Mid-day at the Mosque!

I was particularly excited about the adventure to Cedar Rapids this morning because I knew I would leave the mosque with a lot more knowledge about Islam than I walked in with. When it comes to Christianity and Judaism, I think I know the basic facts from either elementary classes or people I have known. In complete contrast, I have not had the privilege of knowing any Muslims where I have been able to see their faith in action. Upon arriving at the Mosque I was initially surprised that it did not match my predetermined expectations of appearance. I thought it would be very large and lavish with a lot of gold and bright colors. There was a touch of blue around the outside of the building as well as decorative art pieces in the interior. My favorite piece of art or decoration by far, I found on the way out of the building at the end of the tour. The picture was of a man in prayer and the outline of the drawing or sculpture rather because it looked as though it was made of a brass material, written in Arabic a passage of the Qur'ran. I thought that this piece of art beautifully represented the actions and words behind the faith tradition; the belief and the practices.

My second favorite part of the experience was the passion and beauty behind the reading of the Qur'ran. I thought that when he read it sounded a little bit like a song or poem, and that there was a lot of feeling behind his voice. I was very confused when reading about the differences in text and the loss in transition prior to this event. There definitely is a noticeable difference that I now understand. I also thought it was really wonderful how our tour guide explained and kind of defended the common misconceptions of the religion. I'm sad to say that I had believed a few of them, just due to pure ignorance and not knowing any better. All in all as I previously stated I thoroughly enjoyed this trip. Can't wait for our next adventure, 'til then!