Does anyone here live next to a mosque or know many Muslims?

[yurbud]

I have known Muslim international students since I was an undergrad, had close Muslim friends in grad school, and now that I teach college, some of my colleagues are Muslim and I have maybe ten Muslim students per semester in my classes. I have not had any unusual problems with any of them and have enjoyed most.

Ironically, I have a lot of students from Iran and I just assume they are all Muslim, but many are Jewish, some Christian, or Baha'i--but I can't tell the difference based on their behavior.

This is probably pretty obvious stuff for DU, but if there was a mosque, church, or synagogue next door to my house, I would only be worried about whether they'll sing or pray too loud when I'm trying to sleep, and more worried about the Evangelicals knocking on my door to try to convert me than anything the Muslims might do.

[NoNothing]

1. The dawn call to prayer can be really obnoxious

But most places have noise ordinances that prevent that kind of thing.

[bikebloke]

32. The call was pretty bad in Morocco.

In Turkey, it was less intrusive. I never heard it while sleeping. Though while walking around I'd hear it. More like church bells. You hear them and ignore them.

[NoNothing]

35. I stayed in several places in Jordan

And it was loud enough to wake me up everywhere I stayed except in the middle of Wadi Rum. I didn't really begrudge it, of course, being a visitor, but I wouldn't want that in my daily life.

[Prometheus Bound]

50. I love waking up to that sound.

Mind you, maybe I'd get tired of it over time.

[JerseygirlCT]

53. I don't know

maybe I'm just strange, but in a way, it became sort of comforting. In the way, maybe, that hearing trains is for me, having grown up close to the train line. I didn't mind it at all.

[Old Troop]

55. The first phrases always sounded to me like "Hey You".

[sinkingfeeling]

2. I work with several Muslims and there is a mosque about 2 blocks from the office.

[Warpy]

3. I started going to school with Muslims in high school

Most were Palestinian Arabs and only one turned into a wild eyed bomb thrower and only after he went home after he graduated. True story.

Since then, I've known them as coworkers, neighbors, clients and friends. Other than that one kid, who'd have had a major screw loose no matter which culture he was born into, they've pretty much been indistinguishable from run of the mill Protestant Christians.

I, too, avoid living next to religious facilities, but only for the potential noise and parking nightmares, especially from weddings and funerals.

I got rid of the Jesus salesmen about 12 years ago. Night nurses are RABID when some idiot leans on the doorbell and won't give up and then tries to sell them Jesus.

[bullwinkle428]

4. Yes - several friends of mine while attending college. Probably helps

to explain why I'm not all freaked out about the presence of a mosque or Muslims anywhere near me.

[bemildred]

5. Lots. All of them are pretty nice people, people I enjoy hanging out with. nt

[countingbluecars]

6. I have had several Muslim students

in my fourth grade classes over the years. I remember them and their families fondly. I was often invited to tea and to end of Ramadan celebrations.

[kestrel91316]

7. We have a HUGE Persian expat community here, which includes

Jews AND Muslims AND Christians (a tiny minority, ethnic Armenians). They are largely secular from what I can tell. In 19 years only two women have come to my practice with hijab on (headscarf). And the Islamic Centers (local brand of muslim "church") are less noticeable than the average Christian church here.

[leveymg]

8. We have a very large Muslim and immigrant community in Northern VA, and several mosques.

The High School my child attends is incredibly diverse with students from more than a hundred countries, at least 15% of whom are Muslim. It's almost a microcosm of the real world, and I'm happy that several of the kids who come over to our house are Muslim. The nearest mosque is about a mile and a half away, next to the local supermarket plaza, so I go by it almost daily. There's always a police presence, particularly during Friday prayers when the place is packed. The police are clearly there to protect the congregants, and the relationship is relaxed and friendly - that sort of gives me hope for this country.

From where I sit, the whole "Ground Zero Mosque" controversy is a cynical GOP/Faux News creation designed to stir up the Republican base. There are few things I really hate and fear, but, I really hate and fear bigots. Their ignorance of the world is pathetic.

[KamaAina]

27. That's a little scary, that worshipers have to be protected by police

it's happened at synagogues, too, usually after an outbreak of anti-Semitic violence.

[leveymg]

40. Agreed. But, it's good that the police are doing their job of protecting the community

When I say it gives me some confidence, I meant it in the same way as the good feeling as, when in 1957, the White House sent US Marshals and then the 101st Airborne to protect school integration in Little Rock.

I look forward to the day when America is fully bigot-free.

[mwb970]

9. There is a Muslim family living right next door to me.

I just went out and took this picture of the front of their house so you can all see the nightmare I have to live with every day. Note the extensive "terror garden". They even have a "terror peach tree" that you can see on the right. In the back yard they have "terror corn" and "terror gourds" growing. No wonder I have trouble sleeping at night!

