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I have lots of questions.
First, and if you read my question to levite (I'm sorry, I don't know how to link specific posts), what is the Muslim view of sex before marriage?
The rest of the questions come from me and my husband jointly. We live in a very homogenous, very white uptight Christian community and the majority of our knowledge comes from the media (which is always right, you know!). He's a little more worldly than me, as he's travelled to the Middle East while in the military and had a very brief glimpse, but we are both pretty ignorant of Muslim belief/culture. We aren't trying to offend, we're genuinely interested.
How are American tourists viewed in countries that practice Islam? My husband said he would love to return (his example was Bahrain), but we really don't know if we'd be accepted, I guess. He said he saw a lot of European tourists, but what about Americans?
How is drinking viewed? Is it acceptable as long as it is in moderation?
My husband (I don't typically watch) sometimes hears on "news" programs and such - usually some sort of debate between a Muslim and a Christian - that mainstream Muslims view extremists and their behavior as not adhering to the teachings of Islam, but because of mainstream Muslims "not policing their own", the general, uneducated American view of Muslims is the extremist one. Is extremism tolerated...something distasteful but kind of swept under the rug? Are extremists who engage in criminal/terrorist activity actively pursued by law enforcement? Here in Utah (and the west in general), we definitely have extremist Christians and every so often there will be some big brouhaha between the religious people and law enforcement - the US certainly doesn't escape from zealotry. Again, we are genuinely curious. 3 minute soundbites don't offer much to sink your teeth into.
Lastly, my husband would like to know if you could recommend any books as good reading material for someone who wants to learn about Muslim religion/culture in general.
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"They say that patriotism is the last refuge to which a scoundrel clings; steal a little and they throw you in jail, steal a lot and they make you king"
Formerly Medusa
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