Reddit Slams Woman for Expecting Roommates to Follow Strict ‘Religious’ Rules
On Reddit, a woman is questioning whether or not to move in with a friend who is trying to impose her own personal, "strict" religious rules onto everyone in the apartment.
The 23-year-old woman shared she was planning to move into an apartment next year with her friends Harriet, 22, and Tommy, 23. Harriet is Muslim, while she and Tommy are not religious.
"Harriet said when we move in she only wants halal food in the house and I guess I can live with that. However, I can only eat certain textures and eat specific food from certain places ... If it changes, I freak out. The same goes for Tommy but he said he will be fine," the woman wrote via Reddit.
The woman shared that Harriet also asked her and Tommy to not drink alcohol in the apartment, despite OP [original poster] working as a mixologist.
"I work in a cocktail bar so I like learning new drinks for my customers to try. I really enjoy it. They want me to quit smoking, which I get. I also want to quit but I do like smoking other things occasionally and I don't want to stop that," she continued.
However, Harriet also asked the woman and Tommy to pretend they are "married" whenever Harriet's parents come to visit.
"I brought up how all this change we're doing to make her comfortable is making me uncomfortable. I said I feel like I'm not living the life I want and I want to be able to do the things I want to do. I didn't choose this religion. Why should I follow the rules?" she wrote.
The woman noted that both Tommy and Harriet were upset with her comment.
"Tommy was a bit more understanding because he had to change [too] but he said I shouldn't have said that. Harriet just got upset and started to cry, now it's quite tense in the house," she shared.
In the comments section, Reddit users backed the frustrated woman up, telling her that Harriet can't expect her friends to follow her strict religious rules if they themselves aren't part of her religion.
"She can not dictate how you live because of her religion. [If] she can only live with people who follow strict Muslim laws then maybe she shouldn't be living with you," one person wrote.
"Do not move in with Harriet. She is taking these demands to the extreme. Muslims aren't allowed to consume, transport, or sell alcohol. The Quran says nothing about roommates having alcohol. Same goes for all of her demands. She is forcing her religious convictions on you, when she has no right to. Tell her to suck it up or find a different roommate," another commented.