I went to a mosque for the first time one Monday. It was a VERY interesting cultural experience, and pleasant, too.
I have been teaching my class about Ramadan, which has been fascinating to me, to see how similar some Islamic beliefs are with Christianity. Monday was "Interfaith Fast for Peace" Day and the local mosque invited the community to fast and then come by at 6:30 to pray and break the fast with a communal meal. One of my student's parents invited me, so I gladly went.
As I approached the building I could see all the men in neat rows standing in prayer. I approached the door and a young man directed me to a different set of doors at the rear of the building. Duh! Forgot how men & women are separated in mosques, so I went to the back. Removed my shoes at the entrance and entered a scene of chaos compared to the men's room. Women were trying to pray as children chased each other around the room, laughing and playing. It was hilarious. The kids were having such a great time. I took Christian with me and he kept telling me "This church is fun!" LOL! Compared the our Catholic mass, I could see how he thought this was more fun!
I couldn't hear the prayers (poor speaker system combined with the children's chaos), which I was disappointed about . At the end of the service a man (the leader, I guess) spoke some very nice words about peace, and the meaning of Ramadan and fasting. He then invited anyone who wanted to speak to say a few words. As the room was divided by a partition, we couldn't see any of the men but could hear them. They then asked if any women wanted to speak, and two did (both non-Muslim guests) and the microphone was passed through a curtain to us. It still seems so odd to me how divided we were...even in as simple a task as passing a mic, no faces were seen...just a hand through a curtain. We didn't even eat together...the men ate in their room and the women & children in ours.
The food was INCREDIBLE! I don't know exactly what I ate but I loved it. I'll have to find out what it was so I can try it again.
So, I just wanted to share that experience. I'm pretty ignorant about Islam, so it's been very enlightening to learn more about the Muslim faith and culture, and see the similarities that exist (ie. the women with covered heads reminded me of Catholic nuns; Ramadan serves to remind Muslims to be peaceful, helpful, patient, and thankful, much like we are taught as Christians). I think if we (both Christians & Muslims) could see the similarities in our beliefs we might find some common ground to begin building peace with.
