Muslim

While a lot of people might not know, I love learning about other cultures and religions, so last night I watched "All American Muslim".  Some of the things I learned were...

1.  A man can marry outside of the faith, but the woman cannot.
2.  When a man marries a woman, a dowry still must be presented and it is set in stone.  There was be an amount spoken and presented.
3.  Some woman wear the hijab and others do not, but it has no bearing on their faith.  For example; if a woman does not wear the hijab, she is still considered Muslim and allowed to practice the faith.
4.  A daughter begins to wear the hijab at the age of 9.
5.  To convert to Islam, it involves ONE statement unlike other faiths where you might be required to go to a class.  

The show follows 5 families that live in Dearborn, Michigan.  Dearborn is considered the Muslim capital of the US.  Those families include males and females from the age of 60 to 6.  Most of the older women wear the hijab and stay at home, with their husbands doing none of the house work or child raising.  One daughter is 32 and unmarried, being thought of as an "old maid".  But several of the younger moms and female do not wear the traditional clothes and two of them have jobs outside the home.  One of the mothers ear very provactive clothes and is an Event Planner.  There is one mother that because the husband is Muslim did not have to convert.  But, one young lady got married to an Irish Catholic that converted, again using the 1 line statement.

I was completely fascinated by the show and will watch it again.  Seeing how they live their lives will be interesting over the next few months.