Being Muslim

You know, there's something special about waking up to a Fajr adhan. It's even more magical when there's a chorus of them from various mosques in the vicinity. But what really gets me is how this is all happening in a non-Muslim country. It's so weird.

And yet there are other examples of this kind of Islamic Integration, jaw dropping to us Brits even though we boast of how at home we are in the UK. We also heard adhans on the beaches of Durban and restaurants all over South Africa not only know what halal means and whether they have the required status or not (it was common for proprietors to explain that although their meat was from a halal source, their kitchens were not), but some even had prayer rooms or jamaat khanas. I mean it's not like I have a problem randomly praying when out and about in London, but this took convenience of practise up to another level.

Of course a lot has been said about bubble and how demographics tend to match geography in South Africa so perhaps I've just been exposed to Muslim friendly areas. But the point is that even if these are services made for Muslims the people and places seem much more comfortable with who they are then people elsewhere. This is quite ironic considering some of the other (self diagnosed) identity issues those in South Africa appear to have.