Islam in the News in Metro Detroit

Dear WISDOM Subscribers:

I thought I would share with you two news items about Islam. One is an article about Muslim children learning about the Hajj (Pilgimage to Mecca), the completion of which is celebrated today during a festival called Eid Al-Adha. The other is about an interfaith opportunity to learn about Islam. Please see below.

Gail Katz
WISDOM President

EXPLORING ANOTHER FAITH – ISLAM


In an attempt to better understand our sisters of other faiths, Presbyterian Women will on Saturday, January 19, 2008, visit a mosque (the house of worship for muslims), enjoy fellowship with each other over a middle eastern meal, and finish with dessert at a reknowned bakery and café.

If you would like to join the Presbyterian Women, meet at the Allen Park Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), 7101 Park Ave. at Cleveland at 9:45 a.m. to carpool and caravan to the Islamic Center of America, 19500 Ford Road (just west of Southfield Freeway) in Dearborn. The existing Islamic Center represents the first two of four phases of construction. When all four phases are complete, the Islamic Center of America will be the largest in North America. It is customary for women to cover their heads, and shoes to be removed before entering their sanctuary.

From the Islamic Center, we will proceed to lunch at Al-Ameer Restaurant, 12710 W. Warren Ave., also in Dearborn for a family style sampling of Lebanese and middle eastern cuisine. Cost will be approximately $8.00 including tax and tip. You may also order separately from the menu if you wish.

To finish our exploration, we will have dessert at the Shatila Bakery & Café, 14300 W. Warren Ave., Dearborn. Cost there will depend upon whether you want to pay with money or your wasteline. $1.40 for one scoop of luscious ice cream, or really splurging on high calorie middle eastern or French pastries — it’s up to you! Sugar free items are also available.

Expect to arrive back in Allen Park mid-afternoon. If you would like to join the Presbyterian Women for this day of exploring the Islamic faith and culture, even if you’re not a woman, please let us know by calling our church office at (313) 383-0100, or stopping in to sign up.

Suggested resources of interest:
Websites:
www.icofa.com
www.alameerrestaurant.com
www.shatila.com
www.interfaithwisdom.org
Book: “The Faith Club” by Ranya Idliby, Suzanne Oliver, and Priscilla Warner published by Simon & Schuster New York
Video/DVD: “Three Faiths, One God: Judaism, Christianity, Islam” directed by Gerald Krell, ASIN: B000BN


DEARBORN
Kids learn hajj by doing
Ceremony grows as it teaches Islamic basics
December 19, 2007
BY NIRAJ WARIKOO
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER

Held at the Islamic Center of America, the ceremony was a vivid display of the growing role that Islamic education plays in the lives of many young metro Detroiters.
About 360 students, ages 3 to 14, recited Islamic prayers and walked around the Kaaba seven times. They later hurled crumpled pieces of foil -- representing pebbles used during the real hajj in Saudi Arabia -- at three pillars that symbolized the devil.
"What a beautiful scene," Salah Hazime, 53, of Dearborn said as he watched his 8-year-old son walk.
The children are students at the Muslim American Youth Academy, which is affiliated with the Islamic Center, a Shi'ite mosque that is one of the largest in the United States.
In recent years, the number of students participating in the ceremony has increased, reflecting the Muslim community's growth and the importance parents place on teaching Islam to their children.
"They have been practicing for the past month on a daily basis," Fiema said. "They get so excited."
"I feel great going around the Kaaba," said Fiema's daughter, Sarah Bazzi.
Contact NIRAJ WARIKOO at 248-351-2998 or warikoo@freepress.com.


Dressed in white flowing robes, hundreds of young Muslims praised God as they walked through a Dearborn mosque in a simulation of the Islamic pilgrimage under way in Saudi Arabia.

"It makes you want to cry," Tamara Fiema of Dearborn said Tuesday after her 7-year-old daughter encircled a replication of the Kaaba -- the black cube in Mecca that Muslims consider a holy site.

Muslim American Youth Academy students walk seven times around a replication of the Kaaba, a Muslim holy site, during a simulation of hajj Tuesday. The ceremony took place at the Islamic Center of America. "They have been practicing for the past month," says parent Tamara Fiema.


A primer on hajj

What is it? It's the annual Islamic pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia.

Why it's important: Pilgrims go to pray in Mecca, Islam's holiest site, which Muslims face during daily prayers.

Who goes: It's a duty for able-bodied Muslims to complete at least once in their lifetimes.