The Mosque

When we first arrive at the mosque I had no idea what to expect. I had never been inside one and was kind of excited to see one. I was pleasantly surprised by both our tour guide and the information he had for us. I learned more in that 2 hours or so than I would have ever dreamed of. I was half expecting him to be the stereotypical Muslim and knock other religions or seem above everyone else (yes everyone has their stereotypes whether we like it or not). The other part of me knew I was being stupid and judging people before I had a chance to talk to them so I tried to put those thoughts out of my head knowing they were most likely incorrect, as are more stereotypes.
When we are all sitting in the room behind the prayer chamber there were many things that surprised me. I found myself focusing and hanging on his every word, something I generally have a hard time doing. One of the most surprising things to me was when we discussed the prophets of other religions. According the Imam, Islamic people hold the prophets of other religions in the highest regard. They have just as much respect for Moses, Jesus, Noah, and any other prophet as they have for Mohamed. This is something that really changed my outlook on Islam (and Islamic people). He also cleared up many of the stereotypes that have been floating around. Much of what he said would have seen unbelievable to me except for the fact that he was so passionate about what he was saying. His beliefs are so strong and he seems to care and believe everything that he says, that I felt inspired by his words. He was truly genuine with us and if I had the time to visit again, I would not hesitate to go an observer a prayer session.