A Mosque in America

A Visit to

A Mosque

In America

Driving along I-75 in Cincinnati OH, all eyes are drawn as a magnet to the unique building with its golden dome and unusual architecture. The Islamic Center of Greater Cincinnati is located at the base of a residential street in a neighborhood in West Chester. The center houses an Islamic school, a community center, an international school and the Mosque, which is the place of worship for Muslims.

There are many misconceptions regarding Islam and Muslims. In reality most Muslims are non-Arabs and most live outside the Middle East. There are five million Muslims in the United States. There are an estimated 10,000-15,000 Muslims in the Greater Cincinnati area.

Passing through the wrought iron gate, my eyes rivet to the cluster of flags to the right, one to reflect each of the 49-predominately Muslim countries. The United States flag is not among these as America is predominately Christian with Muslim being the third largest religion. Because America is our country and we are American Muslims, the American flag flows freely in the wind in a spot all its own.

Next my gaze is drawn upward to the golden dome and crescent moon covering the Mosque. Many non-Muslims are of the belief that Muslims pray or worship a “moon god”. We do not. We believe in the same God as Christians and Jews. We believe in the ‘oneness of God’, the Creator of Abraham, Moses, and Jesus. The crescent moon reflects our practice of adhering to the lunar calendar, or God’s calendar, rather than the Georgian calendar, or man’s calendar. This is why many Mosques will have a crescent moon topping the domes.

Each of the buildings is individual yet connected by covered walkways known by all who enter here as ‘bridges’. The Islamic Center community building holds classes for Muslims and non-Muslims alike who wish to learn more about the religion. It also offers activities such as sports activities, picnics, weddings, Arabic language classes, lectures, seminars and such. The International School offers grades K-8 and has a teacher/student ratio of 1:15 along with a Montessori pre-school and is available to Muslims and non-Muslims.

The most beautiful building among these is the Mosque. The Mosque was built in early 1990’s and is American built, almost entirely by local architects and local artists. There is a fountain in front of the Mosque and a second fountain inside the vestibule. These fountains have come from as far away as Egypt, Syria and Saudi Arabia and are merely for decoration though in older times fountains were used for washing before prayer.

Upon entering the Mosque, I enter into a vestibule with a decorative fountain in the middle and a hallway to each side lined with a shelf for shoes. Shoes are not worn in a Mosque because it is a place of worship to Allah, the Arabic word for God, where cleanliness is all-important. Shoes will have dirt on them. One cannot go before God in such a state.

After my shoes are removed I proceed through

the vestibule. On each side of the fountain are restrooms, one for men, one for women. Inside the restrooms is where differences begin. Each houses a wash basin which reminds me of when I was a young girl in elementary school and the old round sinks we used to wash our hands. This is the same. It is here that Muslims perform wudu. Wudu is the cleansing done before prayer. It is when ablution is performed, and I make myself ready for God. I must be physically, spiritually and emotionally clean. Wudu is performed before each prayer.

After completing wudu, I enter into the main open room of the Mosque. There are no pews or chairs in this place of worship. Instead there is carpet and decorative area rugs are prayed upon. This is in part because in our style of prayer we bend, stoop, kneel and sit. Pews or chairs would only hinder us.

During prayer men and women pray in separate areas. In this Mosque, the place for women is upstairs in the beautiful balcony, which is under the beautiful golden dome. Most non-Muslims feel this is discriminatory toward women. It is not. This is because during our