Qatar Mosque Tour

Last week we were taken on a great tour of Qatar's state mosque, named Muhammad Ibn Abdul Wahhab Mosque. It was opened in late 2011 and is beautiful.  The tour was sponsored by Education City (where we work), and we are really glad we took the kids along.  The whole tour took a couple of hours, and a good section was information about Islam.  It was a fantastic learning experience and a real treat to see this mosque that I've driven by so many times.  Here are some photos...

Outside the mosque when we arrived. 

 The mosque faces the New Doha skyline.  Poor kids with sun in their eyes...

A new colleague, Dr. Seawright.  She ingeniously had her students help her learn how to tie her scarf, so not only was it tied beautifully but also she had a great bonding experience with some of her Aggies!  It's considered polite for women to cover their hair when entering a mosque.  We also all removed our shoes.  Thankfully photos were allowed.

The minaret from the inside courtyard area.

Hannah and her friend, Elysium.

The sky turned a lovely shade of blue as the sun began to set.  Reminded me of Texas!

The architectural details of the mosque are gorgeous.  

These lights are hanging just outside the entrance.

Inside.  The place is large and peaceful; in fact, I couldn't hear any of the outside traffic or other city noises.  This would be a lovely place to pray or meditate.

We had two presenters who talked about Islam and answered questions.  They're standing in front of the place where the Imam stands to lead prayers. The Imam is like a congregational leader but who has proven himself extremely knowledgeable (as in memorized with meticulous accuracy) of the Q'uran. But if the Imam makes a mistake during any of the prayers, others can correct him.  I'm thinking that would be an awkward moment. :)

The clocks tell the specific time of day for each of the five prayers.

Back in the courtyard area, a view of the city skyline and some gorgeous screen cutwork.

While we were leaving, it was time for evening prayer. The sky grew dusky.
And then the lighting of the lamps.

Back to the busy world.

View from the mosque.

The mosque lit up for evening.  The angle for these photos is not good--the building is huge and very impressive seen from a little further back. 

This is short vide of a partial call to prayer (adhan--read more here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adhan). I wish I had been ready when it started--the man's (muezzin's) voice was beautiful.  Qatar has the most mosques per capita of any country in the world, and the call to prayer can be heard from just about any point in the city--certainly from outside. We can hear it in our villa but it's muted because of the concrete walls.  The call is something I've truly grown to love about living here, and when we leave some day, I'll miss it.

I clearly remember going into a mosque for the first time.  It was the one at Katara, which is a cultural/visitor center.  We couldn't figure out if we were "allowed" to go into the mosque or not, and a guard (who didn't speak much English) told me "no" when I asked.  But then I saw the ladies coming out of the upstairs entrance, and I had a scarf with me, so I just decided to go do it.  Honestly and for real, I was terrified that I was going to offend someone and get kicked out of the country.  Now I understand that a mosque, like a church, is open to whomever wants to enter it.  The scarf and shoelessness are polite conventions of respect and care, but the actual act of entering is no problem.  

Thinking back to my Presbyterian church in Texas, I would be horrified if someone felt that level of fear about coming into the church...I would want people of any background to feel welcomed to come in and look around and sit and ponder samenesses and differences and curiosities and ask questions.  That welcoming feeling that I would have is much closer to the real welcoming attitude in these mosques.

There's so much fear associated with the unknown, especially regarding religion, and we (in the US) have become so overly sensitive ("PC minded") about religion and politics that we have a horribly difficult time just having open conversations about our curiosities.  Even those who intend a high degree of respect for others' beliefs...that respect turns into a "space" of tolerance, a way to let/leave people "of difference" alone. And that aloneness or separation draws lines that divide us.  And those lines, perhaps drawn in respect, seem to become boundaries that then we feel we cannot cross.  And then those boundaries generate worry about "what goes on in there."  Somehow the respect gets distorted into fear.  It's ironic and sad. And frustrating.  

And it makes me even more thankful for opportunities like this mosque tour.