The family also does "day care" for local families, tending their children while the parents are at work. I see them out there walking or strolling the kids up and down the sidewalk, obviously training them to become jihadist terrorists when they grow up.

Fun facts:

1. Actually, these folks are the best neighbors I've ever had. The "main man" over there is extremely jovial and friendly and is the hit of the neighborhood. Their yard is the best looking one on the street.

2. The house visible beyond theirs (other side from mine) is occupied by a right-winger with McCain-Palin stickers on his SUV.

[yurbud]

14. dear god, Muslims play basketball? We're doomed. Or is it the house with the nice shrubbery?

In which case, we're okay.

[mwb970]

15. Their house is the white one in the foreground.

But yes, that is their basketball setup. There are a group of lanky lads who shoot a few hoops there from time to time. I assume it's all part of the same nefarious pattern of seeming normalcy. What will they come up with next?

[Odin2005]

37. That garden is awesome!

[dmallind]

10. Now? Nope. I did however grow up in Northern England in the 70s and 80s

Which certainly means I have pretty significant exposure to living amongst Muslims - especially when I first moved out of my folks' home and got cheap lodgings. Like any place the cheapest rentals are in minority areas, and I was probably one of 3 Anglo households in a subdivision (estate in English lingo) of about 500 houses.

Observations really were limited to how it was more quiet with fewer gangs of kids causing trouble than Anglo neighborhoods of similar socioeconomic echelon. I am not going to pretend I integrated into teh community all that well, or even that I was invited to all that much. I shopped at a Muslim owned store. I ate from Muslim owned Indian takeaways. I walked past a large mosque (never went in - this place if anybody cares for an example http://mosques.muslimsinbritain.org/show-mosque.php?id=55)). Other than a bit of graffiti (generic, not at me) and some dirty looks immediately after the publishing of The Satanic Verses there was no trouble but no great friendliness either. I suspect to them I was just another poor white kid who moved in for a couple years and would move out when they could afford to, as I indeed was, so not excatly worth the effort.

I left the UK in 1990, and from all accounts race relations with Muslims have gotten much worse, partly from increased boldness and separationism on teh part of Muslims and partly from increased xenopohobia on the part of Anglos, so not sure if it's like that any more. Muslims when I lived in a heavily Muslim area pretty much ignored outsiders, and werelikewise pretty much ignored.

[slackmaster]

11. I had some Muslim students when I was teaching an ESL class at UCSD

Right at the time of the Iranian revolution. Those were interesting days.

One of my favorite students was a Saudi, obviously from a very wealthy family. He liked to tell jokes about Jews.

[Brickbat]

12. Nope.

[closeupready]

13. I know many muslims. In general, they have good strong families.

They work hard, generally don't drink, don't abuse drugs, behave respectfully, unlike most young Americans, who sometimes seem to think when it comes to themselves, anything goes.

If there were an apartment available near a mosque or if one was being proposed to be built near me, I couldn't be happier.

[newspeak]

16. in college, met some moslem women

a few wore head scarves--they were all very nice. Knew a woman who was moslem and (gasp) had owned her own successful business in Morocco. She did not wear scarf-very knowledgeable, respectful and friendly. She married a mormon (no longer together).

I think some people don't understand that just like christianity there are different kinds of moslem sects. In any religion, you've got your full blown zealots and you're moderates.

[yurbud]

30. I had a very outgoing Moroccan woman student who wore a headscarf and a few semesters later had

her husband.

One of the other students asked him if he made his wife wear the headscarf and he looked at me and said, ''You've met her, do you think I can make her do anything?''


Somethings about the human experience are universal.

[CTyankee]

17. As a literacy volunteer I've had classes with Afghan refugees and now

members of the Turkish community in a nearby town. I wish all my students were so eager to work on acquiring English.

The Turkish people here are hardworking and very nice. We now have two terrific Turkish restaurants nearby and one Turkish deli. Their food is incredibly good, nutritious and beautiful!

I'm really pleased with Erol who has his own small diner. I work with him on business English because I know he has limited time...it's a joy to work with him...

[oldlib]

18. Late in my working career,

as an Engineer, I worked with a number of Muslim's. They were primarily from Pakistan and it was sometimes surprising, when I would walk into their office, to find them deep in prayer. They changed the lunchtime habits of the Engineering staff since few of them would touch liquor. Ordering pizza was a problem as they would not eat sausage. I found them overall, to be good decent people.

[Javaman]

19. Yes, about 10 feet from me. A fellow co-worker.

hell of a nice guy.

[LeftishBrit]

20. Certainly.

I have always lived in either London (Wimbledon, and later Holborn) or Oxford, and never all that far from one or more mosques. Quite a few of my friends and students are Muslims. (I am an atheist of predominantly Jewish origin.)

