I’m Muslim. I was born Muslim. My family’s Muslim. I went to an Islamic Private High School. I had Muslim friends. The overwhelming majority of my community are Muslim. Let’ s face the facts I live in a Muslim bubble.
Despite the bubble. Despite my surroundings. Despite everything.
I was curious. I wanted to know more.
I have been attending prayer service all my life - Muslim prayer services that is. I have enveloped my self in my own tradition so much that until I had gone to college people, my interaction with people of other faiths was very minimal. I knew they existed. I knew they did their thing. But that was that. Their thing was their thing and mine was mine. No relation and no risk to venture out.
November 4, 2011. That was the day I attended a Jewish Sabbath. That was the day my curiosity had peeked and I just wanted to see it for myself. I did not want to hear what that expert had to say about Jews. I did not want to analyze the Media depiction. I wanted to see it for myself.
And it was beautiful.
I tried to follow along with their prayers despite the fact that most of it was unintelligible to me. I read through the translations. I copied the movements.
Luckily, I was sitting next to my friend Anna. Throughout the prayer service she was my guide, leading me through the unknown territory. Aiding me in my understanding. Pulling me to the ultimate experience.
The voices harmonized, the heads bobbed, the people swayed. I was in the midst of it all, serving as the bridge between the two faiths and reaching out to our one God.
Rabbi Black gave a wonderful sermon and as he was talking I began to forget that I was in the midst of Sabbath prayer service. I felt as though I was in the Islamic Center. He spoke about religion and the responsibility each of us carry in our increasingly religious-less society.
Dinner. That’s the time when the questions came out. A million and two questions popped into my head and I spilled them out and one by one my questions were answered. And with every question a block of the barrier was removed. It was a two way street, every two questions I asked, there was a question towards me. Questions were asked. Answers were given. Understanding continues to form. The blocks continued to vanish.
By the end, the wall didn’t seem so high anymore.
-Rania Mustafa
Despite the bubble. Despite my surroundings. Despite everything.
I was curious. I wanted to know more.
I have been attending prayer service all my life - Muslim prayer services that is. I have enveloped my self in my own tradition so much that until I had gone to college people, my interaction with people of other faiths was very minimal. I knew they existed. I knew they did their thing. But that was that. Their thing was their thing and mine was mine. No relation and no risk to venture out.
November 4, 2011. That was the day I attended a Jewish Sabbath. That was the day my curiosity had peeked and I just wanted to see it for myself. I did not want to hear what that expert had to say about Jews. I did not want to analyze the Media depiction. I wanted to see it for myself.
And it was beautiful.
I tried to follow along with their prayers despite the fact that most of it was unintelligible to me. I read through the translations. I copied the movements.
Luckily, I was sitting next to my friend Anna. Throughout the prayer service she was my guide, leading me through the unknown territory. Aiding me in my understanding. Pulling me to the ultimate experience.
The voices harmonized, the heads bobbed, the people swayed. I was in the midst of it all, serving as the bridge between the two faiths and reaching out to our one God.
Rabbi Black gave a wonderful sermon and as he was talking I began to forget that I was in the midst of Sabbath prayer service. I felt as though I was in the Islamic Center. He spoke about religion and the responsibility each of us carry in our increasingly religious-less society.
Dinner. That’s the time when the questions came out. A million and two questions popped into my head and I spilled them out and one by one my questions were answered. And with every question a block of the barrier was removed. It was a two way street, every two questions I asked, there was a question towards me. Questions were asked. Answers were given. Understanding continues to form. The blocks continued to vanish.
By the end, the wall didn’t seem so high anymore.
-Rania Mustafa