Beyond Fears & Prejudices

A few years ago I visited a Muslim community center in Northern California. I attended the Friday noon prayer, Jumaa. I was greeted by a young Muslim woman and her daughter as I stood outside waiting for the lady who was to accompany me through this prayer experience. The kindness of this young Muslim woman in bringing me into the mosque and explaining the prayers that were soon to be said helped dispel much of my fear in being surrounded by unfamiliar people and an unfamiliar religion.

A man led the prayers and the women were able to better follow the prayers with the use of the T.V monitor in their room. Words from the Quran were read and the leader of the prayer gave a sermon. What I heard and understood of the sermon can be summarized as follows. “We have been blessed by God and sometimes we forget how blessed we are. The problem sometimes is that we cling to the gifts and forget the One who gave us those gifts. In good times we forget God but in adversity, we cry out to him. Adversity can be good for us. While we are enjoying relative peace and prosperity here, other Muslims are struggling. We must support them. We have been known to be a people who oppress others, and a people who are opposed to liberty and freedom. Look at Tunisia and the other countries that stood up against such oppression and dictatorship. Our brothers stood up for freedom non-violently. What Gandhi did was impressive but what these countries are doing is even more impressive because it is not just a single individual but an entire country standing up in a non-violent way against oppression."

 “We need to help Muslims and not just walk about ashamed as if we do not know what is happening around the world. Muslims are constantly fleeing for their life and looking for food for survival. Under such pressure how can they have the time to know Islam? How can they have time to invent things and dreams of things to improve the world? We need not just to listen to words of sermons and say ‘good talk’. No, we must let these words change our life. Sometimes year after year we come to Jumaa, listen to conferences but never change. These have to affect what we say and do. We need to love God, serve God and fear God.”

At the end of jumaa, announcements were made. An announcement was made welcoming me by name to the mosque. People stayed after the formal prayers for their private prayers. In the simplicity of the mosque, in the presence of God’s children offering to him the prayers they know, I felt I was in a holy place. My heart and mind were touched by this experience that challenged me to go beyond my fears and prejudices and be more open to recognizing and embracing Muslims as God’s children. Knowing better the people we fear or dislike is a great step toward an openness that can lead to genuine fraternity.