# I may have Muslim neighbors **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 3, 2017, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-may-have-muslim-neighbors/795388 "2017-09-03T06:32:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2017, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-may-have-muslim-neighbors/795388/61 "2017-09-04T17:59:02Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > Drinking alcohol is no indication as to being “liberal”. Many of the 9/11 hijackers drank alcohol. > > :rolleyes: I meant, of course, that she was very liberal AND drank, not that she was liberal BECAUSE she drank. Jesus, some people. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2017, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-may-have-muslim-neighbors/795388/62 "2017-09-04T18:02:34Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Jesus LOL! ---
**Author:** ![Evan\_Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b487fb/32.png) [@Evan\_Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evan_Drake)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2017, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-may-have-muslim-neighbors/795388/63 "2017-09-04T20:12:18Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > Now, you actually might have a chance to learn something about Islam. How lucky. If only everyone could have ongoing permanent learning discussions about Marxist-Leninism, Jehovah’s Witnessism, Scientology, Randist-Libertarianism, Roman Catholicism, Calvinism, LaVey Satanism, The Order of the Golden Dawn, Anarcho-Synicalism, Feminism, Baptism, Fifth Monarchism, Political Economy, and the heavenly host of other unimportant bizarre unbelievably tedious irreconcilable belief systems that sustain us below. How much we would all _Learn_ ! ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2017, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-may-have-muslim-neighbors/795388/64 "2017-09-04T21:09:06Z")
My final thought on this…we never questioned lil’wrekker decision to date her muslim boyfriend…we trust her on these kinda things…shes never given us reasons to not trust her…and he has been nothing but a perfect friend to her…my only concern would be ,is how his family feels about it…i always think it is better yo be on the up and up about this kinda thing…truth is always the better way…so I have encouraged them both about not 'hiding or 'sneaking around '…i can only hope he is being honest with his family…i have no way to know for sure.And I advised my daughter to never try and change herself just to fit in with his customs.She should always be who she is.imho…all in all it has been quite educational and enlightening…so there you have it! ---
**Author:** ![Ramira](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ramira/32/344_2.png) [@Ramira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ramira)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2017, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-may-have-muslim-neighbors/795388/65 "2017-09-04T23:51:07Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > (Although my understanding is that for most Muslims, clams are not halal, so I kind of doubt they’re going to make that.) No that is incorrect, we have no problems among the majority with any sea food. This is a shia thing. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2017, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-may-have-muslim-neighbors/795388/66 "2017-09-05T04:58:23Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > My last supervisor at the _Bangkok Post_ was a Muslim. She wasn’t Thai but rather an ethnic Malay from Singapore with British citizenship through her husband. Not devout at all though. She had lived in England for decades including a long stint at the _Financial Times_. Very liberal, she did drink, and of her two grown children, she lamented her son being an arch conservative. I had a Muslim neighbor too now that I think about it, the first time I lived in Hawaii. My student job in the Housing Department of the East-West Center on the U of Hawaii campus gave me a free room. I lived in the Hale Manoa residence hall, a large building divvied up into six units per module, with several modules per floor. Another student worker living in my module was a guy named Muhammed from Pakistan. He was okay. Among the several Muslim co-workers I’ve had was an Afghan surname of Khan, also a student worker at the East-West Center, although his job did not rate him a free room. But he’d been a freedom fighter in Afghanistan in the 1980s – this was the early 1990s when we we were students – and he was a damned interesting guy to talk to. A huge drinker himself, which caused him no end of grief with his more orthodox Muslim girlfriend. Can’t remember his first name. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2017, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-may-have-muslim-neighbors/795388/67 "2017-09-05T21:02:09Z")
> [@Ramira](#): > > Dubai is no good reason for someone to conclude ‘muslims do fireworks for eid el adha’ A quick Google search confirms Eid al-Adha fireworks in the UK, Australia and the US at minimum. I didn’t try to find more. It seems, **Ramira** that you are doing the very thing of which you accuse **BigT** , namely lumping all Muslims into one way of doing things. Some celebrate with fireworks, some don’t. Amazingly, the same can be said of Christians and fireworks, Jews and fireworks, Buddhists and fireworks, ad infinitum. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2017, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-may-have-muslim-neighbors/795388/68 "2017-09-05T22:23:52Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > I had a Muslim neighbor too now that I think about it, the first time I lived in Hawaii. _ **Obama!?!?** _ > [@](#): > > Among the several Muslim co-workers I’ve had was an Afghan surname of Khan… Be sure to enunciate that properly. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2017, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-may-have-muslim-neighbors/795388/69 "2017-09-06T13:15:31Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > I don’t plan on making any special plans to interact with them more than any other neighbors. I’m not exactly the most social person, and our neighborhood seems to have settled into that basic “say hi and chat for a bit if we see each other” routine. And I would never dream of asking a stranger about their culture unless it naturally came up. > > Heck, if I were more social, I could have just went out and asked “So what’s the occasion?” and introduced myself. But that didn’t even occur to me. > > … > > Given how often I’ve interacted with my neighbors more recently, I may never know. Cool - basically what I was going to suggest. IME, “Hey neighbors” are just about the best you can ask for. You know, the kind that you know their names, have some idea of their occupations, but pretty much just say “Hey” to as you see each other mowing the lawn. Maybe ask them if they know anything about local matters like street/sewer repairs and the like. Better to NOT try to get to know them (and their beliefs) better, piss each other off, and end up having to live next to each other, not even saying “Hey” to each other. If they turn out to be the type of neighbor who you occasionally chat with, share a drink or tool with, that’s great. But let that occur over time. I know the folk right next to us go to a Methodist church, but have no idea what churches (if any) anyone else on our block attends. No reason it should be any different for your possibly-Muslim neighbors. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2017, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-may-have-muslim-neighbors/795388/70 "2017-09-06T13:24:05Z")
