Posted on 11/14/2005 12:38:43 PM PST by Liberty Valance
For years, Amin Ibrahim practiced Islam from a converted house in McAllen, praying there daily with his fellow Muslims.
But something was lacking — something he now has found in the recently constructed al Ridwan mosque, a striking white-and-blue tile structure on Jackson Road.
"It’s a big deal for us," said Ibrahim, a chemistry professor at the University of Texas-Pan American. "Spiritually speaking, it’s the difference between praying at home and praying at a church.
"It’s a worship place, a social place, a place for our children to get an Islamic education … show people that we actually have a place. For Muslims, the (mosque) is the center for everything."
Easily identifiable by its bright blue dome rising above an office complex in south Edinburg, al Ridwan has caught the attention of both Muslims and non-Muslims since opening its doors less than a month ago.
The spiritual leader of the mosque is Mohammed Saei, an Islamic scholar who teaches at American Open University, a correspondence school in Islamic studies based in Virginia. Saei, a native of Syria, arrived in the Rio Grande Valley last year after receiving inquiries from area Muslims like Ibrahim about whether he would be interested in moving from El Paso to set up and lead a new mosque.
"They were praying in small homes, and they felt they needed a beautiful place to represent the religion of Islam," he said. "So they called me and now we have a beautiful work of art we’re calling everyone to come and see."
Most of the interested parties work in the Valley as doctors, engineers or academics, so money was not an issue, Saei said. They imported decorative materials from the Middle East, employed a Muslim contractor to do the work for free, and within eight months, principal construction was complete.
While the mosque is still awaiting some final work, Saei estimates about 100 worshipers, mostly Sunni Muslims reflecting the spiritual make-up of the area, already are attending. He hopes the number will grow as area Muslims become aware of the new mosque.
Saei has hopes for al Ridwan beyond increasing the size of its membership. He hopes to educate non-Muslims about the true meaning of Islam, he said.
"The propaganda about Islam is so negative, so they need to see something positive," he said. "They need to understand the beauty and the search for perfection. Ignorance — it affects every religion. … We have to reflect on our art, our past, our history. The past can live in the present and is able to benefit the present time."
uh-huh
Any cars burning in the area...?
It is a big deal. It's hard to recruit killers from their homes.
This is why you still live in the 7th century idiot -
Has ICE checked the back room?
Ah, the beauty of Islam.
Christians under siege in Pakistan after riot
More detail on the riots in Pakistan from the Telegraph, with thanks to Sr. Soph:
The Christians of Sangla Hill in Pakistan were a community under siege last night after a Muslim mob rampaged through the town, burning churches and a Roman Catholic compound.
Father Samson Dilawar, parish priest of the Roman Catholic Church of Nazooli-i-Rooh, the Blessing of the Sacred Spirit, was still dressed in the cassock in which he fled when the mob knocked down the gate to the church compound on Saturday.
"I heard the mullahs had been telling people over loudspeakers, 'We are guardians of the Koran and it is our foremost duty to teach a lesson to those kafirs'," he said. "Then they came to my door."...
OR
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (Reuters) -- A court sentenced a teacher to 40 months in prison and 750 lashes for "mocking religion" after he discussed the Bible and praised Jews, a Saudi newspaper reported yesterday.
Al-Madina newspaper said secondary-school teacher Mohammad al-Harbi, who will be flogged in public, was taken to court by his colleagues and students.
He was charged with promoting a "dubious ideology, mocking religion, saying the Jews were right, discussing the Gospel and preventing students from leaving class to wash for prayer," the newspaper said.
Hey Saei...those bombings are actual events, you puke.
How to quickly decapitate an infid- err, sheep.
How to create wire circuits to vests or shoes.
How to make a molotov cocktail.
The Joys of Highjacking. How to wake an Infidel with calls to prayer.
Why you keep your mouth shut when others in your faith have committed atrocities.
How to arrange for female circumcision.
When is it OK to beat your wives and daughters.
Family Honor Killings: not just for the Middle-East anymore.
Burkha's n' Texans!
...a place to store his explosives.
A group of muslims moved into my hometown a year ago and wanted to build a mosque on the land of a church the diocese recently had closed down. There were only five of them plus their families, but they wanted to tear down the 200+ seat church and build an even larger mosque. The original deed for the land was hunted down, and it turned out that the diocese didn't own the land, it was on a perpetual lease from a railroad company that had leased the land to the Church eighty years ago provided that the land only be used as the site of a church. Well many people argued that a mosque wasn't a church, so the mosque couldn't be built. The mohammedans tried to fight it, but after an initial flurry of activity everything just went away and they moved out shortly after. Surprisingly, this was the same month that the Lackawanna Six came to light...
sorry, not a year ago... it was actually closer to three years ago... I forgot to change that in the beginning of my screed.
Thanks for the post. Interesting. In a free society all we can do is remain vigilant.
I got some pictures of the beauty of isam.. they aren't pretty
Here in Huntsville they operate out of a house and spend most of their time trying to recruit the most violent criminals who are due for parole.
I believe the tax payers have to pick up their tab.
Ya we have a mosque now here in Galveston too, right on Broadway, near the beach where everyone passes it. We are so happy about that we could just shi**ite our pants.
In the USA unlike France people are shot who destroy others property.
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