First Trip to Mosque in America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

First Trip to Mosque in America - Essay Example The carpet must be kept in a neat condition since Muslims should try to offer their prayers in the Mosque. In the middle of the Mosque, a large chandelier was suspended that is only opened during special occasions. Some pictures of the Makah and Medina (holy cities in Islam) are displayed in the front wall along with a digital clock. The microphone that is used by the Imam, a person appointed to lead the prayers, is situated underneath the clock. To the left, people can refer to a timetable of prayers on a bulletin board. Towards the end of the prayer hall, a partition is situated because sometimes women like to come and offer their prayers in the Mosque. Since, Islam strictly prohibits the mingling of both sexes; a partition is used to divide the men and women. The primary purpose of the Mosque is to allow Muslims to offer their prayers, or Salah. Salah is an Arabic term that is defined as connection. During Salah, Muslims get an opportunity to connect to God, thank him for his merc ies, and fulfill their mandatory duty as believers of Allah. Salah is held five times a day, whole year round, and as usual lead by the Imam. The Imam is the leader of Salah, and people are lined behind him rows upon rows. Most of the Imams are hafiz, a person who has memorized the holy Quran. Imams are required to dress in a religious code along with keeping a beard. Most Imams also specialize in reciting the Quran in their own unique voice. Since Muslims are obliged to pray five times a day, it is very beneficial for them to attend the prayers in the Mosque because they get rewarded twenty-seven times more. Muslim men should try to attend Mosques frequently, Friday, is a day that is reserved for all Muslim men to come and offer their prayers. When I visited during Friday, a great scholar from Pakistan came and delivered a great speech or sermon. His sermon was about Hajj, the holy pilgrimage Muslims are required to do if financially stable, and his words were both powerful and mov ing. The Friday ritual began around late afternoon with the services held at 1:30P.M. When Muslim men enter the mosque, they greet each other with an â€Å"Assalamu-Alaikum,† that translates to be â€Å"peace is upon you.† After greeting each other, they go to perform wudhu, which consists of washing the hands, feet, and mouth. Wudhu is an obligation on every Muslim because it is an act of purification, and is required before praying. After they are done performing wudhu, the men go in the main prayer hall and wait for the Imam to come. In the span of thirty minutes the day I visited, the Mosque was full with people waiting outside to get in.   The experience was profound because the scholar talked about the aspects of Hajj, and how it can bring all Muslims closer to Allah. He reminded the crowd that this life is short, and no one has any guarantee whether he can live the next day, so it is advisable to perform Hajj as soon as possible. In addition, he understood the fact that people get caught up in the worldly affairs, so he told his audience to take some time out for Islam. Furthermore, he read some verses from the Quran that talked about the fulfillments of Hajj. His concern was that most Muslims underestimate to requirement to perform Hajj, even though Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam. If a Muslim can not perform it due to financial circumstances, than he would not be held accountable for it. However, in recent years people have found reasons to excuse themselves from this

The Battle of Algiers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Battle of Algiers - Essay Example Just as in the film, the violence, which we have seen arise periodically between Muslim immigrants and French-born people since the 1970s – perhaps even earlier – begins with bias, racism, disenfranchisement of one people while favoring the well being, rights and dignity of another people. In the film, as in France, this is French nationalism and Muslims. The Battle of Algiers opens with the arrest and incarceration of a Muslim – a petty thief, taking advantage of people with an age old card game. The man, Ali, who is illiterate, experiences an epiphany of sorts during his incarceration. He is witness to the execution of a man who as been arrested, marched through the prison calling out â€Å"Ala Akbar,† (God is great), and is being led to his execution by French police. At this point in the film we do not know why the man has been arrested, it doesn’t matter, because the man’s execution is by guillotine, a gruesome and archaic death sentence that is unthinkable when you reconnect to the fact that the film is during the 1950s! It is unimaginable that during that time people were put to death in that way. This serves as Ali’s epiphany, and following the execution, Ali spends time with a religious man, who explains to Ali his connection to God and to his country. That one day, the Algerians will retake their country from the French. While French Muslims are not attempting to take France from the French, we see the French reacting to French Muslims in an equally biased and hateful way as they during the colonial period in Algeria. (Keep in mind, the uprising in the film was during the 1950s to 1960s). The violence that exploded in France, outside of Paris, in late 2005-2006, is almost the way the film opens; a response to disenfranchisement. Other images in the film are strikingly familiar to events in today’s world. The execution of the Algerian prisoner by guillotine, an archaic and horrific manner in which to execute a death