Hi

[StopS]

AS a non-believer I am confronted with religion on a daily basis and wish to learn more about the daily implications of Islam living in an Islamic country. I can ask my colleagues about general things, but avoid talking about religion.
I try and be nice and tolerant, but I do tend to get emotional at times.

I hope to have some nice discussions and learn things at a personal level.

[Hulk]

Are you by any chance related to LauraS? Anyway.. welcome to the forum I hope you will benefit from it. If you don't mind may I ask what do you mean by getting emotional at times?

[Periwinkle18]

Welcome to the forum hope you like it here :)

[StopS]

Are you by any chance related to LauraS?

Sorry, no.

Anyway.. welcome to the forum I hope you will benefit from it. If you don't mind may I ask what do you mean by getting emotional at times?

Well, if I see remarks or questions which I have seen very often before which actually show the lack of trying to understand or sheer ignorance I get impatient or frustrated and use sarcasm and sound arrogant. That's what others have told me. I don't really want to sound like that but it seems I loose my rational approach at times and sound harsh, even if I am not.

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[Eric H]

Greetings and peace be with you StopS; welcome to the forum, I hope you find some answers too.

As a matter of interest, whats it like being an atheist and living in an Islamic country, and what country would that be.

In the spirit of praying to one God.

Eric

[StopS]

Greetings and peace be with you StopS; welcome to the forum, I hope you find some answers too.

As a matter of interest, whats it like being an atheist and living in an Islamic country, and what country would that be.

In the spirit of praying to one God.

Eric

Thank you.

It is no problem. Quite the contrary. I am not difficult and consider the adaptation to a loudspeaker blaring out the muezzin's comments a minor inconvenience. It is funny at times, when he loses track of his lines or suddenly sneezes or coughs straight into the microphone. People are very pleasant, extremely hospitable and my wife feels very safe.
You get the odd rich kid whose father is a big-shot and thinks he can get away with anything, but all in all it's modern, relaxed and accommodating. Now, during Ramadan it gets a bit awkward because we can't buy lunch like normally and need to send out for food and then we have to sit in a closed office, so as to not set a bad example for believers. Weekends will also be slow for the next 5 weeks.

[StopS]

Oh dear, I had a problem with the forum flaking, so I completely forgot to answer the question of where: mostly Doha, but sometimes a month or two in Abu Dhabi or Dubai, never Kuwait.

[جوري]

Qatar & Abu Dhabi are fairly liberal.. I can't imagine it getting awkward-I have many relatives there and Qatar especially is like a little piece of the U.S.
I think if you wanted to live without the Muslim experience there you can pretty much .. will this your first Ramadan there?

[Endymion]

Ello StopS.I can see you in UI as well :statisfie Hope you like being here too :statisfie


:welcome:

[StopS]

Qatar & Abu Dhabi are fairly liberal.. I can't imagine it getting awkward-I have many relatives there and Qatar especially is like a little piece of the U.S.
I think if you wanted to live without the Muslim experience there you can pretty much .. will this your first Ramadan there?

Hahaha, wishful thinking!!! No, I am being chucked out of bed at 4:22 by 4 mosques in the immediate vicinity. I hear the Friday prayer sermon from different directions and if I drive anywhere on weekends I hear it too. Also, if we go somewhere we adapt to the local culture and dress differently than we would in South Africa or the UK. My wife does not swim or tan topless, normal in other countries. If we meet Muslim friends at home we still need to adhere to customs and not look at a female or touch her by mistake.

No, I have been in the region for a few years.

[StopS]

Ello StopS.I can see you in UI as well :statisfie Hope you like being here too :statisfie


:welcome:

Thank you for the nice welcome.

[جوري]

Hahaha, wishful thinking!!! No, I am being chucked out of bed at 4:22 by 4 mosques in the immediate vicinity. I hear the Friday prayer sermon from different directions and if I drive anywhere on weekends I hear it too. Also, if we go somewhere we adapt to the local culture and dress differently than we would in South Africa or the UK. My wife does not swim or tan topless, normal in other countries. If we meet Muslim friends at home we still need to adhere to customs and not look at a female or touch her by mistake.

No, I have been in the region for a few years.

Why don't you just leave there it sounds like hell?.. prayers here and prayers there and your wife can't go nude and you can't touch other women by 'mistake'....

[dqsunday]

Or you can always revert to Islam ;)

Welcome to the forum, StopS. I expect eventually you will get used to the various calls to prayer etc. One big disadvantages of being a Muslim living in a non Islam state, is we don't get the loud 'reminders' its prayer time.

[StopS]

Why don't you just leave there it sounds like hell?.. prayers here and prayers there and your wife can't go nude and you can't touch other women by 'mistake'....

Well, I see all this as a minor inconvenience. I can adapt to the local culture and have no problem accepting that Utopia does not exist.
So, for me it is not black or white and the way you make it sound is not at all how it is intended. Are you always grumpy or just today?