I currently live not that far away from the Muslim Educational Centre of Oxford, whose views may be a bit of an eye-opener to those who hold certain stereotypes about Islam:

http://www.meco.org.uk/default.htm

[uppityperson]

21. Yes. Some are very nice, some are assholes.

Rather like any other group of people.

[ceile]

22. Actually, no. n/t

[Matariki]

23. Yes. I have friends from various places in Africa who are moderate Muslims

They are very much like people I know who were brought up Lutheran or some moderate Christian sect - not overly religious, not inclined to foist their religion on others, etc, etc.

[AngryAmish]

24. Big mosque about 200 yards away from my house

My father-in-law (and his family) are Muslim. They are fine. The Mosque makes a lot of cabs in the neighborhood.

I have to say the women and girls in the hagib (sp?) freak me out though. I don't understand how they do it in this heat and humidity.

[TheKentuckian]

25. Yup, people like all the other people.

[onehandle]

26. When I was a college student, the apartment next to me was occupied by 4 Saudi Arabian students.

They were supported by their families back home and did not live like kings, but were well taken care of. I was always broke and they knew it. Several times a week they would drag me into their apartment and feed me (and any of my friends who might be with me). They would spread out a sheet on the floor and we would eat in the middle of the living room. They were some of the nicest guys I've ever known.

[Brother Buzz]

28. My parents lived, like, 200 yards from the mosque John Walker Lindh attended

The property was an orchid hothouse when I was a kid; pretty damn quiet. After I moved away, the property sold and a poorly built Baptist church was constructed on the cheap. It was an eyesore, just plain butt ugly.

In the seventies, with the fall of the Shah of Iran, our upscale neighborhood saw an influx of Iranians move in with rumored suitcases full of money. They quietly purchased the church, and cleaned it up to the neighborhood's delight.

In the eighties, they expanded to include the woman's prayer area, or whatever. Desiring to be good neighbors, they invited the neighborhood to visit the new digs. My parents, UCC members who strongly believe in religious tolerance, visited and came away with mixed reactions, especially my mom, she simply doesn't like the way women are separated.

All in all, the mosque has had little impact other than the one day around Ramadan when madness erupts and a Brazilian cars inundate the neighborhood.

[Name removed]

29. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[tilsammans]

31. Of all my neighbors, the Muslim families are the best . . .

They know the true meaning of neighborliness -- always friendly, always helpful. They're raising their kids to be the same way.

The non-Muslim neighbors? Some are great, some are indifferent, and others are just plain rude and obnoxious.

[EFerrari]

33. I live next door to a Buddhist monastery.

But maybe that's just a front. :)

[Odin2005]

39. Cool! I feel jealous!

[grantcart]

34. My brother in law is Muslim

I have lived in Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia. About one third of my employees in Thailand were Muslim.


Here is the truth about Observant Muslims.


They are exceedingly boring. No I don't mean intellectually I mean culturally or socially.



If you live in a small observant Muslim town there are no bars, liquor stores or night clubs. At 9:00 at night the restaurants are closed and all of the husbands are home. If you get invited to a Muslim wedding be prepared. If you are close to the family you will be expected to come and sit quietly for 5 nights as people drink fruit punch and discuss the weather and animal husbandry in some detail.

I could go on but you get the point. Of course I have lots of secular Muslim friends that are just as outgoing, social and unconventional as secular Christians or secular Buddhists.

The irony is that if you compare observant Muslims in small towns in Indonesia it would be remarkably similar to observant Christians in small towns in Iowa. Muslims tend to be very conservative politically and if the Republicans weren't so zenophobic they would have a pretty good chance of getting most observant Muslim Americans to join them. They believe in a strict social order, creation, the power of God and the primacy of the family, and they are against abortion, but of course the same could be said of lots of Hispanics. Because of their ignorance Republicans are driving away another natural constituency, simply because they are becoming an incresingly insular tribal clique.

[Odin2005]

36. There are some Bosnians in my apartment building. Wonderful folks.

[Common Sense Party]

38. No, but I used to sled down the hill behind our local Mosque when I was

a kid. They had the best hill around. I worked at Hardee's with one guy who was Muslim, one of the nicest guys I knew.

[IndianaGreen]

41. My congressman!

Great dude! He marched in our PRIDE parade!

[tammywammy]

42. I have Muslim friends and a Muslim ex-boyfriend. n/t

[etherealtruth]

43. My ex-husband is Muslim

I married into a wonderful family. I have lived and worked with many Muslims. My ex-husband is a bit of an ass .... but it has nothing to do with religion. People are people.

As many others have said ... I would not be happy living next to a mosque ... the calls to prayer (though beautiful) would drive me insane 5 times/day (so would church bells, also beautiful).

[EFerrari]

44. We lived next door to a rent-a-church in Santa Monica

and when the fundies were hours into their ranting on Sunday afternoon, my husband used to shove the window open and yell, "OKAY already, just DRINK the koolaid".

