The Importance Of The Mosque In The Muslim Community

I had the privilege to conduct field research at the Abu Bakr Masjid, also known as the Islamic Center of San Diego on Friday, October 9, 2015. I attended both salat al-Maghrib and a lecture given by Imam Sh. Taha Hassane. Salat al-Maghrib is the “West sun” prayer which takes place five minutes after sunset. Salat al-Maghrib started around 6:37 p.m. Imam Taha Hassane’s lecture started at 7:00 p.m. and ended at 8:01 p.m. before the last prayer of the day: salat al-‘Isha’a. Imam Taha Hassane was already waiting for me outside of the mosque. The first matter he explained was that it was considered proper to enter the masjid (mosque) with my right foot first and exit with my left foot first. Furthermore, I was also explained that in order to enter the prayer hall, I needed to be in a state of ritual purity. This purification consists of ablutions, called wudu’, which involve the washing of the feet, hands, head and face. Once I completed the ablutions, Imam Taha Hassane instructed me to take off my shoes in the designated cabinets in the hallway. This is primarily done to ensure that no outside dirt would violate the sacred space. At Abu Bakr Masjid, like in many other mosques around the Muslim world, genders are separated—men pray in the main prayer hall while women pray upstairs in a separate prayer room. When I asked why, Imam Taha simply explained that it was a matter of modesty and concentration.

Next, my mother told me this mosque is the biggest one, and the second religious buildings, also it has the tallest minaret in the world. This mosque has a roof made of light steel, and decorated with cedar wood which opens in 3 minutes for bringing fresh air during the summer. Also, this mosque has many chandeliers made in crystal. The location of this mosque is right by the sea overlooking the Atlantic ocean,

Being a Muslim-American in post 9/11 America has been turbulent. Like most children, I longed to fit in and be accepted, but I also wanted to preserve my native cultural roots. The odds were against me as I struggled to find balance in a place that could barely tolerate me as a child, and would hold deep seated fear of me as an adult. In an attempt to combat this growing reality, I tried looking to the mosques. However, the local mosques were, instead of religious areas, cultural centers, and when the Afghan community in Chicago is non-existent, I remained confused as a Muslim in and out of the mosque.

As of November 14th, 2015 a fire broke out at the Kwartha Muslim Religious Association’s mosque. This was a supposedly a hate crime in response to the Paris Attack which was committed by the ISIS group, on the night of Friday, November 13th, This may have resulted in Islamic phobia, as a way to blame the violence which is widespread amongst the world at this given time. Muslim members have placed their roots into the Kwartha community, and an integration into surrounding neighborhoods, as the mosque holds religious open houses attended by church goers and politicians. At this time, support from churches and political leaders are ongoing, however the main question lies where will families go for prayers, which are observed five times

She always dreamt of building her own mosque one day. Growing up, Hasna had a wonderful experience attending the mosque with her family. However, over time, she became aware of gender disparities that no embodied the spirit of inclusivity she longed for. Upon the completion of her education at University of California Berkeley and University of Southern California, Hasna decide to begin the initiative for a women’s mosque that would highlight and empower female scholars. “According to a Gallup Poll, Muslim women are the second most educated female religious demographic in America,” said Hasna. She began by documenting her ideas, gathering support by giving talks on the need for the space, and held a townhall meeting to gather opinions address concerns. With a board forming and the help of the Pico Union Project, the women were able to organize their first Jumah prayer, led by Edina Lakovic, on January 30th, 2015. Being a highly acclaimed speaker, “her involvement has brought a lot of attention to the mosque” Hasna

I chose to research the Muslim religion for my site visit. I wanted to have in depth experience with this religion since I did my group project about Sikhism and during class we went into great detail about every other religion. I did not know what to expect when visiting a mosque, it was a pretty nerve-wracking experience for me being a non-Muslim. I have been raised with Christian morals my whole life even though I have only gone to church a few times in my whole life. Almost all religions have a house of prayer; Jews have synagogues, Buddhists/Hindus have temples and Catholic and Christians have churches and cathedrals. Muslims have mosques; each religious center has their own different rules, rituals and services that need to be followed. A mosque is a place of prayer for Muslims within the Islamic belief. Another word for mosque in Arabic is Masjid. Kind of like a church, a mosque is where Muslims worship and bow before Allah to declare their obedience and loyalty. Mosques date back till the time of the prophet. In order to find a mosque, I went on the Internet and stumbled upon Masjid Beit El-Maqdes.