[StopS]

Or you can always revert to Islam ;)

Welcome to the forum, StopS. I expect eventually you will get used to the various calls to prayer etc. One big disadvantages of being a Muslim living in a non Islam state, is we don't get the loud 'reminders' its prayer time.

Thank you. You are right, it is a matter of getting used to it - but it is not as though it does not exist.
Then you might want to buy an Android phone because it took me a while to figure out how to stop the very loud reminders - even very early in the morning. And this is an app I can't disable or let alone delete.

[جوري]

Well, I see all this as a minor inconvenience. I can adapt to the local culture and have no problem accepting that Utopia does not exist.
So, for me it is not black or white and the way you make it sound is not at all how it is intended. Are you always grumpy or just today?

Only with people whose idea of utopia includes animal like regression and subjugation of women!

best,

[StopS]

Only with people whose idea of utopia includes animal like regression and subjugation of women!

best,

:) Maybe a decade ago I would have thought about this. Today I prefer a civilised approach and consent to force and violence. Would that be incompatible with my personal version of Utopia? Nope!

[جوري]

:) Maybe a decade ago I would have thought about this. Today I prefer a civilised approach and consent to force and violence. Would that be incompatible with my personal version of Utopia? Nope!

There's nothing civilized about nudity and rejection or rather being appalled at the call of prayer especially when you're a guest in a country!
If it is nothing more than an inconvenience then why post your grievances?

best,

[StopS]

OK, I got the message. I can be insulted and slandered, but I am not allowed to defend myself or even clarify a situation.

[Qurratul Ayn]

^ Nope, that is not the case

Welcome to the forum, StopS

God-willing, you will learn a lot here and find it beneficial.

[Asiyah3]

Welcome to the forum.

I hope you will enjoy your stay, both in where you are and on the forum.

[جوري]

OK, I got the message. I can be insulted and slandered, but I am not allowed to defend myself or even clarify a situation.

I see my pots deleted and your vile ones standing so I am not sure where you're coming up with that conclusion or similar ones? At any rate, I am not sure how you can defend either of your above statements. I'd really hate to be the nation accommodating someone with your type of ideology and your level of aversion to Islam and chastity. You breathe their air and eat of their food and undoubtedly filling your pocket of their money & then come ***** about adhan and your wife's garment!
ugh

[dqsunday]

Android phone because it took me a while to figure out how to stop the very loud reminders - even very early in the morning. And this is an app I can't disable or let alone delete.

Yes, I am aware you can get apps for phones to give reminders, but I would actually have to buy a cellphone that can run these apps. I just have a simple pay as you go cellphone for emergencies. But I haven't been missing prayers since I got into the habit of doing them 5 times a day. But I can see how it would be irritating for a non muslim, before I reverted I would be quite cranky if I was woken up by a call to prayer. Now that I have reverted to Islam I find its far easier to get up for the dawn prayer by just staying up till dawn, pray then go to bed. I am a night owl anyway.

I expect the only way you or anybody else wanting to get a smartphone in an Islamic state that doesn't have the reminder app is to order it from outside the state.

[StopS]

Welcome to the forum.

I hope you will enjoy your stay, both in where you are and on the forum.

Thank you. I initially thought so, but there's too much hate and censorship here, so I think I'll leave you guys to do your thing.

[Qurratul Ayn]

but there's too much hate and censorship here, so I think I'll leave you guys to do your thing.

Hate and censorship?

Which forum are you on?!

Oh dear

[dysphoricrocker]

Wow. It was an introduction and a goodbye in the same thread.

Anyway if you are still here, welcome! (:

[StopS]

Wow. It was an introduction and a goodbye in the same thread.

Anyway if you are still here, welcome! (:

Hahaha, nice reply! Yes, it was a rocky start. But thank you just the same. It shows me and confirms my impression that humans are humans, in spite of some insignificant differences.

[Ğħαrєєвαħ]

Greetings of peace StopS,

Welcome on board!

It seems you want to leave, but I suggest you stay in order to learn about Islaam, you can always read posts and gain knowledge by them as I believe this was one of your purpose of entering the board and I believe there is no harm in learning..

All the best!

[StopS]

Greetings of peace StopS,

Welcome on board!

It seems you want to leave, but I suggest you stay in order to learn about Islaam, you can always read posts and gain knowledge by them as I believe this was one of your purpose of entering the board and I believe there is no harm in learning..

All the best!

Thank you for the encouragement. Yes, I agree with you in principle. Unfortunately, I have a personality that cherishes the truth. So if I see a posting which is horribly wrong or false or misleading I tend to try and rectify it. So I spend considerable time and make an effort of saying what is wrong, why it is wrong and describing what would be right. I try to stay factual and don't use insults if someone disagrees with or lies about my character, but use sarcasm, derision or ridicule to attempt to set the record straight. If my conributions or questions are still misinterpreted or deleted it does not make much sense to maintain an active or passive role, does it?

Yeah, it's a strange world we live in.

