Barbara Lawlor

Nederland

Is the Koran like the Bible?

How do you pray? On your knees?

Are Muslim women oppressed?

There were many questions addressed to the Muslim visitors at the Nederland Community Presbyterian Church. About 50 people attended the beginning of this year's series on other religions and they were treated to a Mediterranean/Indian lunch as well as conversation with the visitors who spoke of their traditions and faith and answered the questions that the Nederland residents asked. The group was candid and warm, welcoming the chance to speak about their culture.

Aziz explained that the Koran is like the Bible, in that Muslims receive their guidance from the words that were given to Mohammed. He explained that Muslims prophets do not deny the original Bible, but that even within the Muslim community, Muslims have different ideas about their relationship to the religion.

All Muslims pray at least three times a day, but many pray five times a day: sunrise, noon, late afternoon, dinner and before bed. Aziz said that prayer is the unconditional acceptance of god in your heart and in your head.

An essential part of the Muslim religion is based on charity and giving. People are asked to find out who is needy and offer them food, but only food that they would eat themselves.

Sunday's lunch menu included: Hummus, samosa, falafel, tahini sauce, chatni mint sauce, dates and pita bread, explained Farah Afzal. "I always passed through Nederland, but never stopped before," she said. "I am from Louisville and go to the Islamic Center in Boulder where I talk to the visitors who want to learn about Islam and so I wanted to come here." She says that Muslims do not pray from memory, but from their heart.

Farah said that her name means Happiness and she is a citizen of all countries.

Donna is from Western Pennsylvania and when she married her Muslim husband, she was a catholic. She said that she later converted, but not because she was forced to change her religion. She said that actually Muslim women have more rights that women did in the early days of Christianity.

Donna has a master's degree in psychology. She met her husband and married him in 1971. "He was an engineer and I was a nurse. We were from different countries and different cultures but we fell in love and made a commitment to each other and have had 45 good years."

The couple adhered to the same commandments. When he kneeled to pray, she would sit, but that's because she had a bad back. Donna said that they would take time out from their business to take a deep breath and commune with God.

"Being a Muslim appealed to me. I didn't always wear the scarf. At home I wear tank tops and shorts. I don't have to wear the scarf. That is between me and God."

She says she gets a kick out of going to Walmart and when she is in line, the clerks speak really slowly to her as if she doesn't understand. She said once she saw a woman staring at her, and then the woman ran over and said she loved her scarf, that it must be Italian. "I got it at Walmart," replied Donna.

Muslims believe that they must feed the hungry, and if they go to bed full and a neighbor hungry, then they are not good Muslims. "We are here to take care of the beautiful gifts that god has given us."

Muslims do not brag about helping others because Allah will know. "If we help others and do it discreetly, with God's intentions, we will get blessings."

Donna said that she has more rights as a believer of Islam than she did as a Catholic. "If I don't want to cook, he can get me a cook, but I also take any chance to be a good person. What we have in common, is we worship one God. The Koran refers often to Jesus and his virgin birth. Islam is not far from what I believed before. God wants the same thing from us."

The women and the men visitors all agreed that women have the same rights as men. They said ISIS cannot be held up to the standards of the Muslims, and that "every group of people has their scumbags."

One person asked if the Koran advocated suicide bombing and the answer was "absolutely not." Suicide bombing began with the kamikazes during World War II.

"Taking a human life is the second biggest sin," agreed Sunday's visitors.

A couple of hours of learning about another religion doesn't begin to answer all the questions that Christians have about the Muslim beliefs and culture. The questions were honest and the answers came from the heart, which is one of the most important pieces of beginning a conversation that could lead to understanding and compassion.