A Visit to a Mosque

My Visit to a Mosque
Intro to Christian Theology

I have been a member of the Catholic Church my entire life. Although I have often taken time to reflect on my faith, never once have I made an attempt to explore a religion aside from my own. Recently, I stepped outside of my comfort zone and was fortunate enough to visit a mosque. A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam, or one who is Muslim. There are a multitude of services I could have visited to experience a new religion, each with their own identity. The reason I ultimately chose to visit a mosque is because Muslims believe all life begins and ends with God, as do I. However, unlike Catholics, the Islamic religion does not believe Jesus Christ to be the Son of God, nor that he was crucified on the cross. My goal was to gain a better understanding of the beliefs Catholics and Muslims share, how they differ, and why. The experience was refreshing, and I feel as though I left the mosque with solid answers to my questions, and a new outlook on my own faith. The mosque I visited, called the Mosque Foundation, is located in Bridgeview, Illinois. Although there are mosques shorter in distance from my home, I was told the experience would prove to be better at this particular mosque. When first walking in, I observed many people gathered in the hallways visiting and conversing with one another. After a short time, the women proceeded down stairs and the men stayed upstairs near the main entrance. One woman was gracious enough to explain to me the events taking place. Men and women separate to take part in Salat, or prayer. Because the prayer ritual requires putting one’s forehead to the ground, shoes are removed and placed on shelves. Every woman was dressed modestly and wore a veil/scarf covering their hair. While many people are aware that Muslim women wear this garment on their heads, perhaps what is not known is that this is a religious practice. Many