Re: Irony
The Koran forbids alcohol from grapes, so technically it's only wine that's off-limits. More to the point, however, trying to say who is and isn't a true practitioner of the faith, from outside the faith, is not very cool. Demanding absolute adherence to scripture just buys in to the extremists viewpoint.
@ Bumpy Cat.
First off can I point out I did not intend to make that implication in the way you seem to be thinking, said I am not sure, at no point did I try and say with any definition say what made someone a true Muslim. In fact I think you will find that I said that many of the Muslims who drink would regard themselves as Muslims.
Re reading the comment about tenets of faith may be misinterpreted that way.
If you thought that apologies, was not what I meant to imply.
As for breaking tenets of the faith.
I may be under a misapprehension the more faithful Muslims I have known tend to shun all alcohol, even to the point we were discussing alternates to alcohol when sharing recipes even if it was only a spoonful distributed amongst a lot of ingredients. They were quite strict on it and it was a no no, the grape more being a metaphor for all alcohol.
I thought because of this it was a strict no no, but one of the things the youths did,
I've met Muslims of all sorts from trainee imams who wont even listen to music. (apparently only religious music is acceptable), however some will argue that's to strict an interpretation.
I've, drank with some, I've smoked with some, I've bought odd substances off a few, been to parties with some and have stayed with Muslims who have not had any objection to their daughters coming out to parties down the road with us.
I just am not sure how Muslim that makes them in the strictest interpretation, if a Jew chomps down on bacon butties are they still Jewish? What the cut off point?
I'd all say they were Muslim though, its never bothered me to much.
Funnily enough the only one I have met who was talking like they were on their way to radicalisation (to a scary degree of fervour), when asked about alcohol in recipes was just a case of; pah its not enough to get drunk on who cares and was probably the least informed of any I have known about their own faith and the real world.