The Formula For The Perfect Holiday: Sun, Snacks and Salaat

A recent family holiday found us wondering the streets of Prague, looking for food and steadily becoming more hungry, irritable, and tired. After an hour and a half, my brother finally snapped. “You know where we can get food?” he asked us, “At home.”

And that, pretty much sums it up. From Madrid to Brussels, the Cote d'Azure to the Eiffel Tower, my family holidays seem to centre around trying to find food. In England it's hard enough to avoid establishments that serve wine (drinking alcohol is forbidden in Islam and some muslims try to avoid places where it is sold or drunk)) or those that fry in animal fat, since veggie-friendly foods fried in animal fat are no longer veggie-friendly and are therefore considered unsuitable by many muslims. When you add in the unfamiliar area coupled with a foreign language, finding a simple meal becomes a whole lot more challenging.

On the other hand, in last year's summer holidays I spent a few weeks in Cairo, where I did little but eat. The novelty of being able to order more than a vegeburger in fast food restaurants took a very long time to wear off and I spent the majority of the trip lying around waiting for my previous meal to digest in preparation for my next meal, like some sort of gluttonous python. There was none of that ambling from menu to menu, peering into the dimly-lit restaurants and then edging away. All the food was halal, there was no alcohol to be seen, and the atmosphere was welcoming and friendly.

Aside from the food issue is that of salaat, the obligatory prayer for muslims. Much of my holidays are spent scuttling to and from the hotel because prayer facilities when out and about are almost always absent, and we're not familiar enough with the terrain to pull off clever tricks such as using the changing rooms in Debenhams (they have the longest curtains) and sneaking out of lectures early to visit the prayer room if you're lucky enough to have one on campus. I personally think muslim students are great creatures of adaption, I've seen muslims on campus and around the city praying in some strange places, and I've had to pray in some strange ones too!

Living as muslims in a Western society can be very trying, but I firmly believe our faith can be strengthened greatly by it. It's near impossible to blindly follow, you need to be able to justify every nuance of your religion, and be firm in your stance. Refusing to bend under the pressure needs to be balanced with adjusting to society's norms, and it can be a difficult act. Fortunately, most of us become quite skilled.

So while I'm happy to right misconceptions, spread the word on Islam, and occasionally pray in the Debenham's changing rooms, from now on I think holidaying in muslim countries is the way to go. They tick all the boxes: Sun, Salaat and Snacks. Sounds perfect.

I'm jetting off to Japan at the end of the month, and suspect I will have to be super careful with what I eat, and finding places to pray. Anyone else got holiday plans? Know any holiday spots that cater to your needs, or any that should be avoided at all costs? Let us know, leave a comment!