Visiting the Mosque

Today, my Golden Age of Islam class met at the Islamic Center of Long Island. Of course, I wore Eva Khurshid. Black dress, black tights, red shoes and red and black head scarf (women are asked to cover their hair in the Center and Mosque). We met with a lady from the community and discussed several issues, the first being Osama bin Laden. She spoke of how relieved the community was. In her words, he "hijacked [her] religion" and put a terrible face on their religion and culture.

One thing she said that really struck me was her saying how the US has changed in the 30 years she's been here. She said the country has become less tolerant and that she used to be able to say she was proud to be an American...that's not the case anymore. It was sad to hear.

Another thing we talked about as a group was the way people are celebrating the news of Osama bin Laden's death. We talked about the joyous celebrations happening around the country and how they mostly consisted of young people who grew up being taught that bin Laden was the worst kind of villain the way we were taught about Hitler. It was an interesting conversation.

The mosque itself is simple, bare and rather striking. The back section of the room can be sectioned off for those women who want to place themselves behind a screen (which is a point of contention in the community) while allowing those who want to see the imam to do so. Lessons were being held as some students were studying the Quran and other learning Arabic. There are no chairs, of course.

Overall it was a very enjoyable visit. The woman, whose name I fail to remember, spoke about how she is from India and it's part of the reason she doesn't cover her hair - it's not culturally common. She covers when she's in the mosque or community center but not in the world. She was really lovely and it was a great conversation.