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Marcus Parfitt
Dr. Storer
Exam II
11 November 2014
Mosque Visit
On November 1, the Faith, Religion and Society class visited the Mosque and
Islamic Center in Pittsburgh. Throughout the experience, I learned a number of things
about the Muslim culture such as attire, prayer, as well as some of the stereotypes that are
often associated with the Muslim society. I really enjoyed how open Kelsey was with
speaking about her transformation from Christianity, to Atheism and then finally to the
Islamic faith. People tend to keep their faith journey rather private, however it was nice to
be able to ask questions without the fear of offense being taken. It was interesting to see
how she went from being raised in a Christian home, to attempting to scientifically prove
that God does not exist, to converting to the Muslim culture.
One of the most interesting things I learned was about the attire that Muslims
wear. I learned that there is not only the hijab, but also an article of clothing called the
niqab. The niqab is a cloth that covers the entire face of Muslim woman except the eyes.
Originally, I thought that these cloths were a required part of the religion, however,
Kelsey explained that women choose to wear them on their own terms. They are to show
modesty. Also, that if a woman is forced to wear a covering it does not represent the same
thing religiously since it was not the choice of the woman wearing it. Kelsey explained
that she could take the covering off any time that she wanted. There is nothing holding
her to keeping it on. It was also surprising to me that the men have their form of a

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covering that goes on their heads. Once again this cloth is to represent modesty and is the
choice of the male to wear it.
Another interesting thing I learned during the Mosque visit was the aspect of
prayer and how it is executed. Muslims pray five times throughout the day, which all
correspond to the rising and setting of the sun. Some of the prayers consist of recitation
of the Koran while others a re silent prayers. One aspect of the prayer that I found
interesting was where people stand. Kelsey explained that men are in the front row and
women are always in the back row. This is because prayer should be completed without
any distraction, so men are in front of women so the full prostration position for prayer
does not become a distraction. Also, it is not required for Muslims to pray until they hit
puberty, however, many young children begin to pray on a regular basis in order to come
accustomed to the five times a day prayer. During prayer, they all face in the direction of
Kabba or the house of God. The mosque in Pittsburgh contained sections in the carpet
that pointed towards Kaaba, so they always knew which way to face.
Finally, another aspect of the Mosque visit that I found to be the most interesting
was when Kelsey explained some of the stereotypes that are often associated with
Muslims. One that stood out to me was the stereotype about violence. Especially in
todays society, a lot of people have negative feelings towards Muslims or the Islamic
community due to acts of violence executed by extremist. These extremists commit acts
of violence and recognize themselves with the entire religion or the community as a
whole. However, it is a sin for a Muslim to partake in war or kill another human unless it
is for self-defense purposes. Kelsey also explained other stereotypes towards women as
well.

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Overall, I feel that the experience provided me with further insight to what the
Islamic culture stands for, believes, and struggles they face from the society. It also was
interesting to see how closely that religion is to Christianity; with one main aspect being
that only one God is worshipped. It was nice to hear an actual religious experience first
hand and to be welcomed into their place of worship so nicely by everyone.