Islam Field Trip

Any field trip that begins with a discussion of modesty in a mosque and concludes with a belly dance routine deserves analytical attention in order to connect such contrasting activities. Islam, while maintaining many conservative traditions, has experienced the influence of American culture demonstrated by modern clubs and restaurants that contain attractions like female dancers and hookah bars. With Dr. Tatum’s comical dance and the superb humus in mind, I still enjoyed watching Muslims worship the most during this trip. Instead of asking a Muslim how they worship or reading about rituals online, it was incredibly captivating to enter their place of worship, hear the call to pray, and observe believers in their sacred space. This private look at Islamic ritual allowed me to compare their practices to those of other …show more content…
The Muslim women opened themselves to questions, and the first question was why the men and women entered different parts of the mosque to worship separately. While the women explained that the prayers required bowing, hence uncomfortable positions to perform with males in the room, I was still shocked by the gender segregation. The women place of worship was separated by flights of stairs, a separate elevated level, and glass windows, seeming very distant from the men. Additionally, women are encouraged to stay home with the children so as not to inconvenience them to drive to the mosque while men are encouraged to attend the mosque prayer whenever possible. Thus, there were noticeably more men worshipping than men, and the children are encouraged to stay with their mothers until they reach ten years of age. These assumed roles for genders surprised me the most because I imagine a religious space as a unified place of worship where sex is