{"id":6425,"date":"2016-02-10T18:41:59","date_gmt":"2016-02-10T18:41:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/english.thesunrisetoday.com\/?p=6425"},"modified":"2016-02-10T18:41:59","modified_gmt":"2016-02-10T18:41:59","slug":"non-muslims-experience-beauty-of-islam-at-east-london-mosque","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english.thesunrisetoday.com\/index.php\/non-muslims-experience-beauty-of-islam-at-east-london-mosque\/","title":{"rendered":"Non-Muslims experience beauty of Islam at East London Mosque"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Mosque\"<\/a>Khadiza Shahid spoke to non-Muslims who visited East London Mosque on Sunday as part of Visit My Mosque Day. They told her that the experience changed their perceptions about Muslims and helped break down barriers between communities.
\nThe young local woman could have passed as just another Muslim. Dressed in loose western attire, Nyree Scales agreed to East London Mosque\u2019s request to cover her hair with a maroon scarf as she entered the main prayer hall to satisfy her curiosity to learn about Islam, having regularly heard the mosque\u2019s call to prayer.
\nShe listened attentively as the tour guides explained the layout of the hall and how the prayer was performed in congregation during which worshippers from all walks of life stand shoulder to shoulder regardless of race.
\nWith countless opportunities to pose questions, Nyree confidently enquired about Muslims\u2019 belief in jinns. Her tour guide Juber Hussein explained that Muslims believe in the existence of spirits or supernatural creatures that cannot be seen, quite like those portrayed in the movie Paranormal Activity.
\nWhile Nyree did feel she had some preconceived ideas about Islam, those preconceptions disappeared as she left the mosque.
\n\u201cMuch of the media representations don\u2019t seem to be true to reality. I\u2019ve noticed more hostility elsewhere than here [in Tower Hamlets]\u201d, she said. \u201cWhat the British assume is that Muslims are an enclosed group and outsiders aren\u2019t pure. This event proved otherwise. I thought it wouldn\u2019t be as great for me because I\u2019m a woman but the Muslim women I\u2019ve met here are strong. They showed that the concept of the submissive wife isn\u2019t accurate.\u201d
\nVisit My Mosque Day
\nDistilling such misconceptions was the purpose behind the Muslim Council of Britain\u2019s efforts to facilitate open days across Britain under the banner \u201cVisit My Mosque\u201d.
\nEast London Mosque, one of the largest mosques in the country, was among 90 mosques across Britain to invite the public through its gates in a bid to increase awareness and educate people about Islam. The mosques offered talks, videos, tours and the chance to watch Muslims pray.
\nApproximately 30 000 people walk through the mosque each week, which can hold up to 7,000 worshippers at any one time. East London Mosque is part of a huge complex, providing services alongside the London Muslim Centre and the Maryam Centre. The new facilities of the Maryam Centre have increased the prayer capacity for women, allowing nearly 1,000 women to attend the weekly Friday congregation for Jummah. Altogether, the sites provide educational, religious, community and social welfare services.
\nLaunching its open day at 11am, East London Mosque received about 100 people within a couple of hours. Throughout the whole day, over 250 people took the initiative to visit the mosque. The institution welcomed groups of visitors with refreshments before inviting them to a presentation on Islam\u2019s basic tenets as well as a video about the mosque\u2019s history, which spans over a century.
\nQuotes from the Prophet (saw) and also Malcolm X\u2019s famous statement about hajj were on display. Translations and copies of the Quran were made available for visitors\u2019 perusal.
\nAlthough the Muslim Council of Britain coordinated the national event to give an opportunity for mosques to provide the public an insight into the faith \u201cbeyond hostile headlines,\u201d one of the imams was keen to emphasise that East London Mosque has been holding regular open days even pre-9\/11.
\nShaykh Shafiur Rahman said: \u201cThese events are almost just as busy as this one. Obviously, with the recent increase in misrepresentations of Islam, it has made the atmosphere more critical and these events are more important than ever. Curiosity [about the religion] is definitely raised because of the media. It\u2019s one of the best methods for dialogue because it\u2019s personal, face-to-face and opens up the doors of a sacred place.\u201d
\nAnd East London Mosque\u2019s open day wasn\u2019t merely providing a different perspective of Islam than what many of the general public encounter. A few explored the religion in more depth to expand their knowledge such as the concept of ihsan. Many others took advantage of the day for interfaith dialogue, exploring the connections with the other Abrahamic religions.
\nMark Tittle had come with his family after hearing about it on the morning of the open day. He said: \u201cI\u2019m an atheist, but my wife is Jewish and so is my daughter as the religion is passed down from the mother\u2019s side.
\n\u201cI\u2019ve never been to a mosque but I\u2019m interested in breaking down barriers between religions and social groups. My perception of Muslims hasn\u2019t changed because of visiting today \u2013 I\u2019ve always seen Muslims as ordinary people.\u201d<\/p>\n

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