Thoughts of an Angry Hijabi

The short history: After the Prophet Muhammad passed away, there was a disagreement over who would get to be the next Caliph. The people who wanted his companions to lead, became known as the Sunnis. The ones who wanted succession to be based on bloodline, became known as the Shias. Throughout history, Sunnis have held most of the political power and even today, they make up around 85-90% of the Muslim population worldwide. Shias have been a historically persecuted minority group who face discrimination and oppression even today. Currently, most of the world's Shia population lives in four countries: Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, and India.   

Do Muslim women have to wear a hijab? That's debatable. Although most Orthodox schools of thought, including Sunni'ism and Shi'ism, do require women to cover their hair, this practice is interestingly not exclusively mentioned in the Qur'an. Regardless, Islam places a heavy emphasis on modesty and for some that includes wearing a hijab. 

Sharia is literally just the Arabic word for "law" so those who say "Sharia law", are being redundant. The Islamic Sharia, which I assume is what they are referring to, is the law Muslims follow based on the Qur'an (and hadith). 

Halal literally means "permissible". It's basically everything a Muslim is allowed to do. "Halal meat" is meat that was slaughtered according to the Sharia. 

Alcohol, along with any other substances that impair judgement, are strictly forbidden in Islam. 

Because religion does not monopolize morality or cease individuality. 

Not according to the Orthodox schools of thoughts. However, some modern sects and scholars challenge this view. 

It isn't supposed to be. In fact, trans people are mentioned in the hadith, and are recognized in Muslim societies. However, in most Muslim majority countries (such as Pakistan), they face extreme discrimination, especially when it comes to employment, marriage, etc. 

According to the Qur'an, all men are equal in the eyes of Allah. Unfortunately, most religious people only choose to follow parts of the religious scripture that benefits them. Anti-blackness is prevalent in Muslim-majority nations, despite the amazing things black people have done for our community (and continue doing for us, even today). Some Muslims will quote Malcolm X, but will refuse to let their daughters marry a black man. It's sad. 

Just as sexist as all other men. There is nothing unique about their sexism, except that some do use religion to justify their bigoted beliefs. 

I recommend first starting off by researching the different sects and finding one that aligns with your personal beliefs. Next, try to read some religious scripture from that sect, and search for lectures by scholars from that sect. Finally, find a mosque near you for that particular sect (or any mosque with open minded people) so that you can be a part of our community.

During Ramadan, which is based on the Lunar calendar and thus doesn't fall on the same date every year, Muslims refrain from eating, drinking (yes, even water) from sunrise to sunset. We do this for two reasons: 1) it's one of the five pillars of Islam 2) it's supposed to help us become more humble and generous as the point of Ramadan is to feel the pain of the poor and starving. That's why in most Muslim-majority countries, people's generosity triples during Ramadan. Fasts are meaningless if you aren't growing from them.

  Muslims who are fasting cannot listen to music, or look at nudity. Also, you should never walk directly in front of a Muslim who is praying. Always ensure there is a physical barrier (a chair, a door, a wall) present between you and them. Try not to stare at us when we're praying, especially if we aren't of the same gender. 

Only those who are related to her by blood or marriage can see her hair. Anyone who is sexually attracted to women (including lesbians) generally cannot see a hijabi's hair.

We don't have some magic formula for dealing with non-Muslims. It depends heavily on where you live, and most importantly, WHO you're dealing with. Muslims are just like everybody else- some of us are nice and accepting and other's aren't.

Too many, apparently. I am still learning about new ones every day.