The OP needs neighbors like John and Anne, who live across the street from my parents. Every time my mother wants to know something (i.e., Who moved in down the street? Why was the fire department at the yellow house?), she can count on Anne knowing what’s going on. In short, Anne is the nosy neighbor so my mother doesn’t need to be. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2017, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-may-have-muslim-neighbors/795388/71 "2017-09-06T13:46:05Z")
Just passing through to note that it’s news to me that the end of Ramadan is normally celebrated with fireworks. Here in the UK the main tradition amongst Muslims appears to be “eat until you can’t move anymore”. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2017, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-may-have-muslim-neighbors/795388/72 "2017-09-07T00:33:50Z")
> [@Evan\_Drake](#): > > How lucky. If only everyone could have ongoing permanent learning discussions about Marxist-Leninism, Jehovah’s Witnessism, Scientology, Randist-Libertarianism, Roman Catholicism, Calvinism, LaVey Satanism, The Order of the Golden Dawn, Anarcho-Synicalism, Feminism, Baptism, Fifth Monarchism, Political Economy, and the heavenly host of other unimportant bizarre unbelievably tedious irreconcilable belief systems that sustain us below. > How much we would all _Learn_ ! unimportant bizarre unbelievably tedious irreconcilable belief systems? You forgot to mention capitalism, free-market economics, republicanism, democracy, Christianity, monotheism, monogamy, nationalism, justice, and all those movements dedicated to everything from public nudity to eating horse meat to the octatonic scale. Which our public education system takes great pains to assure that everyone is well conversant with them. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2017, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-may-have-muslim-neighbors/795388/73 "2017-09-07T16:38:18Z")
> [@Evan\_Drake](#): > > How lucky. If only everyone could have ongoing permanent learning discussions about Marxist-Leninism, Jehovah’s Witnessism, Scientology, Randist-Libertarianism, Roman Catholicism, Calvinism, LaVey Satanism, The Order of the Golden Dawn, Anarcho-Synicalism, Feminism, Baptism, Fifth Monarchism, Political Economy, and the heavenly host of other unimportant bizarre unbelievably tedious irreconcilable belief systems that sustain us below. > How much we would all _Learn_ ! What, are you afraid of knowledge? :dubious: Never thought I’d hear uncontested advocacy of ignorance here. ---
**Author:** ![Evan\_Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b487fb/32.png) [@Evan\_Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evan_Drake)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2017, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-may-have-muslim-neighbors/795388/74 "2017-09-07T17:01:08Z")
Some things aren’t worth knowing. Try reading through a 1830 Bible Concordance sometime. ---
**Author:** ![Evan\_Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b487fb/32.png) [@Evan\_Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evan_Drake)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2017, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-may-have-muslim-neighbors/795388/75 "2017-09-07T17:06:38Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > unimportant bizarre unbelievably tedious irreconcilable belief systems? > > You forgot to mention capitalism, free-market economics, republicanism, democracy, Christianity, monotheism, monogamy, nationalism, justice, and all those movements dedicated to everything from public nudity to eating horse meat to the octatonic scale. Which our public education system takes great pains to assure that everyone is well conversant with them. Sorry, missed that. As an anti-capitalist absolute monarchist vegan, I kinda object to most of those. But most — right or wrong — are not idiotic religious belief systems of the kind I listed. Nor, apart from capital and democracy, are they purposed to transfer believers’ monies into the coffers of a small priesthood. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2017, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-may-have-muslim-neighbors/795388/76 "2017-09-07T17:07:29Z")
> [@Evan\_Drake](#): > > Some things aren’t worth knowing. > Try reading through a 1830 Bible Concordance sometime. I have. It’s very interesting. ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2017, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-may-have-muslim-neighbors/795388/77 "2017-09-07T18:04:22Z")
The thing that I find interesting in this is that you apparently can legally shoot fireworks off any time of year in Arkansas. Here in SD, it’s only legal to shoot fireworks off from June 27 to July 5 and, recently, from December 28 to January 1. Doesn’t matter where you live in the state. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2017, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-may-have-muslim-neighbors/795388/78 "2017-09-07T20:11:26Z")
I hear guns and fireworks fairly often but never considered it may be Muslims. In fact I doubt it is. ---
**Author:** ![Fubaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@Fubaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fubaya)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2017, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-may-have-muslim-neighbors/795388/79 "2017-09-07T20:39:19Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > They’re new, and we’ve not even met. But there were fireworks earlier tonight, and I couldn’t figure out why. And I’ve come to find out that last night was the end of Eid al-Adha, and that Muslims often celebrate the end with fireworks. > > And let’s just say my town is not the type of place where you’d expect this sort of diversity. > > This is, well, very interesting. This was the evening before Labor Day? Lily white folk in my neighborhood also shot fireworks Sunday night (and Monday). ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2017, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-may-have-muslim-neighbors/795388/80 "2017-09-08T12:15:37Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > Just passing through to note that it’s news to me that the end of Ramadan is normally celebrated with fireworks. Here in the UK the main tradition amongst Muslims appears to be “eat until you can’t move anymore”. So Thanksgiving, basically. I live a stone’s throw from Dearborn, which has the largest population of Muslims outside of the middle East, so Muslims (Arabs in general, actually) aren’t exactly a rarity. There were also many who attended school with me in Ann Arbor. I really took it for granted until I moved. I struggled to find good middle Eastern food anywhere else. In Jersey they looked at me like I had two heads when I asked for garlic sauce. No garlic sauce with your fattoush? Talk about bizarre unreconcilable beliefs. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-may-have-muslim-neighbors/795388.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-may-have-muslim-neighbors/795388.md?page=5)