A New Hotline for Muslim Woman Opened in Moscow
A new hotline for Muslim women opened in Moscow last month to guide followers of the faith through the complexities of living in secular Moscow.
The Russian capital and the Caucasus have the two largest concentrations of Muslims in Russia, where Muslims make up 10 percent of the population.
These numbers are growing with high birth rates among Muslims and as slowly increasing numbers of Russians have exposure to Islam and convert.
The new hotline gives some practical advice to those who are struggling to reconcile the demands of their religion with life in a city where little provision is made for its 2 million Muslims.
Many of the people who call are young women who have been drawn to Islam after studying it at University or after holidays to Islamic countries, where they have seen a noticeable lack of crimina-lity (due to harsh penalties) and where they were impressed by the relationships between men and women. Upon their return to Russia, many experience difficulties with their families or at work.
Finding work can be an especially difficult issue, as Director of the project Galina Alshabakh says, "It is very hard to find work if you wear the hijab (head scarf). They shun you when you wear it."
With regard to their relations, worried callers are generally advised to be patient and maintain good relationships with their families as, cites Alshabakh, "heaven is at the feet of our mothers." She says that very often just talking about the problems can be enough.
The operators are all female Muslim volunteers and so can offer experience and understanding. The practical difficulties for Muslims in Moscow are varied and range from observing dietary prohibitions, to obtaining medical advice, to buying a house.
The operators can say where to buy halal meat, where to find women doctors, and can recommend lawyers who are familiar with the restrictions of Sharia; Muslim law forbids making profit on loans and this makes obtaining a mortgage a delicate business.
Source: Muslim News Weekly
These numbers are growing with high birth rates among Muslims and as slowly increasing numbers of Russians have exposure to Islam and convert.
The new hotline gives some practical advice to those who are struggling to reconcile the demands of their religion with life in a city where little provision is made for its 2 million Muslims.
Many of the people who call are young women who have been drawn to Islam after studying it at University or after holidays to Islamic countries, where they have seen a noticeable lack of crimina-lity (due to harsh penalties) and where they were impressed by the relationships between men and women. Upon their return to Russia, many experience difficulties with their families or at work.
Finding work can be an especially difficult issue, as Director of the project Galina Alshabakh says, "It is very hard to find work if you wear the hijab (head scarf). They shun you when you wear it."
With regard to their relations, worried callers are generally advised to be patient and maintain good relationships with their families as, cites Alshabakh, "heaven is at the feet of our mothers." She says that very often just talking about the problems can be enough.
The operators are all female Muslim volunteers and so can offer experience and understanding. The practical difficulties for Muslims in Moscow are varied and range from observing dietary prohibitions, to obtaining medical advice, to buying a house.
The operators can say where to buy halal meat, where to find women doctors, and can recommend lawyers who are familiar with the restrictions of Sharia; Muslim law forbids making profit on loans and this makes obtaining a mortgage a delicate business.
Source: Muslim News Weekly
