That Room in the Back

One of the things that Americans always fail to understand about the Islamic world is how generally tolerant it is - and certainly over the centuries Islam has been much more tolerant than Christianity. You see it in all sorts of ways, both big and small. I was reminded of one of the small ones yesterday when I went shopping at Spinney's, which is the little grocery store close to my apartment. In many grocery stores that are frequented by western ex-pats you will find the non-Muslim room in the back of the store, where items that Muslims are forbidden to eat are stored. So, for instance, if you wanted to buy hot dogs or sausages you'd go to that room. Here's an odd little picture that I snapped yesterday. In the background you can see the hot dogs, but in the upper left you can spot an unexpected item: Pop-Tarts. I'm not certain what makes Pop-Tarts haram, although it must be something in the ingredients. So, you can still get hot dogs or sausages - or Pop-Tarts - you just pick them up, and then like a teen-age boy who has snuck into the store to buy a copy of Playboy you bring your guilty purchase up to the front. Actually, there is no reason for skulking because, as I said at the beginning, the mood is much more tolerant and easy-going than is popularly perceived. Oh, and I had forgotten what a guilty pleasure, in more ways than one, Pop-Tarts are.