Muslim American Culture Essay

Muslim American Cultural Workshop
Cultural Diversity
Amanda Blackstock
Baker College

Muslim Americans were first known in American more than 400 years ago. Some evidence even shows that Muslims were aboard Christopher Columbus ship, but this information is scanty. (American Muslims in the United States, n.d.) Muslim Americans practice the Islam religion. The majority of Muslim Americans immigrated here from North Asia, Middle East, and South Asia. The estimate of Muslim Americans comes to some debate, being estimated anywhere from 2 -10 million. The Pew Research Center concluded that a fair estimation of Muslim Americans is 2.75 million. The estimated population is hard to determine because of the religion-based community.
This includes not baring arms, or knees. Next, Muslim American women usually wear a Hijab. This Hijab marks devotion and commitment to their faith. Most Hijab’s are full of color and light, and give women the opportunity to express their personalities, rather than their bodies. Besides having to cover up part of the body, Muslim American fashion is similar to the broader American culture. Having conservative dress, and wearing a Hijab doesn’t stop Muslim Americans from snowboarding, or going out in public, and is more of a form of self expression rather then oppression. (Spinks, R. J., n.d.) Another tradition that is somewhat limiting to Muslim American women is shaking of hands. Most women decide against shaking of hands, because it can be seen as rude if done by the opposite gender. A greet with a slight nod and a smile is usually the correct greeting. (Local Muslims, Scholars Weigh In On Shaking Hands with the Opposite Sex, 2014) Ramadan is a holiday celebrated on the ninth month on the Muslim calendar. It celebrates the day that the Quran was given to their prophet Muhammad in 610 CE. During Ramadan, American Muslims are to not consume food or drink from dawn to dusk. This is to focus on prayer, and to purify the body and mind. (Ravinsky, J., & Zirulnick, A., 2013) Due to the number of times that a Muslim American could pray a day, pets are strongly discouraged. The home needs to be a clean space, and
In the Muslim American culture, women wear headscarves called hijabs. These hijabs symbolized commitment and devotion to their religion of Islam. Women want to reflect their personalities at people, not the rest of their bodies. (Spinks, R. J., n.d.) In the Muslim American culture, people are not allowed to shake the hands of the opposite sex. This includes any form of touch. While in the business world, this is our main form of communication; it is not in the Muslim American community. (Local Muslims, Scholars Weigh In On Shaking Hands with the Opposite Sex, 2014) In the Muslim American culture, Ramadan is celebrated. This celebration is based on the day the Quran was given to the prophet Muhammad. The Quran is similar to the Bible. During this celebration, American Muslims do not eat or drink from sunrise to sunset. This leads to exhaustion due to relatively odd eating hours, and could lead to less productivity. (Ravinsky, J., & Zirulnick, A.,