Young Writers Society

Hey, all! I have quite a few questions, very specific. Naturally, with this specificity, there isn't much information on the internet about this, and I'm worried about books being outdated somehow. Plus, I didn't want to rely too much on the internet because I'm worried that the internet's information may be biased. Please excuse me if I sound ignorant, and I apologize in advance.

So... one of the characters in my book is Muslim, and I wanted him to be best friends with a Hindu woman. There aren't any romantic feelings. I just wanted to know if this is acceptable?

Do many Muslims believe that woman are inferior?

Those were all my questions. Again, I'm sorry if these sounded rude or judgmental, as I usually try and be very open-minded. It's just that with me trying to add some variety in my writing when it comes to minorities, and, as a result, I have some questions. Thank you so much!

It depends on what kind of Muslim he is. If you watch the REACT or FBE channel in YouTube, you could see two Muslim reactors there, Labib and I-forgot-his-name. Labib dyes his hair, wears earrings, and doesn't have any problem having physical contact with girls. I think that reflects well of how an American Muslim can act like.

It's different in my country, Malaysia, partly because it's among Asian countries that are generally viewed as conservative, and partly because Islam is the official religion here. Physical contact between male and female are restricted only to couples of lovers, and even then, you can't be too comfortable having it in public. Holding hand is fine, but hugging is frowned upon.

And about the inferior thing? I don't think Islam teaches that, not when it specifically says a child should prioritise their mother more than their father. Perhaps women have more restrictions than men, but it doesn't mean they're inferior to men. I think this inferior idea is less to do with religion and more to do with the general idea a society has. Regardless, with the amount of rules set in order to supervise how a man should treat a woman, it's safe to say Islam regards women as equally important as men.

From where I come from, which also happens to be a Muslim majority country, it's kind of different for us. At uni, for example, Hindu/Christians/Buddhists are befriended with Muslims with no problems at all. And, there seems to be no question of religion either.
A fun experience I can't resist the urge of sharing. As you might know it's the month of Ramadan so, last week we got invited to a friend's house for Iftar (The meal to break the fast with) and, both our Muslim, Hindu, and Christian friends were invited (Which, yes. Was a bit surprising, after all) and it was nothing but plain diverse, friendly, and fun! [: But yes, I do agree that it depends on the individuals. Some can hold conservative views and, it's really their choice.

Also about the question about inferiority, I think Lightsong made it quite clear.

Writing With Colour has a lot of research you can get about Muslims. Just be sure to read the appropriate tags in full before asking a question (you can check out the navigation here)— the archives are huge, and will probably provide lots of insight into your characters!

@Lightsong @Mialynire @Rosendorn Thank you all so much for the answers! I really appreciate your guys' insight, and I'll make sure to follow that Tumblr blog. I didn't even know it existed before now! How useful!

Good for you for adding diversity!
And lol I don't think you're being judgemental.
Just make sure when doing research on complex issues or broad backgrounds you not only read the generic views but the biased ones too. I think the bias helps in both ways and helps you decide where your character is. Whether they are Muslim or not.
Also, keep in mind that Muslims come from many, many backgrounds so make sure you address that if you are going to put a minority character in your writing. Too many times I see writers/authors doing this, where they just stick the 'black best friend/sidekick' or some random minority exotic friend to add diversity.
Already from your questions/concern I can see you want to approach this the correct way, so that's great. And I hope this helps! In no way was I trying to be pushy or mean.
I just thought I'd put my two cents in as a reader/writer from a diverse and (Muslim!) identity. If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to ask.
-L

Sweet! Thanks, @writingleos7!