At the Muslim Sufi Center, I was taken under the wings of two women, I’ll call them S and K.
They explained what everyone was doing as the evening progressed. I was introduced to Shaykh Hoja then we all sat on the floor to listen to the Shaykh speak.
It was interesting. The Shaykh used terminology I used. He said Allah, but he included the words, Lord and God also as he talked. He encouraged us women to create environments and communities that welcomed and respected all ethnicities, no matter what “colors. Brown, white, black, green,” he said with a smile.
The Shaykh touched on history of the Ottoman Empire and said, “People wanted to be ruled under the turban rather than the cross.” Referring to the Islamic turban that men wear on their heads and the cross of crucifixion.
The turban/cross analogy lacked strength for me. I think turban/crown might be better.
But, the Shaykh went on to say, “The big holy war, or jahid, is against our human ego.”
“The old system of massacring people is the wrong practice today,” said the Shaykh. “We must hold to the original teachings and pull ourselves out of confusion, out from egos. Be thankful that our purpose is to have no enemies, it is to raise children simply and well. It is to live as citizens of the State and Country.”
After his mini-sermon, one of the women, K, told me in her broken English (she’s from Turkey), “It is much freer here in United States. I can cover head freely.”
Her statement prompted me to note that circumstances make a difference in our beliefs and practices. Someone who grew up in a negative religious environment is going to react differently than the person who grew up in a positive religious environment. Our environments are affected not only by our immediate families, but also by our communities, countries, and world. The economy, harvests, and plagues.
Three things I learned:
- I can’t judge a person by their religion and I can’t judge a religion by a person.
- In order for old systems to die out, they must be replaced by new systems.
- Raising children simply and well is a worthy tradition.
Read Previous Post