Help! present needed for Muslims moving in next door!

elaine373

I am sure that in this day and age of polictical debate, your muslim neighbours will probably be relieved to receive a smile from their `non muslim neighbour`. I definitely wouldnt give them alcohol but i think a welcome card would be great.In islam, kindness to one`s neighbours is very practised and if you start on the right foot i am sure it will benefit all of you. Dont misunderstand the wife`s quietness if she doesnt speak to you when her husband isnt with her. she may be a very pious muslim who is simply acting as she feels she should.I am a muslim in a predominantly non muslim area and i have brilliant neighbours, even though physically i stick out like a sore thumb.we help each other out when necessary without interfering in each other`s lives. Bless you for trying to make them welcome.

Bargain_Rzl

ringo_24601 wrote:

I wouldn't give an Xmas card.. you might be able to dig around for a 'Eid al Adha' card (Dec 31st). It does pang of ignorance when people buy me Xmas cards knowing i'm Jewish.

I'm sure a bunch of flowers will do nicely

I'm a Christian, and find it important that the cards I send have a Christian message. Most of the cards I send have Nativity images on them.

I won't send cards with Victorian snow-scenes/pictures of Santa/pictures of people shopping/pictures of robins - because it has nothing to do with the way I celebrate Christmas.

However, I do have several Jewish friends who send me a Christmas card, so I send them one back. Not wanting to be insensitive to their religion, nor wanting to compromise on my own preferences and send them a card which does not give a Christian message, I find the best solution is the kind of card which says "Wishing you peace and joy at Christmas" or some such sentiment. Surely there can't be many people who would be offended by such a message?

(I can't say I really know any Muslims, though...)

[Deleted User]

I guess it boils down to why people send cards and do things. If you're giving me a card wishing me a merry Christmas because you want me to have a nice day on Dec 25th, its rather similar to wishing me a happy birthday when it's not. I won't be having a 'Merry Christmas' because to me, it's just another day.

I'd feel just as stupid going around the office handing out Rosh Hashana cards and wishing people a happy new year who I knew were not celebrating it. Yes, i've had non-jewish friends give me cards for Rosh Hashana and i've really appreciated it.

On the OP:
I bet your neighbors would be really impressed if you could find them a card marking the start of Hajj (the pilgimage to Mecca) on Dec 30th

Link to a rather good inter-faith calendar : http://www.beliefnet.com/calendar/december_2006.html

LondonDiva

I'd suggest taking the HM cake. It's a nice personal touch that says you were really thinking of them and the butter shouldn't really be an issue.

I'd love neighbours like you.

seven-day-weekend

Bargain_Rzl wrote:

I'm a Christian, and find it important that the cards I send have a Christian message. Most of the cards I send have Nativity images on them.

I won't send cards with Victorian snow-scenes/pictures of Santa/pictures of people shopping/pictures of robins - because it has nothing to do with the way I celebrate Christmas.

However, I do have several Jewish friends who send me a Christmas card, so I send them one back. Not wanting to be insensitive to their religion, nor wanting to compromise on my own preferences and send them a card which does not give a Christian message, I find the best solution is the kind of card which says "Wishing you peace and joy at Christmas" or some such sentiment. Surely there can't be many people who would be offended by such a message?

(I can't say I really know any Muslims, though...)

I'm a Christian too, so understand what you are saying about cards with robins, Christmas trees, santas etc.

However, I don't see that there would be anything wrong with sending your Muslim neighbour (or one of any other religion) a card with a star or a peace dove on it with a neutral greeting (such as Season's Greetings) inside. That way you do not compromise your faith, nor run the risk of offending theirs.

To the OP, you sound a great neighbour! Take your neighbours a nice box of chocs or a nicely displayed basket of unusual fruit.

Hope you have a nice long relationship with them.

LondonDiva

re the Christian theme on a card, Muslims regard Jesus as a prophet rather than the son of God and are more disposed to recognise and appreciate his significance than the secular person might think.

The people who tend to get offended by such things tend to be people of no faith who then assume that other faiths would be put out.

culpepper

I wouldn't do the wine. We had a Moslem man at work who used to get quite angry if anyone offered a drink ,even in jest . I worked in London in those days and quite a lot of my collegues were cheeky chappies and would offer him their bacon sarnies too.
My School was in a very multicultural area, I had Jewish and Hindu friends who exchanged cards with me at xmas .
Good on you for being a friendly neighbour:)

tawnyowls

sandieb wrote:

If someone sent me a card representing a festival of their religion, I'd be honoured, no matter what religion it was.

Absolutely. I used to work in an office with people of several different religions, not all of them practising, but whether they were or not, Christmas, Chanukah and Diwali cards did the rounds regularly.

I'm bemused that so many people misinterpreted the title - to me, it said exactly what the OP meant to say, i.e. wanted advice on a present to welcome new neighbours. Having re-read it, I still can't see how it could have been misread.

newcook

tawnyowls wrote:

Absolutely. I used to work in an office with people of several different religions, not all of them practising, but whether they were or not, Christmas, Chanukah and Diwali cards did the rounds regularly.

I'm bemused that so many people misinterpreted the title - to me, it said exactly what the OP meant to say, i.e. wanted advice on a present to welcome new neighbours. Having re-read it, I still can't see how it could have been misread.

The original posting title was 'Help - muslims are moving in next door' or something similar!!

HappyIdiotTalk

So have they moved in yet? How did it go? As a completely unreligious person I'd be well chuffed if I moved home and was brought something by a neighbour, be it a bottle of wine, cake, loaf of bread & tea, onion bajee's, card, tin of paint... The gift would be nice, but the fact someone made the effort would be very reassuring and welcome.

That said, some onion bajees...