During the last eleven years I have worked at the department of motor vehicles. I have met many people from different backgrounds and cultures. While I worked at the Tempe office, I came across many people from the Middle East, mainly Arabs and people from Pakistan and India. It was through my dealings with Middle East people that I notice how friendly and accessible they are. It was then that an interest in finding more about this culture started. When I decided to visit a mosque as part this project I was not sure what to expect. My experience is divided in two, as I ended up visiting two different mosques. On Saturday January 24 around 12:45 pm I arrived at a mosque located in

Truly, the entrances made me feel welcome, especially with the wide glass door. Once I step inside, I saw that they have on the right side the ablution facilities and the bathrooms. Also, at the left side, there were shoes shelves, office glass window, and the aisle that takes you to the office. Moreover, the desire of cleanliness is to take off your shoes before getting into the prayer hall. Because shoes are not allowed to be worn anywhere rather than the cloakroom. Finally, in front of me is the prayer hall. After I took off my shoes and did the ablution which called “Wudu”, I got inside. The prayer hall was big as what I expected. The floor was totally covered with a special carpet. Furthermore, by facing north, there were “Mihrab,” which is the semicircular niche in the wall. Mihrab demonstrates the “Qibla” or the direction that Muslims should face while praying. Also, it’s where the Imam addresses the congregation and lead them in the prayers. The Qibla wall is made from marble. However, the walls of the mosque have only a few items so it doesn’t distract the

The first reason you will probably be surprised will be by the place itself. Whilst many mosques seem grand and splendid from the outside, there is, in fact, very little to see inside a mosque. The prayer hall, where the public worship takes place five times a day, is actually very plain, because of the nature of Islam itself. You will find no statues, nor paintings, nor depictive stained glass. There is no altar, nor elaborate robes, nor candlesticks.

Islam is one of the most misunderstood religions in the United States due to stereotypes. Not many Americans have actually taken the time to learn firsthand about the Islamic religion. Typically Muslims pray five times a day;however they attend mosque on Fridays. I have never been inside a mosque and I was very surprised with what I saw. Since visiting the mosque I learned important lessons that I will remember for years to come.

Abstract: Until the bill passed, much of the debate surrounding the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors, or DREAM Act, brought about legal, ethical, and logistical concerns. Illegal immigration and the population unauthorized alien in the United States were key issues in the ongoing debate on immigration reform. However, the benefits of this bill outweighed its disadvantages. Immigration policies in the United States concerning undocumented workers are strict and direct. Employers are not allowed to employ illegal or undocumented immigrants. The DREAM Act which was enacted by the Obama administration’s announcement of deferred action for deportation of undocumented youths provides alternates. Under the provision of this law, a person is eligible for citizenship if they came to the United states at age 15 or younger, are currently 35 or younger, have been resent in the country for at least five years, completed high school, and completed at least two years of higher education or honorably served in the armed forces for at least two years (Guzman & Jara, 2012). The advantages of Dream Act as well as its disadvantages on the US economy would be analyzed. Future analysis and other immigrant working situations would also be evaluated.

The famous poet and scholar, Kathleen Raine, was born on June 14 1908 in Ilford, United Kingdom. Growing up in Ilford, Raine spent part of her early childhood in Bavington, Northumberland with her aunt Peggy Black. Raine fell in love with the nature and beauty of Bavington and never wanted to return back to the “drab and fake” Ilford (“Kathleen”). Raine’s mother was Scottish and worked at home (“Kathleen”), while her father was a school teacher and a Methodist lay preacher (“My”). Kathleen Raine’s parents were very encouraging of her academic career since her father was a school teacher.

My first impression upon arriving at the mosque was that it was very drab and plain inside, as compared to how it looked on the outside. The religion I grew up in had beautifully decorated churches; while I wanted to ask why the mosque was so drab inside, I felt it would sound rude and unkind. Furthermore, I was disappointed to see the only chairs available to sit upon in the mosque were for pregnant, disabled, and elderly people. The religion I grew up in had nice, plump, padded pews for its members to sit upon. Again, I did not question why there were no pews as I felt it would be unkind.

Organization structure defined by leadership has a considerable impact on the formation of social networks. From psychological research during the 1940s and 1950s, it became evident that individuals gather into groups as a result of interaction opportunities, most commonly defined by places where people meet (Burt, Kilduff, and Tasselli, 2013). While it has been established that different social network structures can prove to be advantageous in differing scenarios, it is often believed that a greater number of connections in the workplace is beneficial, as meaningful relationships can lead to a sense of belonging and pride in an organization. Consequently, in many scenarios, facilitating interaction opportunities can be a common goal of management; providing employees the opportunity to get to know and learn from one another, whether through onboarding or continuous employee development, promotes the forming of groups and increase of density in a social network. As groups form, a new identity may be created, often characterized by signs of symbolic convergence. These signs might take on the form of inside jokes, symbols, behaviors, or similar views and begin to define what it means to be in the group. At the same time as a group forms, an in-group and out-group frequently begin to develop—those who belong to the group in question and those who do not. The membership discrepancy among in-groups and out-groups can turn problematic if taken too far. Although there is some

"Islam" is derived from the Arabic root salaama meaning peace, purity, submission and obedience. Islam stands for making peace by submitting to the will of God and obeying His law. Jews and Christians view Islam as the latest of the world's great religions. However, worldwide Muslims (sometimes written "Moslems") understand their universal religion as the "final religion" and the "primal religion."