American Muslim

A Response to Geetali: Can a Muslim Eat Star of David cookies?

[Alternate Title: "Can a Muslim Listen to Christian Radio?"]


Bismillahir Rehmanir Rahim,

Dear Geetali,

Thanks for your fine comment. The exclusiveness of faith has been something I have pondered of late, especially now that I am muslim, because it is an issue that comes up a lot. A lot of my friends in Atlanta have seen me struggle with not my faith, but with muslims who represent all variations of Islam and have tried, sometimes in vain, to pull me towards their "sides." The most extreme of these highly observant Muslims, I have witnessed, are very much against anything that is not Islamic i.e. relating to Islam or Muslims. For example, I have a large framed photo at home of my paternal great-grandfrather from the 1920s. I came home one day and found the photo turned around, facing in the wall. I wasn't angry ... ok, I was angry because I wondered which of my two roomies had touched my stuff. It turns out that one of them had wanted to pray near it, but turned it around, not because it was my great-grandfather but because it was of a non-believer or 'kaffir.' That really annoyed me. People like this have also told me, for example, that Muslims shouldn't read or take an interest in other religions (which I disagree with vehemently because scholastic knowledge is good).

I have also, of late, turned this argument on its head and thought about some day to day versions of this. So, when I was at Dominick'ss last weekhere in Oak Park, IL (where I am spending a week), I saw a box of Star of David cookies, which I wanted to buy for my old roommate Sara, who's converting to Judaism. I mean they were just sugar cookies in the shape of the Star with light blue food coloring and yet for a second, I wondered whether it was okay to buy these cookies because they represented a shape of another religion. I could immediately see my "friends" coming up with two arguments - Muslims shouldn't be associated with anything, even food, that is tied to another religion. And, why I am giving her something tied to a religion that I know is not the best religion? First off - and again, no one has asked me these things, I'm just sayin' - they are just cookies. So what if they are shaped like Stars of David?? And second, I am happy that she has found faith and believes in one god. Islam wouldn't exist without the Jewish prophets who started the line that ended with Muhammed (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) and we are taught to respect all followers of "The Book." In fact, a Muslim man can marry a Christian or Jewish woman, as long as she becomes a Muslim eventually and the children are raised to be Muslim. But, that's for another day ....

But, I bought the cookies ...... :)
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Now, about some of the points you raised. I have the same background as you in many ways. I lived in India from 1989 to 1997 and was in school from 5th to 12th. I too went to a Christian school where we had to read and sing Christian hymns ("All Things Bright and Beautiful" sticks out, possibly because it was the name of my favorite James Herriot book as well) and had friends of many religions, like most people in India. Among my most immediate close group were a Sikh, two Hindus, a Korean and a Syrian Christian. My graduating class had Protestants, Catholics, Parsis, Muslims, etc.

And yes, I did take part in Hindu festivals, but not because I actually knew what I was doing, but more because I was too immature or unsure of what exactly I was doing and more letting my family tell me what to do. That changed when I turned 16 or 17 and became your average rebellious high school student, far more attracted to the escapism and individualism of atheism or agnosticism and shunned Hinduism.

But, where I disagree with you very much is with your comment that Hinduism accepts all religions. If that was true, then the Hindu caste system would accept all religions and there would be place for others. But, there is a clear four-layer categorization with the lowest caste of Dalits not even getting an official caste and then, there are non-Hindus. Perhaps I don't believe Hinduism is accepting of other religions because history has not been kind of this subject in India with so much violence of Hindu agaisnt Muslim, Hindu against Sikh, Hindu against Christian. And more so, as one of the biggest reasons I converted to Islam, was studying in detail the structure of Hindu nationalism and fundamentalism that is so ardently and passinately supported now in India by so many and its inherent hatred of non-Hindus.

More to come on this topic ....