'Beyond the mosque': Seeing Islam's diversity reflected in worship spaces

[guillaumeb]

From the article:

For more than a decade, Rizwan Mawani has been living, working and praying with Muslims in 50 different communities across 17 countries. As you’d expect, he has visited plenty of masjids, as mosques are called in Arabic, meaning “a place of prostration.”

Rizwan Mawani. Courtesy photo
But Mawani, a 45-year-old Canadian scholar and research consultant, whose new book is called “Beyond the Mosque: Diverse Spaces of Muslim Worship,” also spent time in Sufi khanaqas, Shia husayniyyas, Druze khalwas, Ismaili jamatkhanas as well as religious schools known as madrasas and other spaces of Islamic devotion from Canada to China.
Mawani uses these varied sacred spaces as lenses through which to offer readers a primer on the expansive histories, varied architectures and evolving ritual practices of Muslims around the world.

To read more:

https://religionnews.com/2019/11/04/beyond-the-mosque-seeing-islams-diversity-reflected-in-worship-spaces/

[Pendrench]

1. Hi guillaumeb - thank you for posting this.

I will have to try and find a copy of this book - it looks very interesting.

Wishing you well and peace

Tim

[guillaumeb]

4. Hi Tim.

It does sound interesting. I hope I can find it at the library.

Peace to you as well.

Guill

[Pendrench]

6. Hi Guill - I will check later today!

If not, it looks like Amazon has it for $11.95

Thanks again!

Tim

[trotsky]

2. Just like most religions, there is a wide range of opinion on beliefs and behaviors.

The problem is, the people who want to kill in the name of their god are exactly as justified by their holy scripture as the people who want to love others are.

[Pendrench]

3. Hi trotsky - You bring up a very good point.

As someone who identifies as a Christian, I would be disingenuous if I didn't acknowledge the fact that other Christians use the Bible and sermons (by other Christians) to validate their beliefs and their behaviors.

I guess the difference is how we interpret those teaching and how they guide our behavior.

If that's the case, I hope that others judge me by my actions.

As always, I appreciate the opportunity for discussion - so thank you very much!

Wising you well and peace

Tim

[Major Nikon]

14. Some won't acknowledge that fact and prefer to be disingenuous

They will tie themselves up with their pretzel logic and pretend only positive outcomes are possible through organized religion. So they will either lie about it, or they will convince themselves that those who use organized religion for evil purposes are really just influenced by the devil or other demonic forces. That way the organized religion itself isn't responsible for evil deeds made possible by the organized religion itself. The problem is at some point those people become part and parcel to the problem, effectively becoming apologists for those evil deeds allowing them to continue.

[guillaumeb]

5. More accurately,

when you say:

The problem is, the people who want to kill in the name of their god are exactly as justified by their holy scripture as the people who want to love others are.

I would argue that these people claim to find justification for their actions.

[trotsky]

7. No, they don't "claim to find," they actually do.

There are horrible, awful things to be found in holy books. There are most certainly parts of the bible that you reject - but those parts are *still there* and are as much a part of the bible as the sections you accept.

I understand you refuse to accept this, too.

[guillaumeb]

11. We both know that you insist on a literal interpretation of the Bible.

And probably the Koran and other holy books.

And that explains your position.

[trotsky]

12. No, I don't. You are utterly wrong and I've pointed it out to you numerous times.

But you believe that SOME parts of the bible (or koran) are literal.

Other people believe OTHER parts of the bible (or koran) are literal.

All either of you can do is say the other one is wrong. They can't prove you wrong any more than you can prove they are.

And so rather than address the key problem here, you'd rather attack a straw man position that doesn't represent what I believe. Typical.

I'll give you a chance here - tell me why the parts of the bible you take literally, should be.

Go ahead.

Bet you won't though, you'll run away from tough questions like you always do.

[Major Nikon]

13. You just don't understand

When a religionist does something good, thanks religion!

When a religionist does something bad, that's just "human nature".

For further reading see...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doublethink

[edhopper]

8. Areyou saying the justification is not

in the Bible.

The way you phrase it is like "people CLAIM to see bigfoot."

Are you saying the justification for beheading a blasphemer is not in the Koran?

[trotsky]

9. He goes much, much farther than that.

He believes that people who do bad things are only doing it because of their sinful human selves, and never due to religious teachings.

He'll deny it when you express it that directly, but he won't clarify what he DOES believe. He'll just insult you and claim you're pushing a narrative or singing with a choir or something.

[edhopper]

10. We shall see

[Major Nikon]

15. Some organized religions indoctrinate that exact narrative

The RCC has refined it into an art form. When a priest rapes a child, it's not really his fault other than he wasn't pious enough to keep the devil from making him do it.

Once one has convinced themselves of that sort of idiocy, you can justify all sorts of evil shit the organization itself is directly responsible for.

[trotsky]

16. Hey now you can't blame this 100% on Satan.

After all, sometimes the evil child seduces those poor, innocent priests.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-catholic-abuse/new-york-priest-says-child-often-seducer-in-sex-abuse-cases-idUSBRE87T1M820120830

A Roman Catholic priest in New York expressed sympathy this week for some clergy who sexually abuse children, as well as for convicted child rapist Jerry Sandusky, saying that it is often the “youngster” who is the seducer.

Rotten to the core.

[Major Nikon]

17. ...