Wondering If Seattle Is Muslim Friendly?! (Tacoma, Bellevue: 2015, college, taxi driver)

[Gardyloo]

Originally Posted by sabrialqahtani10

Thank you. What area is that called? It's that North Seattle? I'm looking on Zillow and Trulia, and I'm not sure which communities are good or no. I keep getting redirected to North Bend and other like areas.

It would be listed as being in North Seattle or possibly Northgate neighborhoods. Here's the website for the mosque - Idris Mosque

There's ample bus service from this area to downtown Seattle, and light rail will be along in a couple of years. I'd probably suggest that your husband use his network to find out about suitable opportunities in the Seattle area. There aren't too many petroleum-oriented firms in the region, but there are a number of large engineering firms who probably have consultant roles to play in the field.

[Polymorphist]

I live in a Somali neighborhood in South Seattle and therefore a lot of the residents are Muslim. I haven't noticed any issues between the various cultures and religions of my neighborhood. There are a couple of Islamic worship centers as well as two Buddhist temples and several Christian churches (Ethiopian Orthodox and bunch of others). People seem to mix just fine here. It's a very common sight to see women wearing the hijab and it doesn't phase me at all. It was a novelty for me at first but it never actually bothered me. I almost never see women wearing the niqqab, but really I think most people here will adjust so just do what you do.

The only thing that was different for me to get used to is that i've noticed most Muslim women in my area will not talk to nor acknowledge me. Everyone else in the neighborhood says "hello" and exchanges pleasantries, but Muslim women will not. It's a cultural and religious difference to which i've had to adjust, it doesn't bother me at all now.

Puyallup is far away, you'll go crazy with that commute. If you plan on working near the city, you'll want to be closer.

[sabrialqahtani10]

Originally Posted by Polymorphist

I live in a Somali neighborhood in South Seattle and therefore a lot of the residents are Muslim. I haven't noticed any issues between the various cultures and religions of my neighborhood. There are a couple of Islamic worship centers as well as two Buddhist temples and several Christian churches (Ethiopian Orthodox and bunch of others). People seem to mix just fine here. It's a very common sight to see women wearing the hijab and it doesn't phase me at all. It was a novelty for me at first but it never actually bothered me. I almost never see women wearing the niqqab, but really I think most people here will adjust so just do what you do.

The only thing that was different for me to get used to is that i've noticed most Muslim women in my area will not talk to nor acknowledge me. Everyone else in the neighborhood says "hello" and exchanges pleasantries, but Muslim women will not. It's a cultural and religious difference to which i've had to adjust, it doesn't bother me at all now.

Puyallup is far away, you'll go crazy with that commute. If you plan on working near the city, you'll want to be closer.

What is the neighborhood that is in South Seattle? I want to look at housing in Zillow.

[tobester]

Originally Posted by sabrialqahtani10

What is the neighborhood that is in South Seattle? I want to look at housing in Zillow.

South Seattle neighborhoods include Beacon Hill, Columbia City, Hillman City, Brighton, Seward Park, Rainier Beach ... I'm sure others will chime in too. The general area is known as the Rainier Valley. And you ask a good question about housing - housing budget often dictates which neighborhood you can live in.

[fnh]

I have seen women in niqaab near my home in the Central District, I have even seen women in burka. It is highly unusual and admittedly elicits unease. I don't agree that it makes me any "less liberal than I think". It is simply human nature to be uneasy around such unfamiliar customs, especially those rightly or wrongly associated with extremism. What makes one liberal (including myself I hope) is to confront one's own biases and employ reason against them. (For what it's worth, the niqaab makes me far less uneasy than the legal open carry of guns almost everywhere in Texas.)

In contrast, it is very common in Seattle to see women wearing the hijaab especially in and south of the Central District. My son's (observant Muslim Yemeni) friend who spent two weeks with us in Seattle last summer was thrilled to frequently hear Arabic and Ethiopian spoken on the city streets. No longer safe to spend his summers in Yemen with extended family, and living most of the year in Texas (Houston), it really impressed him to witness so many people speaking the languages and wearing the traditional garb of his own family here in the States.

[sundreamer66]

I wish you great luck in finding the community and housing that will benefit your family. I'm moving to Seattle this summer to be close to remaining family, and looking forward to it. I lived in San Francisco for 15 years, and used to breathe a sigh of relief when I returned there from a business trip to Atlanta or Las Vegas, because it is such a diverse city. There is everyone from all over the world in San Francisco, living together in a largely congenial atmosphere. Before I lived in San Francisco I lived in Manhattan. Again, such wonderful diversity with people of every color, culture, costume, and language. The one thing I've never seen in 30 years between both cities is the niqab. There may now be communities in both cities where it has now become common, but I don't think it's entered the workplace in even the most liberal of cities.

As an American I'm going to venture a guess why it's not likely to be accepted in a diverse work place any time soon. Americans pride themselves on being open, friendly,and quite direct people, particularly in the work place. I think the niqab prevents them from 'reading' your facial expressions which make up almost 90% of communication.

The proof of the American desire (or need -you be the judge) to observe facial expressions is the sign we often see in banks instructing us to remove our sunglasses, hats and, if they thought they could get away with it, hoodies upon entrance.

If you plan on working in a diverse law office in the pacific northwest I think you will absolutely be welcomed wearing a head scarf, but you may have tremendous difficulty in the niqab.

I'm just one woman of course with many years of living in 'liberal' cities, but I hope my opinion is worth something to you.

Good luck on your housing search. I can only imagine how things might be in Tennessee.

[cmswazey]

Originally Posted by tobester

South Seattle neighborhoods include Beacon Hill, Columbia City, Hillman City, Brighton, Seward Park, Rainier Beach ... I'm sure others will chime in too. The general area is known as the Rainier Valley. And you ask a good question about housing - housing budget often dictates which neighborhood you can live in.

White center, Salmon Creek and Burien.

[Ira500]

Originally Posted by sabrialqahtani10

What is the neighborhood that is in South Seattle? I want to look at housing in Zillow.

The neighborhood near Othello station is the one being referred to. It's part of Rainier Valley, but some apartments and houses there are called Beacon Hill, which is very close by.
As far as Puyallup, there is public transit to downtown Seattle on the Sounder Train. It's a 47 minute trip.
There's no mosque in Puyallup, but there's an Islamic Center in Federal Way, in Kent, and in Tacoma, all 20-25 minutes from Puyallup.

[DevanXL]

Im young and lived in federal way, I actually quite a few Muslims in my school (Many were Ethiopian) and they never had any problem that I saw. Most of this area is pretty open about religions but ofcourse you have a few psycos out there that hate everything that they dont understand.

Obviously with both of you having good jobs it opens up your options for places to live. How far from the city (as in downtown seattle) are you look at? most upper middle class neighborhoods within the core of the metropolitan area should be accepting. The farther from the city you get the more hicks you might find.

[sabrialqahtani10]

Thank you all for your help!!!! It's been insightful. I must say, I feel ready to move tomorrow even though I have a few months. I wear hijab, so it's not unusual for people to feel weird about the niqqaab. However, wearing it part-time is not a big deal.

Thank you again for your insights and opinions. I am sure that Seattle is what we are looking for.