“Mosque’s men the only prayer canceled amid exclusion complaints”
This article is about the sudden cancellation of the Muslim prayers which are held at Comfort Inn in Revere Massachusetts. This dissolution came amid countless calls by an anonymous caller who had raised several complaints to the resort management. The reason this prayer meeting was canceled is that the venue attracted guys only. This means that women and children have been prohibited from accessing the place. When the mosque officials were confronted, they stated that they restricted admission to men only considering that the venue wasn't large adequate to accommodate both women and children. Due to this incident, many people raised complaints asking why the mosque was only open to men instead of making the event accessible to first arrivals or secure a different venue.
A prominent place for the Muslims
A mosque is a prominent place for the Muslims. They consider it the only place of worship, and it is open to men, women, and children. Mosques are also used for supplementary purposes such as education and other official functions. Besides, non-Muslims are also welcomed in the mosque throughout the year. Some of these guests visit the mosque to attend official duties, observe how they worship as well as meeting their Muslim friends. Others may wish to visit in the mosque to admire the Islamic architecture of the building. The frequency with which an individual visits a mosque differs. For instance, most women prefer not going to pray in mosques but rather do it at home. But, the situation is different in western countries where both women and children must go to the mosque, so as to feel the special connection with God. There are also countries which discourage their women from attending mosques. In many instances, men are privileged to participate in mosques every Friday. Other Muslims may prefer visiting the mosque daily or pray several times a day.
Celebrating Eid al-Adha
Eid al-Adha is celebrated every year by Muslims across the world. This holiday is also called the “sacrifice feast”, and it is used to honor the willingness of Ibrahim to sacrifice his son Ismail. The reason he sacrificed his son was to show his obedience to God. According to the Muslims culture, all people are supposed to attend Eid al-Adha. But, there are some few categories of people who are not allowed to attend this ceremony. In this case, the only exception is the menstruating women who are supposed to stay away from those prayers. They are only allowed to witness goodness as well as the gathering of the Muslims. Moreover, they are not supposed to enter the prayer-place. In other countries women are commanded to go out to the Eid prayer and join others in these celebrations. During celebrations, women are required to dress decently, not wearing adornment, perfume or makeup. This is to allow them to combine following the Sunnah with avoiding fitnah. But there are those who wear these items out of negligence (Philip 3).
The significance of Hajj
When the pilgrims celebrate this event, they wear simple white clothes called Ihram. All Muslims, also, consider Mecca as the holy place since it is where most events take place. This place is also open to non-Muslims. Unlike non-Muslims, Hajj is regarded as the fifth and final pillar of Islam by all Muslims who are able to attend. This ceremony is typically marked in the month of Dhul Hijjah which according to the Islam is the twelfth month of the Islamic lunar calendar. During this ceremony, there are many rituals which are performed before the ceremony is closed. Some of these rituals are aimed at renewing the sense of purpose of Muslims in the world. Also, various acts of worship are performed in this ceremony. Therefore, Hajj is essential to the Muslims for many reasons. Firstly, it helps to teach Muslims about their real purpose. At the same time, Hajj makes people feel a closer connection to Allah. This ceremony also unites people with their brothers and sisters on the journey. Lastly, Hajj is useful since it helps Muslims to reinforce worship methods as well as recognizing the equality of all people (Clingingsmith et al 7).
Insufficient information and complications
According to my understanding, this article has not given sufficient explanation on why the prayers were canceled. Also, it does not disclose the reason women and children are not allowed into the place of worship. The article does not also recognize the relevance of the Hajj and Eid al-Adha. As such, there is little account is given concerning the relevance of the two ceremonies in the Muslim religion. Furthermore, the article has also not given us an explanation why the center of worship was shut down. There is a clear understanding that the author has not gathered enough information on the relevance of worship centers among the Muslims. However, the article seems to complicate the issue of worship among the Muslims. For instance, it is alleged that children and women are never allowed into the worship centers since they are small in size (Jamal 11). Consequently, this article has not given sufficient information about the Muslims way of worshipping.
Work Cited
Jamal, Amaney. “Mosques, collective identity, and gender differences among Arab American Muslims.” Journal of Middle East Women’s Studies 1.1 (2005): 53-78.
Clingingsmith, David, Asim Ijaz Khwaja, and Michael Kremer. “Estimating the impact of the Hajj: religion and tolerance in Islam’s global gathering.” The Quarterly Journal of Economics 124.3 (2009): 1133-1170.
Philip, Marcelo. “Mosque’s men the only prayer canceled amid exclusion complaints”. The journal of world-wide Religious news (2017):3.
