Trip To The Mosque

Our class trip to the Islamic Center was by far the most rewarding and informative experience I have had so far in our class study of Middle Eastern Literature. The Imam was so friendly and knowledgeable it was hard not to like him, and having been raised Catholic and taught to fear Muslims it was reassuring to feel safe and at home in a frequently visited place of worship by Muslims.

I was disappointed that our time got cut short from our lesson on Islam because there were so many things I wanted to ask about find out more about but there simply was not enough time. I found it extremely interesting to find out that he held Jesus Christ with the utmost respect where Christians often poke fun at the Islamic figure of Muhammad. He went on to say that he respects anyone who follows Muhammad's beliefs and seeing that Jesus was spreading virtually the same word how could he righteously laugh or poke fun at him.

It also struck me at how important Islam is to the family, I had to attend catechism and sunday school all the way up until I was in high school but these Islamic children have such a beautiful grasp and understanding of their religion and it's core values. I thought I was being taught about my religion but it is an obligation of Islamic parents to teach their children about their religoin.

After our class field trip i came to the conclusion that there is no need to fear Islamic Muslims, they are pretty much following my religion through the interpretation of a different man. Despite the few concentrated areas of terrorists in Islamic areas of the Middle East, it is foolish to fear them or ridicule them when they are just as threatening as you or I.