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by Vivian Charity |
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On October 11, 2002, I visited a Mosque with my co-worker in Manassas Virginia. She is of the Shea Muslim faith. The service started at 7 PM and lasted for 1 hour. I noticed that all women were covered from head to toe, although some women including my co-worker did not have their faces covered. I asked her about this and I was told some households are more strict than others. It is up to the husband whether the woman has to cover her face or not. I had to cover my head. Some of the men wore jeans with long sleeve shirts, others were in traditional clothes. Women cover themselves and walk behind men to prevent temptation. When we entered the mosque, I had to remove my shoes like everyone else. There were beautiful Persian carpets on the floors and tiles on the walls with Arabic writing. This was the Quaran code. Men and women do not interact with each other. We were taken to a room to wash ourselves. We washed from head to toe and from left to right. Women and men should be free of chemicals (perfume), this is to prevent temptation and also to be pure while in front of Allah. Women cannot wear makeup in the mosque, again to prevent temptation and to be pure in front of Allah. After we finished washing, we were taken to a room behind the men facing east towards Mecca. Everyone was on their knees and the leader began to pray out loud in Arabic. Everyone else prayed quietly. At the same time, everyone goes up and down in a sort of pattern until they finish praying. Once the prayers were finished, the Leader gave a short talk. The talk was given in Persian and I was given a set of headphones so I could listen in English. The Leader spoke about members who were ill and needed prayer and others who needed financial assistance such as the Palestinians. He also spoke of the crisis in Iraq and asked everyone to pray for peace. After the service, individuals came to me and asked me if I was interested in becoming a member. I told them I was interested in learning more about their religion so I was invited to come back on Saturday to study the Quaran. It was somewhat difficult to watch how husbands do not worship with their wives or daughters. My co-worker's husband did not speak to us once we got out of the car in the parking lot. I asked her how did she feel not being able to worship with her husband. She said it bothers her but this is the way of her religion so she accepts this. It was an interesting evening. |
| Created by Laura Ellen Shulman |
Last updated: November 2002
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