Michelle Owens

Answer any three (3) questions below. 

1. What is the significance of the “sign on the door” in terms of regulating space?  Can you think of other examples of religious individuals / families denoting their religious affiliation on the entrance of their homes?  If so, do you think it functions in the same way?

2. Why do you think African-American Muslim groups flourished in Philadelphia?  (Note, I'm asking you to speculate, the reading doesn't say.)  After reading the article, how do you think Muslim identity and racial identity were connected in Philadelphia?

3. Cite some specific examples of gender roles or expectations you see in the article. (Quote and cite page number.)  How do they seem to you?  (Familiar? Unfamiliar? Empowering? Freeing? Overly restrictive? Culturally distinctive but neither oppressive nor empowering?)  From what you read, do you think the gender norms and expectations described in the article are products of religious faith/teaching or a product of the culture of a specific community in the time and place discussed?

4. How tied to urban life and culture do you think the domestic interiors described in this article are? That is, do you imagine that Muslim homes in the suburbs have similar features?  (Did you grow up in a Muslim home? Do you live in one now? Or have you ever visited a Muslim home?)  If so, how did it compare to those described in this article?