essay

The name of the religious congregation I attended is university of Toledo Muslim student association at international house on April 11th from 2:15pm to 3:00pm. They practice Islamic religion. I observed that before they enter the congregation, the members took off their shoes, and they lay their praying mat down and they recite prayer silently as they go from each step of standing up, bowing down and kneeling down. They repeat this process three times and after their recitation prayer, they sat on the mat.

Some seat with their legs cross and some sit down on their legs. After they sat on their mat, their leader stand in front of them and recite a prayer in Arabic and English saying (all thanks and praises are due to God for forgiven us, obey him and give thanks to him always). The members respond "Allah Akbar". The leader read the Qur’an to the members. After this, he sang facing ka'bah and the members respond "Amin". And they recite the whole process of standing, bowing and kneeling while praying in Arabic. After they were done, they look left and right saying "asalaam alaikum rahmatullah ".

Everything I observed from this religion confirms my understanding of what I have learned from the religious course. I understood that the Qur’an is their bible and that is what they believe in. The most surprising thing to me is how they have to take off their shoes at the door step before walking into the congregation. I found this surprising because as Christian, in my church, we do not take off our shoes before stepping into the chapel. I believe this is part of their tradition that they have to follow on a regular basis. Also, going to the Islamic field trip with the class, make it more clear to me the reason why they took o...

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...sake of dignity and modesty. (Hair is considered part of a woman's physical attractiveness, which is why it is also covered).

Even though it is mandatory, many Muslim women choose not to wear Hijab because they believe it is not necessary to do as a result to be a religious Muslim. There are also academic scholars of Islam who argue that hijab is not required, but that viewpoint is not accepted by the majority of traditional Muslim scholars. It is important to remember that hijab is only one aspect of Muslim practice. A woman who does not wear Hijab may be as pious as one who does, and excel in less visible practices, such as prayers, fasting, and charity (educating for cultural literacy and mutual respect, 2010).

Overall I had a great experience at this Islamic observation trip. I am glad I was able to learn about other religion that is different from mine.