Islam, as Explained by the National Mosque of Malaysia

As I mentioned in my previous post, when we went to the National Mosque, they were great at explaining/displaying the main tenets, or pillars as they are called, of their religion. There were many guides around ready to answer any questions you may have had, and they really embraced a culture of learning there.

So, here are some of the things I re-learned about Islam (I took a religion class in college...soooooo all of this seemed relatively familiar... kind of...).

Islam has 5 basic pillars: declaration of faith, prayer, the Hajj, fasting during Ramadan, and giving alms.

Declaration: Declaring that you believe there is only one God, Allah, and that Muhammad is God's messenger. It is essential to declare this in order to become Muslim and convert to Islam.

Prayer: Muslims pray to Allah 5 times daily. When they pray, they face Mecca, their holy land, and pray directly to Allah. When they pray in Mosques, there is no "director" - no one such as a priest, rabbi, etc. who links the individual to Allah. Instead, each individual is always linked directly to Allah during prayer. Additionally, there are no idols at all in the Mosque. Instead, there is an alcove towards which everyone prays. Muslims believe that Allah cannot be personified, as "he" is not a person, but rather a being. Therefore, any idol would not actually represent Allah. Instead, a space is left for Allah in the Mosque.

The Hajj: Every Muslim is expected to make one journey to Mecca, or Hajj, during their lifetime. The holy land is considered the most sacred place on earth.

Fasting: During the holy month of Ramadan, Muslims fast as a sacrifice. They also do this to ask for forgiveness from God, to atone for their sins, and to seek nearness to Allah.

Charity: Muslims are expected to share with the less fortunate and to give alms based on their accumulated wealth. Muslims are encouraged to strive towards equality, so giving as they can helps to eliminate inequalities that exist.

All of this sounds very interesting to me. From my initial readings of the signs posted around the Mosque, as well as my readings of the brochures that I took from the Mosque, I was very interested in Islam's teachings. I remember thinking the same thing when I first began learning about the religion in college. It seems like a very open, accepting, and loving religion, which places an emphasis on community, fairness, and equality.

Sounds like my kind of teachings.

However, I'm not quite sure the National Mosque of Malaysia portrayed those teachings throughout ALL of their reading materials... There were several passages which sounded, not just closed minded, but somewhat offensive to other religions. Something which I believe is not at the heart of what Islam is.

While I will not take how I feel about the religion from these pamphlets AT ALL, it is quite curious that this was the reading material that was provided to outsiders looking to learn more about Islam at the NATIONAL MOSQUE. I still believe that, at its core, Islam is a beautiful religion with wonderful tenets.

Maybe it's time for some more accepting phrasing in your pamphlets to better portray that?? :)