Surprize Stephenson Cultural Immersion Part 2 COUN-504

1. What events did you attend? What happened? The first event I attended was at the Inshallah ICVA Mosque and it was the Muslims Friday evening prayer and lecture. I visited the Mosque about 7:30 pm and the Muslims were preparing for Maghrib(7:48 pm), the fourth of five prayers(Salat) that Muslims must present each day. As I entered the building many people were already inside having personal prayers, I have no idea what the separate prayers were for. Everyone who entered the building removed their shoes and placed them on a rack, I quickly followed suit. There was a woman one person in front of me and I made haste so that I could follow her. As she walked, I assume she felt me following her and she turned and spoke to me in Arabic saying Assalamu Alaykum( Muslim greeting). We entered a small room, decorated with only oriental rugs, and there were only women in this room; I soon saw that the room was simply partitioned off to separate men and women. Everyone was securing a space on the floor, and the woman I followed offered me to have a seat in the back of the room to learn. A man, the Imam, came to the front and said a few words in Arabic and then in English, once he finished everyone stood and raised their hands. The prayers then began chanting Arabic passages. Once they finished chanting they all got on their knees with their heads and hands on the floor; they then had individual prayers. As

everyone finish they rose and the Imam asked everyone to gather together and have prayer with each other. This was the end of Maghrib. The Imam appeared again in the front after the prayer ritual, which lasted about an hour, and began to present a lecture (like a sermon) to the people. As he spoke he regularly went from Arabic to English stressing the importance of following the QuRan and living a clean life. The second event I attended was a Sisters QuRan Class. I chose to try another Mosque, Masjidullah, for this event to ensure I had the full affect. Arriving at the Mosque on that Sunday evening, I felt at ease. I entered the building with others and we all gathered in the main room. The class was opened with prayer by the facilitator and he then immediately began the session. The topic was marriage and what a womans role is. He had the class repeat passages from the Quran in Arabic to aid in understanding and for referencing to English. The facilitator discussed how pleasing it is to Allah and Muhammad that Muslims know and understand the QuRan through and through. There was then an open discussion, and it was clear that many of the group were recent converts. 2. How did your experience of actual cultural events compare with the expectations you had developed from the readings and internet explorations you did in Part 1? My personal experiences were very different than what I anticipated. Going into my group encounters I was very leery, and had prepared myself to approach these encounters trepidatiously. I was so worried that I would stick out like a sore thumb, and be subject to disrespect and mistreatment. From what I learned through my research the women are separated from the men during all activities as well as prayer. I assumed that the women

would be treated as lesser and suffer severe mistreatment from the men of Islam. However, the separation of the sexes is to help ensure that things stay pure, and that the prayer time is sanctified. To me it actually says that the men are weak and cannot control themselves. Also, different then what I assumed I was treated very kindly, and greeted by everyone that crossed my path. After the Imams lecture there was a pot luck for fellowship, and I was begged to join in. I never imagined that they would be so welcoming to an outsider. 3. How did participation in these immersion events impact you emotionally? In other words, what was it like to be a minority in this group? Emotionally I was blown away with the kindness I received from the people of Islam I encountered at both Mosques. I felt extremely honored to be treated so kind heartedly by this group of so called terrorists. I felt a bit of guilt and shame that at one point I was extremely afraid and kept my distance from all Muslims. Being the minority is never easy, and I definitely felt that during my first encounter. As I stated earlier I had to sit secluded from the group and not being considered for their final prayer, because I wasnt one made me feel like I wasnt good enough. However, they did not desire to cause me any harm; this is just how their faith operates and I would not want an non-believer in my personal prayer either. 4. As you consider your own cultural background, why do you think you responded in these ways?

Being a minority myself made it easy for me to set aside my assumptions of what I or anyone else believed Muslims stood for. African Americans are always stereotyped and grouped into categories. It was easy for me to recognize that though grouped as so all Muslims are not terrorists. Just as Christians do, Muslims have different denominations with varying differences and beliefs. 5. What are some key things youve learned about this culture through these immersion experiences? Above all things, I learned that Muslims are simply people like you and I. They work very hard to maintain true to their faith and Allah. I also found that Islam is a lifestyle to it followers and one must be dedicated and love what it stands in order to continue (personal communication, 2013). Muslims are broken down in to five denominations and only 2% of them are associated with terrorism and Islam is the fastest growing religion today (Masjidullah, n.d.). I have ultimately learned that its better to simply know for yourself.

References Masjidullah Mosque. (n.d.). Coming to Islam [Brochure]. Richmond, VA: Masjidullah Mosque.