Above is the answer I have given an alarming number of times since I have told people that I am taking a class about the nation of Islam. "Are you a Muslim?", is the most typical response, followed closely by "why?". Really? Why not?
I am, indeed, taking a six week class on Islam. It is held here in Rockford at our Muslim Community Center and Mosque....pictured below.
The new section is still under construction and we hope to be able to tour it at the end of the class session. The class is offered through our local community college's Center for Learning in Retirement. Though I am not retired, I am over 50, so I qualify and am pleased for the opportunity.
Last Wednesday I joined ten or eleven other "older" folks in the center's school library to begin our studies into the mystical world of Islam. Not that Islam is any more mystical than any other religion, but in the times we live it holds a strange status as being on the other side of the fence, so to speak. I'm attending with my friend Nancy (Hi Nancy!) who brought the class to my attention in the first place. Being our first time we entered tentatively and were immediately greeted by smiling men who pointed us toward our room.
Our teacher is the Imam Shpendim Nadzaku. I can't even begin to pronounce it, though he is kind about our western attempts at the Arabic. Even so, I wouldn't even try. He is a tall, thin man with a kind disposition. He is pictured below in front of the mosque.
The Imam was born in Albania, immigrated to New Jersey, and then did his Arabic studies in Saudi Arabia. His English is impeccable, with the exception of a few Jersey "yous" thrown in from time to time. His manner is patient and his desire transparent. From the beginning he offered that no question should go unasked or unanswered. He promised to take no personal offense and did not when one of the first questions was about his beard. No, all Muslim married men do not have beards. It is simply a choice to emulate Mohammad. Makes sense to me.
It was, for me, an experience that I have never had before, one of being the minority in a environment. My woman's uncovered red head and large earrings were in stark contrast to the white covered heads of the young women that passed the door. I found all of them, man, woman, boy and girl to be incredibly beautiful. As the class bells rang and children hurried past, our class agreed that school children are all the same regardless of religion or culture. That, I think, was a good first step.
I am also a minority in the class itself as being the only one that was not classified as "christian". As stated before, I believe in a creator/god, but in lifestyle I lean toward Buddhism. Rose, seated to my left was Catholic and several others were members of the same Methodist church. You have to give those Methodists credit; they do their best to keep their minds open. I can't say exactly why all the others were in attendance. I, myself, am there to learn. Knowledge is the best weapon against fear.
After one class, it sounds an awful lot like old testament christianity. Names like Adam, Eve, and Noah came up, as did Jesus. Islam is monotheistic...one god and only one. No holy trinity, no salvation through blood. Just you and god. I especially enjoyed when the Imam talked of God's beautiful names. Fascinating stuff.
Am I a Muslim? No, nor do I intend to be. My goal is to be able to see them with the same eyes I see christians and jews and hindus, etc; with respect and understanding. Just another way to look at god however he/she/it is perceived by others. It is a privelege to live in a country where that opportunity is available to me.
If you have thoughts you would like to share, they are welcome here.

