Moving for job in Covington, GA - both muslims ??? (Atlanta: homeowners association, buying a home)
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Moving for job in Covington, GA - both muslims ???
Hello,
My wife and I are both from Canada and muslim. My wife wears a headscarf. I've been offered a job in Covington, GA. We are debating it, looking for a good city close-by Covington, GA, or Covington, GA itself.
My questions are quite simple :
- If we move in a town in the Covington, GA area
* Will we be subject to racism based on our religion, especially my wife
* The nationwide US media has not helped calm our nerves
* Is it media-hype, we've looked at so many websites ?
* We apologize for being direct and in no means want to offend
* What would be a town that is secure, diverse, and not bad to commute
* Would Covington, GA itself be a good choice
We both live now in a big city. We understand Covington, GA is more "country living". We've read the threads and Decatur came out.
My wife and I are both from Canada and muslim. My wife wears a headscarf. I've been offered a job in Covington, GA. We are debating it, looking for a good city close-by Covington, GA, or Covington, GA itself.
My questions are quite simple :
- If we move in a town in the Covington, GA area
* Will we be subject to racism based on our religion, especially my wife
* The nationwide US media has not helped calm our nerves
* Is it media-hype, we've looked at so many websites ?
* We apologize for being direct and in no means want to offend
* What would be a town that is secure, diverse, and not bad to commute
* Would Covington, GA itself be a good choice
We both live now in a big city. We understand Covington, GA is more "country living". We've read the threads and Decatur came out.
We thank you for your honest response
FromCanada
Stay in Canada. 9-11 wasn't that long ago. Being muslim here is not what one would call a "desirable trait" to have.
I don't know anything about Covington, but I do know the attitudes in the small town I live in located in the mountains.
If you must move to Georgia, make sure it's Atlanta or a suburb of Atlanta.
A lot of rural Georgians believe that all Muslims are terrorists or terrorist sympathizers. One local guy quit his job in protest because they hired a Muslim. He had worked at his job for many years, and was willing to walk away from it in a town with very few jobs.
Wish I could tell you differently, but I've been here long enough to see which way the wind blows.
There are other places in the U.S. with Muslim populations that have been there for decades. This fact is lost on many rural people because they haven't experienced much ethnic diversity.
Outside of Atlanta, Georgia is very rural or semi-rural.
In the 8 years I've lived in Covington, I don't recall seeing any Muslim women with headscarfs shopping, so she may experience an occasional curious glance. Shooting Stars is correct, unfortunately some equate Muslim with terrorist in this area BUT - do NOT let that dissuade you, it shouldn't impact your safety. Being Hispanic can illicit a similar visceral response from some. You have to consider the source. The more enlightened and educated people will accept you. Often people need to get to know YOU as a PERSON, rather than view you has a part of a group.
Meeting new friends may require some effort as "church" seems to be one of the primary networking points - but not the only one - for many here. You should be able to meet folks through other kinds of organizations.
Home costs and taxes are reasonable in Newton County. If you are going to purchase a home I'd suggest you look for one with covenants and homeowners association as it's another way to meet your neighbors.
Newton County does NOT have public transportation, so if she doesn't drive that could be troublesome.
I have Muslim friends who live in nearby Gwinnett County. The females household members wear head scarfs. They rented in the county for several years before buying a home. After moving into the newly purchased home in a mid-range upscale neighborhood women invited the Mother over for a "Welcome" coffee. She was welcomed as any newcomer to the neighborhood would be. I know other Muslim families in Gwinnett as well, but the women do not wear head scarves. Since they blend, no one who didn't know them personally, would even think about their religion.
Other community choices would depend on where in Covington you will be working, what you consider a reasonable commute and your other interests.
I would like to be able to tell you otherwise, but Covington, of which I am a resident, is probably not going to be the best environment for you or your wife. Personally, I'm very accepting of other cultures and religions, but Covington is largely populated by very Christian and very conservative people. That being said, I don't foresee anyone directly harassing either you or your wife though. I would think that if you were able to form ties with other Muslims in the area, that you could find life here enjoyable. Atlanta is a wonderful and very open-minded city, and it's only about 45 minutes away. In general, life in our town is laid back and a nice place to live. I wish you luck & please post if you have any other questions.
Further out in Convington closer to the East you will definitely be profiled and starred at, but closer to Conyers might not be such a problem. Covington has grown alot over the past few years with many different cultures moving in. If you more want diversity, check out Decatur or even Atlanta, on the whole GA itself is very Conservative with a lot of closed minded people. If I were you I would stay in Canada or choose a Northern state, but you said it was for a job so that might not happen so easy. Good Luck!
Thank you all for your honest answers. We are really, and I mean REALLY devided. The salary offer is excellent and the company is good. I'm just concerned about how my wife will integrate.
We have looked at Decatur and the surroundings as they are many mosques around there. Decatur to Covington is 40 min drives according to mapquest. Now that would be against traffic, so I estimate this to be a realistic figure, correct ?
There may be mosques but not many, if any, wear headscarves in public. When in Rome, do as the Romans do. I fear you will get a lot of the same attitude anywhere in America, pretty much anywhere you go, North or South. The Canadians weren't attacked. The Americans were. It is not the same fear element.
I gotta pipe in here, as one reason folks are little concerned about Muslims, and nobody seems to like talking about it, is contained in the Koran. The parts about where eventually, anyone who won't acknowledge Allah as their god and Mohamed as his prophet are to be severely punished/killed. A HUGE problem for us "Rural" folk, and anyone else who isn't real keen on converting to avoid a good beheading, be it in the near future or 'down the road.'
The biggest difference between "the good" Muslims and the "bad" Muslims seems to be in the timing of this koran-mandated eventuality. I also have to take notice that even in allegedly "friendly" Muslim countries, the sleazeballs who want to attack Americans seem to move pretty freely.
I'd suggest converting "Christianity." Not that Christianity didn't have it's share of violence against innocents in the past, but at least Jesus Christ leaves the final judgment to God Himself, whereas Mohamed penned in the part about other Muslims taking the Allahs dirty work into their own hands.
Rural folks aren't always as dumb as some city folks think . . . . I consider the source . . . city folk heheh.
I like how you (Woodcutterron) left out the part where Christians and Jews are considered people of the same God and that Jesus Christ holds a position in the Qur'an that is equivalent to the Prophet Muhammad. But whatever, I suggest you read what you quote, because you are a tad off base. Allah is Arabic for God and we say God in English, to make it simple Allah and God are the same thing.
FromCanada, go for it, make the move and see what it holds for you. I grew up in a small town in Southern Georgia and moved away after joining the Marines. I have been in and out of the Middle East and Shri'a Law countries in Southeast Asia and as an American I accept all true Muslims.
In an effort to avoid a religious argument breaking out, I will state that I am not accepting of Radicalized Islam that is virtually raped and twisted in favor of those who wish to do harm in the name of God.
I thought me and my wife were going to have problems when I moved my wife and I to Southern Alabama as she is a Buddhist and speaks with a very heavy accent that is hard to understand if you are not used to her. She had no problems at all, and has alot of friends that accept her as she is. The cultural dynamics in the South have pretty much remained consistent through Georgia and Alabama in my opinion.
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