London Central Mosque

This week we visited the London Central Mosque and Islamic Cultural Centre next to Regent’s Park. We went on Thursday 10.06.2010 because Fridays are altogether too busy – up to 10 000 Muslims attend the prayer at this mosque on a Friday. I had arranged to meet Omar Saddique: the LCM and ICC’s Public Relations Coordinator, to be our guide through the Mosque and Islam. Omar was very excited by our visit because, despite looking after around ten thousand visitors a year, he claimed never to have had guests from some of the countries represented by my classes such as Japan, Brazil or Colombia.

Once we were all gathered Omar took us into the prayer hall just in time to observe lunchtime prayer at one o’clock. In the prayer hall the Imam (leader of the Mosque) came to lead the prayer, while all the men lined up and prepared. All the women meet in another prayer hall and follow exactly the same prayer. The voice of the Imam is channelled into the women’s hall through a P.A. system. For the purposes of our education, all my students, male and female, observed the men’s prayer in the main hall. This degree of openness surprised us a little and it was a much-valued experience. This was my first time at a mosque as well, so I didn’t know exactly what to expect. I was glad that we were all able to remain together for the experience.

Our female company were asked to cover their heads out of modesty and respect. Many questions about the dress code of Muslims, and of the apparent segregation of men and women were raised. One of the first things that Omar spoke of after the prayer was finished was the emphasis in Islam on modesty. He also covered his hair and wore a long, loose-fitting garment. It was made clear that things such as beauty and sexuality are not so much suppressed in this community, as celebrated – the difference from my experience and understanding of beauty and sexuality, and that of many of my non-Muslim students, is that in Islam and Islamic culture it is restricted to the institution of marriage. In public, with unfamiliar people, one is modest and covers up. For this reason men and women pray separately and wear loose-fitting clothing to conceal all the lumps and bumps and the hair that my students and I (and perhaps you also) take for granted.

Omar made a clear distinction for us between Islam as a religion/faith in general, including what the Qur’an and Hadith actually say, and the idiosyncratic cultural attributes of specific communities and nations, which vary dramatically depending on where you are in the world. One of the great things about being an English teacher in London is getting to meet people from all over the world and forming relationships with them. It’s quite an education in itself. I have had Muslim students from both Sunni and Shi’a backgrounds, secular, religious and orthodox, from Algeria, Morocco, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, France, Iran, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, Albania: all over really. I'm no expert on Islam, but I’ve seen a large and diverse spectrum come and go through my classroom and the distinction that Omar draws is, I believe, a very important and pertinent one when considering the position of women in Islam. Omar asserts that men and women are considered equal in the eyes of God, if, perhaps, with different roles/responsibilities in society derived largely from the restrictions of our respective physiologies. I pressed him about whether or not women could become Imams. He explained that, while it is technically possible, women were never likely to do this because they would be busy taking care of their children. He emphasised the fact that mothers are the first point of education for children and that this is a very important role. Imams are required to give more time to their social and religious duties than most mothers could afford, so it simply doesn’t happen. There is a page on women Imams on wikipedia, for what it’s worth, if you’re interested…

Something that surprised many of my students was his response to someone's question about Jesus Christ in Islam. There appeared to be a misapprehension that Muslims don’t believe in Jesus. This was quickly and enthusiastically dispelled by our guide. Jesus Christ, it seems, has a very important role in Islam and he is venerated as one of the most important prophets, right up there with Moses and Abraham. They believe in his message of peace and in his miracles. The difference between Islam and Christianity on the subject of Jesus Christ is that, in Islam, Jesus was only a prophet and not the divine son of, nor the physical manifestation of God. His miracles are the miracles of God, done through His prophet – that is all.

The most important prophet is Mohammed ibn ‘Abdullāh (there are various spellings of his name in English), considered to be the last prophet of God, who came to clarify and confirm the teachings of the Bible and deliver from God, through His Angel Gabriel, the final message for man, written down for all in the final Holy Book – the Qur’an. Every time Mohammed's name was mentioned Omar quickly uttered "Peace and Blessings be upon him". This is apparently something that all adherents of Islam are supposed to do in remembrance of their great prophet.

Another revelation, that came as something of a particular surprise to some of the Roman Catholics among our group, was the reverence for Jesus’ mother Mary. Since becoming a teacher I have occasionally encountered a certain disdain for traditional Arabic and Turkish dress, particularly scarves and other head coverings. Indeed it seems to be a hot topic of debate throughout Europe at the moment. The English dictionaries I have looked in will tell you that hijab is: 'The headscarf worn by Muslim women, sometimes including a veil that covers the face except for the eyes'- www.dictionary.com. Omar explained that the hijab is more a way of life than specific garment, and applies to both men and women. Hijab even extends to such things as hair (beard etc) as well as head coverings and other clothes. Omar explained that the garments and scarves worn for hijab by Muslim women are based on the modest clothing of the Virgin Mary. Mary is one of four women who are considered to be the great, pious women of Islam and are role models for all Muslim women. These also include the Pharaoh’s wife Asiya, and both the wife and the daughter of Mohammed: Khadijah and Fatimah. For the men, the Great Prophets are their role models: Moses, for his strength, Jesus, for his kindness, peace and love and, among others, the most important is Mohammed, who has a balance of all these qualities.

