#multiple mods

CULTURE VS. RELIGION

Do NOT confuse culture with religion. Not all Muslims are Middle Eastern and not all Middle Easterners are Muslim. Acquaint yourself with the culture of your character separately from their religion  —  these beliefs are not interchangeable. Traditions vary from country to country and these traditions can make a great impact on your character’s religious consciousness.

MUSLIM CHARACTER-BUILDING

One should also figure out what type of Muslim they want to play before they start writing. We aren’t all cookie cutter little followers of the faith. You want to play a devout girl? Okay, how often does she pray and/or read the Quran? Does she wear a hijab? Why/why not? 

You want a very moderate guy? Okay, why isn’t he more religious? What religious traditions does he follow and why? 

You have a muse who isn’t religious at all but has grown up with the faith? Why aren’t they religious at all? 

And please don’t go the disrespectful route of ‘oh, my family was homophobic/transphobic/oppressing/violent so I cut all ties with them to escape their medieval mindset and run into the arms of atheism’. 

Although that is someone’s story out there, it’s very islamophobic coming from a non-Muslim who really has no idea if that is a reality so don’t.

SUNNI OR SHIA?

What branch of Islam do they follow? Sunni, Shia, Sufi? These beliefs are important, but also have something to do with culture and geography. Many Pakistanis, Iranian and Lebanese people are Shia, while the majority of Muslims are Sunni, etc. 

ETHNICITY

Is your character Arab? Muslims hail from every ethnicity yes, but are they affected by the predominant Arab supremacy that trickles into the Muslim community? 

Do they face the racism against Arab Muslims who think they’re not REAL Muslims because they do not speak Arabic and are not the people of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him)?

NOTE: Arab supremacy is very predominant as well as racism itself so it is important to know how your character deals with this. While not all Arab Muslims are knowingly perpetrating Arab supremacy, some are very harsh with how they believe they are superior to other Muslims simply because Muhammad was of Arabic descent. Arab supremacy though is more so tied to culture and not an integral part of Islam as Muhammad’s last sermon had preached that there is no superiority when it comes to race. 

MUSLIM YOUTH

Muslim teens/ya’s living in Muslim households don’t always have the luxury to party all night because we don’t drink. However, your character may be lenient on religion and just do it anyway. 

Also, consider the inherently different family dynamic in Muslim households. A lot of Muslim children are raised to be very respectful of their elders, not speak ill to their parents and not call their aunts, uncles etc. by their first names. These tendencies will follow them into adulthood.

Despite popular belief, Muslim teenagers are regular teenagers with the same troubles as everyone else; they will have crushes, they will wonder what it’s like on the opposite side of the fence and they will certainly doubt their faith too.

WRITING HARAM

Generally be very careful and thoughtful when portraying your character in environments and situations typically unusual or haram (forbidden). This means if you wish to write about your muse having sex then do so, but be aware of this character’s relationship to sex and whether or not it correlates with their beliefs. Same goes for drugs, alcohol and other strong and/or illegal substances.

It should be noted that although a character is fairly religious and a stickler for the rules, they will definitely say stuff or act in a way that isn’t the most righteous. This could be forgetting to pray, not fasting on Ramadan or eating things that are not halal. 

Writing out the level to which extent their religious consciousness goes can be a very useful tool but it should probably be consistent. If your character is religious, you could probably write them to be ensuring they do their prayers on time, i.e if they’re out shopping, they find an area to pray like a park or the parent-baby changing room. 

Or maybe they have a habit of checking for haraam ingredients in food and sweets such as alcohol and gelatine (usually containing pig gelatine or other meats which are forbidden) and buying halal meat + meals from butchers and restaurants. Do they only buy the filet o’ fish at Mcdonald’s when they’re out with their friends because that’s all they can really consume? Or do they sneak in a hamburger or cheeseburger every once in a while?

If your character isn’t very religious but still hold onto certain aspects of their faith, it could be that their prayer is scarce and while they’re not strict with what they eat. Maybe they’re okay with a restaurant that doesn’t serve halal meat so long as they do not consume pork/ham etc. 

Ramadan is usually a time where Muslims become more religious as it is the holy month where rewards are tenfold. Most semi-religious people tend to abstain from a lot of haram things and do more good deeds such as visiting the mosque for Taraweeh prayer or fasting and abstaining from bad deeds. 

Ramadan is also a time where semi-religious or people new to Islam tend to attempt fasting whether it be every second day or half days. 

Lapses in judgment also occur for most Muslims but don’t use it as an excuse to promote behavior that not one faithful Muslim would ever condone i.e. rape, murder, abuse of a child etc. Sure, it is a trend to write ‘shocking’ characters nowadays but these things are just abhorrent.

MUSLIM LGBTQ+

Also, MUSLIMS CAN BE PART OF THE LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY !!! Whether or not they are in the closet is up to you, but a lot of media conflicts with the Islamic faith and LGBTQ+ identity If your character isn’t straight, chances are they have felt confusion and maybe even helplessness as they traversed their sexuality/gender identity. 

LASTLY…