Dear Binyana:

A website, www. islamreligion. com/ alcohol in islam, reads: “Islam’s holistic approach to health and well-being means that anything that is harmful or mostly harmful, is forbidden. Therefore, Islam takes an uncompromising stand towards alcohol and forbids its consumption in either small or large quantities. Alcohol is undoubtedly harmful and adversely affects the mind and the body. It clouds the mind, causes disease, wastes money, and destroys individuals, families, and communities… God tells us in the Quran that intoxicants and gambling are abomination.. God links alcohol and gambling to idolatry and declares it filthy and evil”-

I am not religious, not a Muslim, I am not living in a Muslim country, and I am already married, so our circumstances are very different. I personally believe that drinking responsibly, in moderation is fine. I think that if there was a god who forbade all drinking, he should have made life to be less problematic than it is. But having created life to be so problematic and complex, might as well let us have a glass of wine once in a while.

But if you are living in Saudi Arabia, you have to somehow conform to life there. What I would do, if I was you, would be to take your mother’s advice: “Mom says I should hide it more, just for societal reasons”. Good advice, I say! Hide it not because drinking responsibly is shameful, but because you live in a society where many either believe that alcohol is evil or they hide their own drinking, fearing others’ disapproval, so naturally they don’t want to be seen with anyone who openly drinks.

If you find a man to marry, discuss it with the man. Maybe he is fine with the two of you having a few glasses of wine or the like, on weekends and special occasions, and no need to make it public.

anita