A: Hi Rosada, as mentioned in previous posts, the only thing you need to do to become Muslim in testify to the Oneness of God and that Muhammad is a messenger of God: I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except God and I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of God. If you are on facebook, please visit Bellingham Association of Muslims and someone will be in touch with you. thanx Monem

A: Hi Rosada, as mentioned in previous posts, the only thing you need to do to become Muslim in testify to the Oneness of God and that Muhammad is a messenger of God: I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except God and I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of God. If you are on facebook, please visit Bellingham Association of Muslims and someone will be in touch with you. thanx Monem

A: Wa Alaikum Salaam Hope to see u at Jumma

A: Hi Doug, You are mixing religion with politics; There are millions of Muslims living in the west, and many more that aspire to live in the West. There is no contradiction. Misunderstandings exist on both sides. For example, a recent protest in Yorba Linda, CA or the King Hearings in Congress will lead Muslims to ask the same question: "do they really hate us?" Politically, however, specific to certain countries, there can be vast differences and this is probably not the right forum for that discussion.

A: Thank you Jane for your question. First, may God reward you for your efforts. One thing to remember is that the delineating point between a Muslim and non-Muslim is the saying of the Testimonial Faith: "There is no deity worthy of worship except God, and Muhammad is the messenger of God"; everything else, prayer, remembrance, even (as you mentioned) the way you dress is secondary. I can only speak on behalf of the Bellingham Association of Muslims and yes, you would be welcome; in fact, many who come are in a similar situation; we meet at 1:30pm at the Sustainable Living Center; second floor of the RE Store. Look forward to seeing you there

A: Thank you for the question. I am glad you are bold enough to ask the question. many have it, don't ask, and continue to live a life of misunderstanding. Very few things in the Qur'an can be taken at face value. The reason is because it was revealed over 23 years and in context of the events were taking place during the time of Prophet Muhammad. Also, keep in mind that you are reading an english translation of the Quran whose original language is Arabic. This second point is taken for granted in other religions, but it is essential to remember in Islam. That being said, the context of this verse is when there was a peace treaty in place between the Muslims and pagans of Mecca. They violated the treaty (too much to go over here, but if you want to read about it, please pick up "Muhammed: Man and Prophet" by Adil Salahi), and a call was given to Muslims to not tolerate this any more. It is not something any sane Muslim will translate to the modern age; I think it is also important to remember the second part of the verse, which gives all parties a way out. This is a common theme throughout the Qur'an; I hope this answers your question. Monem

A: Wa Alaikum Salaam thank you for your email and welcome to Bellingham. I am confident that you will love it here, as my family and I do. Jumma Prayer is held at 1:30pm in the back of the RE Store, on the second floor. the address is 2309 Meridian St. the Woburn prayer location has be closed and those individuals have moved to another location. I am not sure of the address. Please tell your husband to come by tomorrow, and if there is any help we can provide, we would be more than happy to. Welcome again Monem

A: Hi Rollie Having interaction with Muslims is the best way to understand religion, as long as you remember that even Muslims are human and make mistakes :) I think you should bring your family to a Friday prayer, which happens on the 2nd floor of Re Store in Bellingham at 1:30pm. There is s sermon, followed by a prayer, and then we hang out for a few minutes afterward and are usually done by 2:30pm. Thanks and look forward to seeing you

A: Hi Korry, thanx for reading the blog.... In Whatcom, you will mostly find Pakistani, Egyptians, and Muslims from Fiji; it is hard to tell how many Muslims live here, but maybe close to 100 families? there is a significantly larger population of Muslims in BC from all backgrounds; in fact Surrey is famous for its Pakistani and Indian Population; although the Sikh population is significantly larger.

A: Garnet, although not universal amongst Muslims, the fear stems from the idea that the saliva of a dog is impure. It is based on a saying of the Prophet Muhammed that if a dog licks your bowl, you must wash it 7 times before it is clean. Some believe that if a dog licks you, you must take a shower before you can pray, others believe that you must make ablution before you pray. Either way, since water was not easy to come by, Muslims began avoiding dogs altogether. This avoidance/distance led to fear. Shows you what can happen, amongst human beings even, if we avoid rather than engage each other!!!