Miriam, or Maryam, is parallel to Mary, and can be a Muslim feminine name. Alcohol Alcohol is forbidden by Islam, although a good many Arabs drink, just as a good many Mormons or Baptists drink. In some Arab countries, the possession of alcohol is strictly forbidden to everyone. In other countries, like Iraq, it is legal and available to foreigners. Fundamentalist Muslims shun alcohol.
Rice combined with vegetables and meat is quite common.
Many Arabs prefer to buy meat from halal butchers, i.e., butchers who sell meat only from animals that have been slaughtered according to Koranic ritual. Any area that has a Muslim community, whether Pakistani, Afghan, or Arab, is likely to have at least one halal butcher. Kosher meat is also acceptable to Muslims, as it is slaughtered in approximately the same way. Hospitality is a cherished Islamic tradition. It has long been known in university circles that young Arab men have to be overtly taught that although American women have much more freedom than Arab women do, it does not mean that an American woman is automatically loose or immoral.