Concord visit to the Mosque.

A few of us from St Edmund's visited this mosque in Beeston to hear one of a series of talks "Rites of Passage" this time it was Islam. The Mosque is a converted "Co-op". We were all made very welcome. We had an introduction to the Imam who had replaced the one who was there at the time of 7/7, explaining this Imam was from Bradford and fluent in English, both language and culture, whereas it had been a general practice for the Imams to be brought over from other countries not knowing the language nor modern English Society. It was also mentioned that someone from the Mosque along with Jewish and Christian youth sport organizers, would be attending Lords CC Ground to receive an award for promoting interfaith cricket and football.

The first rite is the celebration of a birth, boy or girl, with prayers. Members of the family will call in to participate over the first 40 days. The boys are circumcised on the sixth day. A question was asked about female circumcision but the Imam said that it was only those from a few countries who interpreted the Qur'an differently who did so - certainly not in their mosque. The mother had purification prayers said after 40 days.

Children can attend prayers with parents when they are old enough to take part. Prayers are said separately men upstairs and the ladies downstairs. When children are considered to be capable of understanding, usually 11years old, they start attending classes at the Mosque to have instruction in the faith to learn the 5 pillars of Islam and to memorize the Qur'an. A group of teenage boys stayed in the talk as part of their usual class. The 5 pillars are reciting the creed in Arabic, praying 5 times a day facing Mecca - washing ritually beforehand, fasting during Ramadan, almsgiving and making a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in their life.

The next milestone is marriage that everyone is expected to do to be considered an adult. A question was asked whether the practice of men taking 4 wives would have to change now that the balance of the sexes means that there will not be enough women for men to all have one wife each. It was explained that most Muslims do have only one wife - especially in the West.

The next milestone is death when family members wash the body and prepare it for burial, wrapping it up in a special cloth. Prayers are said at the graveside and throughout the following 40 days in the belief that the more prayers that are said by as many people as possible will help the deceased's soul to go to heaven sooner. On the 40th day more prayers are said. This also gives some distant relatives a chance to attend because all Muslims have to be buried before sunset on the day of their death.

It was an informative and reassuring talk.

Primrose Agbamu