[Muhammad]

Greetings,

To set the record straight (as already mentioned here), the posts which were deleted were not because of any kind of censorship. Rather that was done to bring the discussion back on topic. There seemed to be an argument which did not involve the topic at hand so that was removed (which is quite a normal occurrence). Note that the other member's posts were also removed. If you have any further queries or complaints about your posts being deleted, you are welcome to create a thread in the Helpdesk section where a moderator will help to clarify.

I'd like to add one more thing, which is that I find sarcasm, derision and ridicule in most cases unnecessary and unconducive in discussions, and these could quite easily be interpreted as insults. I would therefore suggest you avoid this to avoid any misinterpretation or ill-feeling.

Regards.

[Ğħαrєєвαħ]

Thank you for the encouragement. Yes, I agree with you in principle. Unfortunately, I have a personality that cherishes the truth. So if I see a posting which is horribly wrong or false or misleading I tend to try and rectify it. So I spend considerable time and make an effort of saying what is wrong, why it is wrong and describing what would be right. I try to stay factual and don't use insults if someone disagrees with or lies about my character, but use sarcasm, derision or ridicule to attempt to set the record straight. If my conributions or questions are still misinterpreted or deleted it does not make much sense to maintain an active or passive role, does it?

Yeah, it's a strange world we live in.

You are welcome.

There is nothing wrong in cherishing the truth, but there is nothing wrong in trying to understand more of where the other side may be coming from.

So if I see a posting which is horribly wrong or false or misleading I tend to try and rectify it.

Also, sometimes one may not have the need to directly use an insulting term, their speech or the way they come across can be quite negative and insulting, if that makes sense, for example when you said you use sarcasm, not a lot can take sarcasm lightly, one may feel they are being mocked, I personally do not believe this is the correct way in discussion, nor ridicule or derision.

So far I have not seen your questions or what you have contributed misinterpreted, or I may missed out, but there is no doubt it is indeed a wrong if it has been misinterpreted . And if you feel it's incorrect then you may want to contact the mods as to why a certain post is deleted, though I believe the mods have a reason as to why they did so.

Remember, we live in a world where there has always been disagreements, but regardless of disagreements we should maintain a positive attitude, a reminder to myself firstly..

However, if you are sincerely interested in learning about Islaam, i'd start of with the basics of the faith, and ask questions, you may have some questions as does everyone,you can check sections such as Importance & Etiquettes of Seeking Knowledge, Islamic History and Biographies, Islamic Multimedia etc etc.

peace

[StopS]

There is nothing wrong in cherishing the truth, but there is nothing wrong in trying to understand more of where the other side may be coming from.

Words of wisdom. Works "miracles" both ways.

Also, sometimes one may not have the need to directly use an insulting term, their speech or the way they come across can be quite negative and insulting, if that makes sense, for example when you said you use sarcasm, not a lot can take sarcasm lightly, one may feel they are being mocked, I personally do not believe this is the correct way in discussion, nor ridicule or derision.

Ok, yes, I am guilty here and actually regret that I only responded 2 or 3 times ignoring the insults without retorting. And yes, I am too emotional at times.

So far I have not seen your questions or what you have contributed misinterpreted, or I may missed out, but there is no doubt it is indeed a wrong if it has been misinterpreted . And if you feel it's incorrect then you may want to contact the mods as to why a certain post is deleted, though I believe the mods have a reason as to why they did so.

They were removed to not serve as further ammunition. I agree again. I did. Some was explained, which I agree with completely, some was not.

Remember, we live in a world where there has always been disagreements, but regardless of disagreements we should maintain a positive attitude, a reminder to myself firstly..

:bravo: ... and I love the humour!

However, if you are sincerely interested in learning about Islaam, i'd start of with the basics of the faith, and ask questions, you may have some questions as does everyone,you can check sections such as Importance & Etiquettes of Seeking Knowledge, Islamic History and Biographies, Islamic Multimedia etc etc.

peace

Yes, and that is what I am doing. I ask. Sometimes I comment, if I see something which is horribly wrong. No, I am not here to learn about Islam primarily. I want to learn about everyday life. I want to understand how people have a belief and how they consolidate this belief in our world today. I am more interested in the people than a principle or dogma.

[Asiyah3]

Thank you. I initially thought so, but there's too much hate and censorship here, so I think I'll leave you guys to do your thing.

"You guys". Me and the majority of the members are definitely not here for hateful talks. I am sad this is the picture you got of us... Personally, if I find some members I don't like to have a discussion with or I don't like their way of discussion, I simply don't answer them.

[StopS]

"You guys". Me and the majority of the members are definitely not here for hateful talks. I am sad this is the picture you got of us... Personally, if I find some members I don't like to have a discussion with or I don't like their way of discussion, I simply don't answer them.

I did not say - and never will - that people are hateful or that most or the majority of a group of people have an attribute x.

Sadly, I did not have your advice before I got taken in by anger and frustration. But thank you for the good intentions.