Re: Don’t change the normal things about yourself. 
yep, I dont care if my family’s thinking im having a chakar with my cousin 
just coz we became best buddies… U cant possibly be pleasing this whole world so why bother
Re: Don't change the normal things about yourself. :-)
Luvblingz, interest in it and talking about it is fine for them, as I've said. Don't turn my words into something I haven't said or written. As I've already said, I don't mind if they want to talk about it, I listen to them if they want to tell me, even if I don't really like to know their mindset on that topic... I often listen to stories of other people I'm not even always interested in hearing. I want to help them or be polite.
The thing nobody should do to me or anyone else is to become annoyed and even angry when I myself don't want to tell about my experiences on that topic. Do what you want in your life as long as you don't harm others, but don't force other people to live as you think is better... If I don't want to talk about my experiences about that, nobody should keep telling me I must and nobody should use that against me as several people have already done to me, they did it at school to me, they did that at work to me years later, several friends have done that and still do it, many people use it against me when I don't talk about my own experiences on that topic. The thing that bothers me is not so much that they tell me about their experiences about that, but that they all want me to share my experience on that while for me it's all very private... If I don't want to talk about it, nobody should make a huge problem out of it as people have been doing to me for years...
And of course I put it more in a western mindset since they are the ones who are making a big problem out of it, the ones I knew and know anyway do... They make fun of me, not just normal fun which I can take, I make normal fun of myself even, no, what they do is much worse. And on top of it, they make awful lies about why I don't want to talk about this topic.
But why is everyone suddenly taking only this topic... this was an example. The real topic of this thread is just to remain yourself and that other people should accept you as you are and you shouldn't have to change yourself just to please them. It's your life. People who don't accept you as you are, arent'worthy of you. Sure, they can dislike you or dislike certain aspects of you, but they should leave you alone and at least respect you. Respecting is accepting other people as they are even if you don't agree with them.
I don't force other people to be like me... I don't tell other people they should be interested in what I do and say and that they should live their life as I think is better. If they ask me or if there is discussion, then I give my opinion if I want to, but I still never tell others they 'must' live as I think is better... If I respect people who are different than me and I either befriend them or leave them alone, why can't people leave me alone too? It's not that difficult.
Re: Don't change the normal things about yourself. :-)
Best thing to do is stick to Islam or the Islamic aspects of the culture. Don't follow or cling to just a culture, be it Pakistani culture of Afghan or Iranian or whatever, if a culture has things which go against Islam then don't adhere to those aspects. Very simple.
I don't have an identity crisis or anything, I think America is a great place to be a Muslim, you can be a better Muslim here than Pakistan in my opinion.
Re: Don't change the normal things about yourself. :-)
The culture of the place where you grow up always becomes part of your life. Then it's up to you which parts of that culture you take and which parts you keep out of your life. I was born and raised in Holland, so naturally the culture of Holland becomes a part of me too, yet at home I was raised in a Pakistani culture, very different from Dutch culture, but Pakistani culture naturally became part of me too.
I don't know where you can be a better Muslim in the world, but I would like to take my chance on a Muslim Village one day if I can ever afford it and my children are grown up and living their own lives. But I agree with you on this: that as a Muslim it's better to leave unIslamic aspects of any culture out of your own personal life.
I've done that in my personal life, I raise my children with both Dutch and Pakistani culture, they are born in Holland too, raised in Holland too and of course we have Pakistani blood and experiences, so of course that automatically becomes a big part of our lives. Yet, we take positive aspects only of both cultures and leave everything that goes against Islam out of it.
It's our way of life and we hope that people will leave us alone, let us be as we let other people be.
Re: Don't change the normal things about yourself. :-)
That was an interesting read. Like they say*;* Don't ever change yourself for others. Retards will be retards, ignore. :)
Ha! Nice one.
Re: Don’t change the normal things about yourself.
So, you guys actually read all that, huh? :k:
Re: Don’t change the normal things about yourself. 
I wanted to give some info about Muslim Villages. I’ve only known about them for a year or two, but from what I understand is that every kind of Muslim is welcome there, no matter what your interpretation of Islam is, as long as you don’t fight the others there and let everyone live according their own way of Islamic interpretation.
Also welcome there are non-Muslims, so Muslim Villages are not excluding other people and that is important. Of course non-Muslims who want to join Muslim Villages shouldn’t make a problem of hijab or zabba karna, etc. They can live as they please and Muslims can live as they please. That’s my understanding so far.
Muslim Villages are only in beginning of development. There is still a lot of work to be done and from what I know, there are only 1 or 2 so far.
Here is a link for more information:
Medinah Project Islamic Muslim Village
Another link, you have to scroll further to read about it:
muslim village « Al Bayyinah
No more people in Muslim Villages making a problem of hijab, duputta, niqab, burka, djanwar zabba karna, building a masjid, etc.