U.S.A vs U.K lifestyle, and religious freedom

**al-fateh** · 12-26-2006

U.S.A vs U.K lifestyle, and religious freedom

i have always wondered how it is to be a Muslim in the UK vs a Muslim in the United States.

I am sure there is some differences due to the fact in europe there is no religious freedom the same way it is reflected in the united states...as an example the hijab ban taking place, and stretching from Europe.

How is the freedom of a Muslim reflected in the UK? how is it reflected in the USA?

who do you think has more freedom under the sense of the governments ?

**'Abd al-Baari** · 12-26-2006

brother i think that although there is this hijab thing going on at the moment there is more religous freedom in the u.k than in the u.s, since 9/11 many muslims are treated harshly there, not by the government but by the americans. although racism is everywhere.

**al-fateh** · 12-26-2006

since 9/11 many muslims are treated harshly there, not by the government but by the americans.

how so?

where do u live akhi?

**Woodrow** · 12-26-2006

I have not seen nor heard of any racism against Muslims in Austin. Muslims do make up a fairly large segment of Austins population and from all I see and hear, Muslims are treated not only with tolerance but with high respect.

I only know of one serious incident directed against a Muslim in Texas. Immediatly after 9/11 a Man shot and killed a Hindu store owner, on the basis he thought the Hindu man was Muslim.

Here in Austin a Masjid was spray painted with Nazi graffitti by a small gang of teenagers. Upon their arrest the teens stated they thought the Masjid was a Jewish synogauge. That is the only incident I know of in Austin.

I have lived in several areas of Texas both as a Muslim revert and as a Non-Muslim. And Discrimination on the basis of religion is virtualy unknown.

True there is still racism directed against African/Americans, that is an issue that goes back for over 100 years although the attitudes towards the decendants of slavery have become more tolerant, there still is not equal rights for all of them.

Oddly or perhaps parodoxoly non-white people from other countries seem to fit in with no problems and rapidly gain acceptance and often become very successfull.

In Texas there was some animosity against Vietnamese settlers here. But, that was primarily the result of fishing right issues between them and the American born Fishermen. That seems to have been resolved at least 20 years ago.

It is true there is some preudice against Muslims in some of the other states and some of it has been serious. But, this is not the general attitude throughout all 50 States and even much less so in the US commonwealths and terretories such as Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands and the Phillipines.

**root** · 12-26-2006

I think you should think of it this way.

A UK "Murderer" of Pakistani origin stole her sisters passport and boarded a plane out of the country and so to his own freedom. How did he not get recognised at the airport as being a male with a female passport? That is the easy part and very easy. He wore a full face veil and British airports don't bother that much to ask full veiled women to lift the veil in the privacy of a room and in front of a female. Would such a thing happen in the US I wonder........

And what about airport security, out of fear of offending Muslim women, the answer I guess is prity weak at that.

**Muezzin** · 12-26-2006

Originally Posted by root

I think you should think of it this way.

A UK "Murderer" of Pakistani origin stole her sisters passport and boarded a plane out of the country and so to his own freedom.

'Somali' and 'his'. I'm anal retentive like that. Oh, and also 'pretty' at the end.

Anyhow, I don't know about the UK as a whole, but Leicester is very tolerant and peaceful - a model multicultural city which naysayers would do well to visit sometime.