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Project Conversion

Math, particularly algebra, was my worst subject in school. My blood pressure and tension rose every time I entered the classroom. Even in college the numbers and letters terrified me. I passed the classes, but barely. I remember sitting in class wondering who invented this stuff so I could go home, make a voodoo doll…

On the surface, I stick out at Masjid (mosque) Omar Ibn Sayyid like a snowflake on coal in the predominately African-American congregation, but that’s where the differences end.     A man, whose name unfortunately escapes me now, walked up to me at the end of jum’ah (Friday prayers) with a warm smile, took my hand…

I debated writing this post, which is why it’s so late in the day, but I have to get it off my chest. Sometimes these posts are just ways for me to work things out in my head, a way to iron out the wrinkles on my conscious. There is a tradition in Islam during…

Statesman. Terrorist. Noble. Blood-thirsty. Warrior. Warlord. Pedophile. Ideal husband. Monster. Exemplar. Prophet. False prophet. Messenger of God. Harbinger of doom. Epileptic. Visionary. Illiterate. Gentile. I’ve heard all of these attributes and more for the man history calls, Muhammad. Like most things, history is colored by the observer. If you aren’t a fan of Islam, you…

I was saying the isha prayer (the night prayer) two nights ago when I suddenly felt compelled to stop. My forehead and tip of my nose on the red leaf pattern of my prayer rug during prostrations, I slowly leaned back and settled on my knees. I was at the end of my second rakah (prayer unit). Like a painter near the conclusion…

Many obstacles and limitations come against me during Project Conversion. One of those is visiting the holy places of each religion. Sometimes I have to remind myself that, while I am always welcomed to explore the religion, there are some portions which are off-limits. These are the holy, members-only sections of religion. Enter the fifth…

Ramadan is the ninth month on the Islamic lunar calendar in which Muslims honor the fourth pillar of Islam: The Fast. The month of Ramadan begins at the first siting of the new moon for the month and ends on Eid ul-Fitr, the beginning of the next month in the lunar calendar.  This month is special and…

I shaved my head for Buddhism, no one complained. I painted my face with the tripundra for Hinduism and got strange looks at Wal-mart, they only chuckled. I created a fire hazard in the house with all my candles as a Zarathushti and only caused a minor annoyance. I did, well, virtually nothing during Shabbat…

Anytime folks combine money with religion, everyone in the room gets a little nervous. There’s always that social pressure–especially in environments where an offering plate is passed around. I was never a fan of the offering plate or the demands for 10% of my income. Zakat and Sadaqa in Islam, however, are two very interesting…

If there’s one thing my Muslim brothers and sisters have down, it’s prayer. For most greenhorn converts (or reverts, as Muslims call them), the only aspect of Islam more intimidating than the Arabic terms and phrases is the method of prayer. The best thing about Islamic prayer though, is that there’s lots of time for…
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