Get Into The Spirit Please

I have to say that one of the things I miss the most about being in the UK is how the mosques are used.

They are centres of the community, one of the few places where Muslims can come together and meet.

Every year when I attend taraweeh prayers during Ramadan, I see the same faces. When I don’t see one I am told about new developments in their lives, if they emigrated, married etc.

When the call to prayer is made, worshippers get up and stand shoulder-to-shoulder, foot-to-foot with each other. This is the way Islam asks us to stand to unite the Muslim ummah (brotherhood/ sisterhood) and remind them that, in the eyes of God, no matter how rich or poor you are you and the person next to you are equal.

I used to go to an Islamic centre and not a mosque for prayers. It was a converted terraced house and so space was limited. This meant that, to accommodate all the worshippers, we would have to squeeze together. Even though at times it was uncomfortable, it was lovely to be united in such a way.

It was wonderful to see so many people taking time out of their day to come to prayers. Most people came from far away to attend prayers in this place for their own personal reasons.

It is very different here.

Although the mosques are full and I see the same faces every day, it is rare to have people greet you.

That is not to say that people are unwelcoming. If someone gets water they will be sure to bring enough for those sitting around them. They will distribute anything they use to people around them and, in that sense, there is a community feel.

But, in spite of going to the same mosque for three years, and seeing the regulars every day, I have to admit that my only greeting is a “Salam alikom” when I enter the mosque.

Then when we rise for prayers it is almost impossible to bring people as close together as they should be - often you find that you have to work very hard to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the person next to you, let alone foot-to-foot.

It is a real shame.