After our lengthy but fascinating and enlightening discussion in the prayer hall, Omar took us upstairs to show us the library. He wanted to make it clear, and I feel I must pass it on, that it is absolutely vital to a mosque that it should have a library, and that if it didn’t it wasn’t really a mosque. Some of my Turkish students pointed out that there are mosques in their country that don’t have libraries. I suppose that’s just another facet of the diverse and eclectic nature of Islam. The library, we’re told, contains various texts in at least 48 languages (we were also told that there are 400 languages spoken in London!). We were handed over to the librarian, a charming and charismatic Egyptian called Abdullah, who made us very welcome and answered a few more questions for us. He is clearly very proud of his library and reminds us that it’s a place for learning for all, so go and have a look!

There is a shop on site as well, which sells everything from clothes to dates and honey, all kinds of books, DVDs and all sorts really. There is also a very reasonably priced restaurant – I recommend the potato and spinach dish – very tasty. We always seem to end up eating on these trips…

Omar spoke with us in the prayer hall and answered our questions for over an hour and a half and it would be nigh impossible to capture all of what was discussed in this humble blog so I have kept to some of the most interesting and unexpected elements of our discussion here. If you have more questions about Islam though, I can say with confidence that you will be welcomed at the LCM and ICC and their library and you can contact Omar Saddique directly at visits@iccuk.org - I know he won't mind me saying that.

The LCM and ICC have all kinds of exhibitions, lectures, inter-faith projects and social events throughout the year. You can find out more at their website which is www.iccuk.org

The church of St Stephen and St Thomas

On Thursday I happened to wander by the charming Anglican Church of St Stephen and St Thomas in Shepherd's Bush and, having grown up in Devon around so many of these beautiful buildings so particular to this island, it occurred to me that I really ought to include a proper, English Anglican church in this project. St Stephen’s seemed ideal: a beautiful, mid-nineteenth century church, sadly missing its spire due to a WW2 bomb but never the less a very attractive building.

So, on Friday (June 4th), I decided to take the kids along. I phoned the church late in the morning and spoke to the vicar, the reverend Dr Bob Mayo, and threw the idea at him quite unannounced. He was, naturally, quite thrown by my request at such short notice but graciously acquiesced and we arranged for a meeting later that day.

At two O’clock I arrived with my first class of students and met Bob outside the church. We were taken around to the front of the building where we gathered and listened as Bob introduced himself and his church. Here they have a shiny brand new extension built for social occasions and the like, of which Bob is, naturally, very proud. He was keen to explain that in the Christian tradition it is believed that God came to earth in the form of Jesus Christ and that God and man are inherently connected or ‘mixed’ as he put it. As such, the building extension is very much that: an extension, not a separate building. The religious and social elements of the church community, tradition, practice and lifestyle are all part of one and not separate entities. He further demonstrated this point by taking us into the new hall (complete with a rich, new-hall smell - nice!) and then through to the church proper.

Once in the church my students and I were asked to explore the building and search for crosses. We were to count the number of crosses in the building, from grand, obvious adornments to subtle decorations on cushions and miniature crosses hidden about the place. Most of my students counted around fifteen or so but one, keen young Colombian managed to find 155! Well-done Tibisay… We gathered back around at the front of the church where Bob revealed the purpose of this exercise and drew our attention to one cross that we may have all missed. The missing cross to which he referred was the building itself (http://www.freewebz.com/bunkertown/www/church-floor-plan425.gif) He showed that, from a birds-eye view, the building was designed in the shape of a crucifix; so central is this symbol to the Christian faith.

We were then brought down to the far end of the church, to the font: a kind of large pedestal in which to baptize children. Our guide explained the journey through life in the church: It begins as an infant at the font end of the church known as the narthex, immediately after you enter the church building. You then continue down through the nave, where all the pews (long wooden benches) are, up to the chancel at the centre of the church where you are married (Anglican vicars, unlike their Roman Catholic counter-parts, are allowed to marry and Bob tells us he is, very happily, so). Finally, in the sanctuary of the church, beyond the altar, you are laid out for your funeral service. This is the journey through life in the church.

Bob then went on to compare and contrast the Bible and the Qur’an (several of my class are Muslim). He explained that, as he understood it, the Qur’an is believed to be the direct word of God, whereas the Bible is about God, written by people and is to be interpreted. One of my Muslim students, Adil, while agreeing that the Qur’an is indeed the word of God, suggested that it also requires a good deal of interpretation and study to be understood.

When questioned about their impression of the place, my students responded with such words as ‘history’, ‘peace’, ‘calm’, ‘religion’, and other, similar ideas about the church as a building. Bob went on to explain enthusiastically that, while the church is a nice place to be for quiet and calm, that it was made complete only by the people and that the people are the heart of the church: “The church is nothing without people” he said.

With that we thanked our guide and went on our way. The church of St Stephen and St Thomas has a service at 10am every Sunday morning and, so we’re reminded, all are welcome. Certainly the Reverend Bob was very welcoming and hospitable and we are very grateful for the experience. If you want more information about St Stephen’s, their website is http://www.ststephensw12.org/