Jackson Cultural Immersion

While it has been a few weeks since I partook in my Cultural Immersion, I still remember the experience as vividly as if it were only a few days ago. As soon as I found out about this project I knew right off the bat what I wanted to do - go to an Islamic mosque. Seeing how Ramadan was approaching and I had already developed a strong bond with my conversation partner, Omar, I saw the opportunity. I began asking him all types of questions in preparation, mainly the type that would ensure that I wouldn't offend anybody. "What should I wear?" "Is there anything I need to do?" "Do I need to pay my respects to the leader of the service?" Etc. Also, in preparation, I learned everything I possibly could (through wikipedia mostly) about the prayers and actions involved in a typical mosque service. Omar seemed to find humor in my concern with doing everything "right" so as not to offend anyone but I explained to him that this was an important moment for me and I wanted to get as much out of it as possible. So on Friday, the very first day of Ramadan as well as the holy day of the week for Muslims, I got ready to meet Omar for the service. We decided we would be going to the Islamic Center of Tallahassee (also known as Masjid Al-ansar) which is located on Old Bainbridge Rd. 

**I'll go ahead and say this right now: I didn't take any photos during this Cultural Immersion. I had to use my judgement to deem whether or not it would be appropriate and given it was the holiest day of the week on the first day of the holiest month of the year, I thought it would be better not to. All pictures I'm using are found using google.

(Photo of Islamic Center of Tallahassee) 

I arrived with both Omar and his friend from the CIES, Amar. Right off the bat I knew that this was going to be a very memorable experience. The first thing we did was take off our shoes before we entered the mosque. As we walked in there were three things that were readily apparent. The first was that there were no seats, only a carpeted floor, where everyone in attendance was sitting either on their knees or with their legs crossed.

The next thing that I immediately noticed was that almost every pair of eyes were fixed on me. Since we were running a little bit late, the service had already began. As we walked to the very back corner of the room to get a seat, I both felt and saw everyone staring at me. Clearly, tall, blond-haired, blue-eyed patrons were not a frequent there. And lastly, there were no women to be seen.

The Imam (or leader of the service) was in the process of delivering Al Khtbah (sermon/speech) as we seated ourselves. He was speaking very quickly in a monotone voice, alternating between both English and Arabic. I later found out that he was reading from the Al-quran (Quaran) in order to reinforce the points he was making. I have to admit, I wasn't able to understand as much of the service as I would have liked, but I was by no means disappointed because it wasn't until 15 minutes before we arrived that I found out that the Imam would also be speaking in English. The day's Al Khtbah had an obvious message: Ramadan and it's importance to Muslims. I learned that Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam. The other four being: Accept Allah as the one true god, Salah (prayer five times a day), Zakat (charity), and Al Hajj (the pilgrimage to Mecca). The rest of the Al Khtbah was about just what exactly Ramadan means to Muslims. It is not only an homage that Muslims pay to Allah, but it is also for their fellow man who may not have access to food or water. The Imam went on to say that everyone should do their best during this holy month to help people any chance that they get.

At the very end of the service the Imam lead the men in attendance in their Al Sogod, a practice where they bow, stand up, and bow again. During this, Omar suggested that I just sit back and take it all in. It is one of the most powerful moments for the Muslim faith when they do their bowing, and I could tell that this particular moment, veiled in silence, was of great importance to every person in attendance. Even the elderly men who were not able to walk without the assistance of a cane were doing it.

After the Al Sogod, the service was over and people began filing out the doors. During this process many people approached Omar and myself and said "Al Salamo Alekm" which is a greeting that means "peace on you." After I had put my shoes back on, Omar ran back inside to volunteer some of his time to help around the Islmaic Center and I saw a group of 5 or 6 muslim CIES students, including one of my conversation partners, Awad. I introduced myself, wished them a "happy Ramadan" even though that is an incorrect way of expressing that sentiment, and tried my hardest to say "Al Salamo Alekm."

Once Omar, Amar, and I had left we discussed what my feelings were about the experience of going to the Mosque or "Abroh lil almasjid." I told them how happy I was to have partook in this experience and thanked them both for guiding me through it. They expressed that I had an open invite to attend whenever I wanted, an offer that I'm confident I will take up during my last year at FSU.