:rofl:

[etherealtruth]

45. LOL

[Fuzz]

46. I live in central NJ, so yes.

But, I hate all people equally because I think everyone is an asshole until proven otherwise. ;)

Everyone in the schools my kids attend get along fine so far, no problems. People from all over the world here with all sorts of different backgrounds. It makes for a great melting pot and learning experience for everyone.

[Marr]

47. Like Catholics, most of the Muslims I know are lapsed Muslims.

They drink, they carouse... just like everybody else. They all call themselves Muslim, but maybe one in ten is what I'd call devout, or actually practicing the religion.

Anyway, yeah-- I know plenty of Muslims, and there's a mosque maybe... one mile from my house? Something like that. There are also a couple of synagogues, a few Catholic churches, and several protestant churches in the vicinity. I think they're all wasting their time equally, personally, but there you go.

[Lucky Luciano]

48. I live right next to a huge mosque in the Upper East Side of Manhattan.

Literally next to the building.

I have no complaints with them, but my girlfriend complains about their singing and chanting over the microphone on Fridays in the afternoon while I am work. That is kind of annoying. Churches do have their church bells, but they are not as constant/continuous as the chanting.

pretty building, but they should do more with the upkeep of the grounds with a nice garden or something.

Boss is muslim...he is ok by me.
Best friend from HS was muslim, but only by birth - he was really a purely secular Egyptian.

[mmonk]

49. I had many Muslim friends in college, but there is no house of worship

near my house. The Church I attended when I was younger was started primarily by families from the Middle East asking the bishop for a church in the community where I grew up. They were primarily from Lebanon and Syria.

In all, I've been exposed to persons from the Middle East and people who are Muslims for most of my life. So I find the rabid xenophobis both fascinating and frightening. All it takes is for people to come to power that want to further that ignorance and hatred further to make things dangerous.

[rustydog]

51. No, but we have at least two at work who keep prayer rugs

in the hospital chapel. I expect some idiot to do something stupid one day soon what with the ground zero crap going on.

[XemaSab]

52. I had two Muslim roommates in college

One Bosnian, one Malaysian.

Neither of them was into pork, but aside from that you would never know. :shrug:

[Old Troop]

54. I spent a year living with Bedouins. Although we spoke in Arabic and English,

we never really developed a baseline understanding. At night religion was always the topic of conversations, both with me and among the men. Their Islam was an angry one; other tribes were going to be punished by God or them for injuries suffered decades ago. Women did most of the work and served the men while the men drank tea and discussed things. Altogether, I was very uncomfortable with their version of Islam.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

56. Tutored Somali immigrants in Portland, and in

Minneapolis, almost all the nursing home attendants are African immigrants, mostly from Nigeria and Liberia. The attendant on my mom's ward whom all the residents just adore is named Mohammed, and several of his relatives are also on the staff of the nursing home, so I would assume that the family is Muslim.

When I lived in Corvallis, Oregon, there was (still is) a mosque a couple of blocks from where I lived. At the time, I had several students from Malaysia. I really liked my Malay students, because they were so friendly, cheerful, and possessed of a "can do" attitude toward language learning, not surprising coming from a country where everyone is at least bilingual (Malay and English, and often tri-lingual, if they're from the Chinese or Indian ethnic minorities).

[yurbud]

57. Geeze! I'm from Portland and went to OSU for a couple of years

we probably crossed paths at some point.

[lapislzi]

58. Not now, but I did once.

I lived in "Mosque Mews" in Simon's Town, south of Cape Town. It was a windy hillside on the wrong side of town...and the most interesting place in town. To get to the main road, I, a young mom, would have to walk the gauntlet of male-owned shops and past the mosque. Although occasionally reluctant to converse with a western woman, most of the shopkeepers and passers-by were friendly and more than willing to answer questions (I had plenty, this being the End of Days of apartheid in South Africa). By the time my husband and I moved away, I had a nodding acquaintance with many of the folks. I could not have asked for better neighbors.

The calls to prayer, wending over the hillside towards the sea, were hauntingly beautiful.

I should also add another, different South African experience with Muslims in the Johannesburg area. My place of work was next door to the largest Muslim-owned business in the area. It was huge. Although most of the employees were friendly, the owners were extremely devout and openly hostile to me, the only American they knew. This was during the first Gulf War. I remember the owner (all four feet eleven of her) marching into my office and shouting, "Saddam Hussein is going to kick your American arse!"

Harrumph.

[uppityperson]

59. kinda funny who has and hasn't replied to this post.

comparing it with Cordoba House posts and all

[DailyGrind51]

60. I know Muslim students and their parents and think they are very generous and industrious.

Unlike most of us "Christians", Muslims actually practice what they preach -- hospitality, generosity, dedication to truth, and regard for all others.