Reflection Paper On Islamic Center

On Friday, October 23rd, I visited the Islamic Center in Bowling Green, Kentucky. I participated in the one o’clock prayer and lecture. Since I grew up in a Cuban and Mexican household, it was difficult to find a place, which was not of my own culture. Since I visit Bowling Green every other weekend, I decided to find a place there. I chose the Islamic Center because I have always been intrigued by the Muslim religion and culture. However, I had little knowledge of the customs and I knew visiting the Islamic Center would be beneficial for me. Besides my interests in the culture, I was honestly terrified about stepping into an unknown culture. I was afraid I would be lost, confused, and accidentally rude. Since I have not studied the Muslim

The room was bright, sparkling, and empty. We took off our shoes, rolled out prayer mats, and sat down. The Imam told me after purifying your body you must purify your mind. This entailed us telling Allah our intentions were solely pure and for the sake of Him. I followed the Imam’s body movements and words. The Imam explained we were to do the prayer in Arabic; however, he would translate during the prayer for me to understand. While standing up straight with the inside of our open hands touching our ears, we recited, “God is the greatest,” in Arabic. Next, we placed our right hand on top of our left and touched our chest while saying, “I seek God’s shelter from Satan, the condemned.” Remaining in the same position, we

After standing straight up again, we said, “God hears those to praise Him. Our Lord, praise be to you.” After repeating “God is the Greatest,” we bent down on our hands and knees to touch our noses to the floor and said, “Glory be to my Lord, the Most High.” We sat back up and repeated the last position and prayer three times. After a moment of silence, we repeated the whole prayer once more and ended by turning our heads to the left and saying, “May the peace and mercy of God be upon you.” Then, we turned to our right and repeated the same line. The end of the prayer is directed to the angels all around us. The prayer took about twenty minutes to complete. After the complicated prayer, another Imam spoke to the entire mass in complete Arabic. I honestly had no idea what he was saying; however, all the men, women, and children were attentive and happy to listen. Apparently, the service comprised of two lectures about faith and purity. After the service was complete, a couple women questioned me about why I was there and how my experience was. Even though I was confused during the prayer and lectures, I felt as if I was welcomed into the