It seems today that most people know very little about Islam. When people don’t understand something, they tend to get frustrated and dislike it. In order to help some people understand Islam a bit better, I have compiled a list of common questions that people have asked me before, with my answer.

1. "So, why do Moo-zlums wear those things on their heads?"

First of all, the word is Muslims (Mus-limbs). It is not pronounced moss-lems or (the worst) Moo-zlums. We are not cows. Do not “moo” at us.

Second, the head scarf is called the hijab (he-jab). It is worn to express modesty, an important value in Islam. Although it is more commonly seen worn by women, many men wear a version of it. Normally, wearing the hijab is a choice. Islam emphasizes that you cannot force anyone to do anything, and so if a culture forces their women to wear the hijab, they are contradicting Islam.

2. "What do you mean?"

Islam is an Arabic word that means: peaceful submission to god. A Muslim is a person that peacefully submits to god.

Allah is basically the Arabic word for God.

In Islam, we believe that Christians, Jews and Muslims all worship the same god. The reason why we say Allah instead of god is because it is a unique word that cannot be plural, and cannot be associated with anything other than the lord (as opposed to the word god, which could be used to refer to multiple gods, godparents, Kanye West, etc.)

The Quran is our holy book, mosque is our place of worship, Allahu Akbar means Allah is the greatest.

3. "You guys don’t believe in Jesus?"

False. Jesus is one of the most important Prophets in Islam. He is actually mentioned in the Quran seven times more than the Prophet Mohammad. We also believe in the Immaculate Conception. The Virgin Mary is a huge deal to us (there is a whole verse in the Quran dedicated to her!).

4. "Do you guys celebrate Christmas?"

If it is a religious holiday to you (i.e. Christmas, Easter, etc.) we don’t celebrate it. If it is not religious (i.e Thanksgiving, Fourth of July, etc.) then we probably do celebrate it.

We have our own religious holiday called Eid. It happens twice a year and it is on different days every year because the Islamic calendar is lunar (based on the positions of the moon).

Eid-al-Fitr means festival of breaking the fast and it is celebrated at the end of Ramadan. (Ramadan is when Muslims fast for 30 days in order to commemorate the revelation of the Quran to the Prophet Mohammad)

Eid-al-Adha means festival of the sacrifice and commemorates the Prophet Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son for god.

5. "Why don’t you guys eat bacon? Will it kill you if you do?"

Probably! Do you know how much fat and cholesterol is in bacon?

Whenever something is prohibited in Islam, there is always a reason. In this case the reason is health. Pigs are one of the main animals linked to disease. They don’t sweat, so toxins remain in their body as opposed to being excreted.

6. "You don’t drink, you don’t smoke, you don’t have sex…do you guys have any fun at all?!"

We try to avoid things that alter our natural state-of-mind (like alcohol and drugs) because we have a belief that we should always remain fully in control of ourselves (call us crazy!). We don’t have sex before marriage, partly because of the health risks, but mainly because sex and marriage are big deals to us. They are real commitments for the sake of god, and should be about more than merely lust.

Despite being prohibited from getting wasted, high or contracting STDs, we still manage to have a good time. Imagine that!

7. "Why do you guys oppress women?"

We don’t. Women are a big part of Islam. The first follower of Islam was a woman. Islam was one of the first official systems that granted women’s rights. The first university in the world was created by a Muslim woman. There is a whole chapter in the Quran about women and how they should be respected. Any oppression toward women in Islamic societies is cultural, not religious.

8. "What is Halal?"

Halal is kinda like Kosher. If we are going to kill an animal for meat, there are rules we have to follow. The animal has to be free-range (no abusive factories). It has to be killed in a certain way, which is painless to the animal. It also has to be cleaned a certain way, to avoid disease. Halal meat is kinda the ideal, humane way to make meat.

9. "Are you an ISIS?"

…No, I am not an ISIS member or supporter. ISIS, or as I prefer to call them, Daesh (day-ish) (this is what France and Middle Eastern countries calls them, referring to the word Daes (Day-es) which means one who causes corruption) is not Islamic. They kill more Muslims than any other demographic.

They misinterpret Quranic quotes in order to radicalize naïve, ignorant people all over the world (kinda like what Trump is doing *sips tea*).

10. "Does your marriage have to be arranged?"

No, it doesn’t have to be.

We don’t date, so our relationships can best be described as those of Romeo and Juliet or Cinderella: We meet each other, become friends, meet each other’s families, get engaged and then start dating. Like I said before, relationships are commitments. (P.S. the four wives thing is another story, but know that it is not as common as it seems!)

If you have other questions, feel free to send me a message!