02/21/12

I haven't updated my blog in a while, so I figured I would do it sections.

On Tuesday 02/21, my Islamic Civilization class had a unique opportunity to visit a mosque in Granada. Early Tuesday morning, we met at the IES center and then hiked up the Albaicin, which is up high in the hills surrounding the center of Granada. We then met an American woman who had come to Spain 40 years ago after traveling throughout Europe. She had fallen in love with the City of Granada and fell in love with a man, and never had the urged to return to the states. She explained to us that she lived amongst a group of 20 year olds who were all in search of something. They searched to quench their desire to obtain an inner peace. They did not know what they were looking for, but they knew that they needed to look. The man who she had developed feelings for decided that Islam held the answers that he was looking for, and he decided to convert from Catholic to Muslim. He asked her to join him. Being an American Catholic woman, the religion did not appeal to her the way that it did to her love, but she loved him and trusted him and decided that she would convert. And I quote, she said"It was the best decision of my life".

The Mosque 

She explained the Hayy, the customs, the 5 pillars, and the Koran. She explained how they pray 5 times a day, and it is a way to release stress and cleanse the mind and body of tension. Moreover, she explained that she is in no way oppressed like the women in Saudia Arabia, and that the associated oppression of Muslim women is a result of manipulation of religion and power. Islam was her liberation and she found that inner peace she yearned for in her youth. Her passion for her religion made it seem almost palpable to me. However, she is a very liberal Muslim in terms of her beliefs and interpretation of the Koran and her story must not be mistaken as the norm; however, story is one that fascinated me and I would be happy to discuss it more with anyone who wants to hear! 

Inside the Mosque