North AfricaVisitor Visas from Maroc
I can speak from experience. When we got pregnant for the first time last year, we had my in-laws apply for tourist visas and they both got them with no problems. In fact my FIL didn't even have an FBI background check performed, they picked up their passports together.

My MIL made the trip (I had to escort her; she can only speak Arabic) and going through Immigration at JFK was the easiest I've ever experienced. And she was dressed very traditionally too.
rclouseMaleMorocco2008-06-11 10:59:00
Middle East and North AfricaIn Europe, Debate over Islam and Virginity
To all virgins: thanks for nothing!
rclouseMaleMorocco2008-06-12 15:07:00
Middle East and North AfricaGood suggestions needed for buying
Gifts for people in Iran. Hmmm.







Did I miss anything?
rclouseMaleMorocco2008-03-27 16:48:00
Middle East and North AfricaHow Muslims Are Treated In USA
QUOTE (Virtual wife @ Jul 1 2008, 01:19 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
I'm still scratching my head over why hijab is of such interest. It's not a pillar, there is no command to conceal the hair or neck; how to wear it and if to wear it are interpretations of the text by humans. We know that Muslim slave women were forbidden to cover themselves except for between the navel and the knees, a practice reinforced by Caliph Umer to keep free women distinquishable from bonded ones. It's importance is deemed in social construct, rising and waning across time. I imagine that its visibility and "otherness" hold some fascination. As an old school Muslima, I've seen it come and go, come and go, kinda like bell bottoms.


This is why I asked the question; some people seem to think Muslim women must wear it, but the Koran doesn't say either way. It just says (from what I understand) that women should dress modestly as to not draw unwanted attention to themselves. And that men should recognize a Muslim woman as a person, not a sexual object.

I also think many Muslim women in this country and the west in general wear the hijab not to appear modest, but instead to identify themselves as a Muslim and to draw attention to themselves. I witnessed this myself last year when my mother-in-law came for the birth of her first grandchild. Although she certainly wasn't trying to be "defiantly Muslim", we did get stares and special attention in the airport, going shopping, at the mall etc.

So my opinion on this is, if you feel Islam requires you to wear it, go ahead and wear it. But don't wear it because you feel others expect you to, don't wear it if someone orders you to, and don't wear it to draw attention to yourself.
rclouseMaleMorocco2008-07-01 12:12:00
Middle East and North AfricaHow Muslims Are Treated In USA
One question: where does it say in the Koran that women are obliged to wear a hijab?

Doesn't it say that women should dress modestly as not to bring unwanted attention to themselves?
rclouseMaleMorocco2008-06-30 13:03:00
Middle East and North AfricaHow Muslims Are Treated In USA
I wonder how he compensates: Hummer or Corvette?
rclouseMaleMorocco2008-04-10 12:13:00
Middle East and North AfricaHow Muslims Are Treated In USA
QUOTE (desert_fox @ Apr 9 2008, 03:52 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
You MENA women would be lucky to have an American man like me. But of course you wouldn't be walking around in public wearing a black bag......it's called assimilate into the culture....no need calling me...I'm already taken.

PANCAKE BUNNY
rclouseMaleMorocco2008-04-09 16:56:00
Middle East and North AfricaHow Muslims Are Treated In USA
QUOTE (bridget @ Apr 9 2008, 10:59 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
I thought about this last night and if I had been one of the customers who fought for that woman and ended up getting emotional and THEN found out that both the guy and the girl were actors I'd be PO'd !!!!!!

Why should they be angry? They did the right thing. I'd be relieved it was just an act and that clerk didn't really feel that way.
rclouseMaleMorocco2008-04-09 15:35:00
Middle East and North AfricaMy Husband's Father was Deported Yesterday
QUOTE (desert_fox @ Jul 14 2008, 06:17 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
demanding??? Is someone demanding to know?? As I said, I could care less. Only the FIL can find out if he is interested so it doesnt happen again should he ever try to return. If she should find out, and doesnt want to share, that is certainly her right. I would guess then that her only reason for posting was to receive some hugs.


We interrupt this thread to bring you a message from The Caring Continuum:



We return you to your regularly scheduled CF.
rclouseMaleMorocco2008-07-14 18:38:00
Middle East and North AfricaMale Circumcision
QUOTE (Carolyn @ Jul 22 2008, 03:35 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Congrats, rclouse! Did you have the big ultrasound recently?

We got a new OB (old OB doesn't deliver anymore) and she did the "big" ultrasound on the first visit. She was just going to take a look and see what we've got, but the baby was very cooperative so she decided to do the diagnostic right then. The baby has ten finger, ten toes, straight spine, and a healthy heart. So far so good.
rclouseMaleMorocco2008-07-22 15:59:00
Middle East and North AfricaMale Circumcision
Well, we don't have to worry about this for #2: it's a girl. smile.gif
rclouseMaleMorocco2008-07-22 15:21:00
Middle East and North AfricaMale Circumcision
QUOTE (ta me go hiontach @ Jul 17 2008, 02:37 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
plenty of arabs are called mikha'il.
is there any credibility to the passport thing? i've never seen that actually stated in writing on official websites. what if yr berber, or a jewish moroccan?

I looked carefully at the consulate's website and there was nothing about any "approved names" list. We only found out that "Michael" wasn't acceptable after we sent in the paperwork to register him.

Mikha'il? That'll work for him in Slavic countries. wink.gif
rclouseMaleMorocco2008-07-17 16:06:00
Middle East and North AfricaMale Circumcision
QUOTE (caybee @ Jul 17 2008, 03:02 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
QUOTE (Carolyn @ Jul 17 2008, 03:28 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
rclouse,
Have you tried to get your son a Moroccan passport? I have heard that if your child does not have an Arabic name it isn't possible. Maybe there is some way around that with middle names, but I'm not sure...

FWIW, a Moroccan conditional PR friend of ours just returned from Morocco after taking his one-year-old son Adam for a visit, just the two of them. (I think Adam is one of the "approved" Arabic names.) The baby traveled on a U.S. passport. They didn't try to get him a Moroccan one yet -- father and son aren't yet even registered with the Moroccan Embassy here yet -- and had no trouble at all with the Moroccan authorities. We had read something on a State Department website indicating a Moroccan-American child might have a hassle if he didn't have a Moroccan passport since the Moroccan citizenship is acknowledged first (or exclusively?) in Morocco, but in this case, everything went smoothly. Just wanted to throw that anecdote out there for the new and expected Moroccan-American babies who haven't yet been to visit the other side of the family.

We also had no troubles coming or going with Michael. He travelled on his US passport and my wife with her Moroccan passport & 10 year GC took him through Morocco's immigration booth both times.
rclouseMaleMorocco2008-07-17 15:39:00