After a recent performance in a different part of her city, an internationally renowned artist needed to pray Maghrib. She looked up the nearest mosque and upon reaching it, she found the doors to the women’s section locked. Buzzing the intercom to the main office, she prayed that someone would answer her call. She prayed that the uncle on the other side of the intercom would  not shoo her away. She prayed that the mosque would not be one that... Read more

This essay is part of the #MyMosqueMyStory Friday series By Alia Sarfraz If we are to confront the topic of mosques, we must first address these questions: What’s in a name? Growing up, we would often refer to the Muslim house of worship as a ‘mosque,’ instead of using the Arabic word masjid. It was our way to relate that we are Western and yet holding values that are Eastern and very dear to us.  Using the English word was... Read more

This essay is part of the #MyMosqueMyStory Friday series By Julie Siddiqi Just before this Ramadan started, I attended a talk at my local mosque called ‘Preparation for Ramadan.’ The speaker does regular sessions at that mosque and it said ‘men and women welcome’ so I decided to go. Women were upstairs, men downstairs. There were four women there, sitting upstairs in a space that can probably take around 500 if necessary. When it came time to asking questions the... Read more

This essay is part of the #MyMosqueMyStory series which will feature a story every Friday By Dudu Kücükgöl I have never felt so welcome in a mosque! A few weeks before Ramadan we heard that a mosque nearby re-opened. My family and I wanted to see the new mosque, so we went there for Friday prayer. To say I was surprised would be an understatement: I was amazed! So amazed that this mosque is now my all-time favorite mosque. I... Read more

  This is Day 30 of Hindtrospectives’ #MyMosqueMyStory series for Ramadan 2015 By Nevien Shaabneh We drove under the dark canopy of the Chicago skyline. Rain tap-danced God’s mercy as I sat transfixed at my new world. Buildings loomed boasting with lights – man made mountains – unlike anything I had ever seen before. I craned my neck to catch a glimpse of the velvet towers filled with promises of new adventures. It was my first night in the U.S.... Read more

This is Day 29 of Hindtrospectives’ #MyMosqueMyStory series for Ramadan 2015 By Christal Williams As a revert to Islam, and an irregular mosque-goer, I always get a slight paranoid feeling about going to the mosque in Ramadan. But there is a mosque that’s close to my heart. There’s a really small mosque right by where I work and I love it. The ladies there are so welcoming and aren’t put off when I turn up in my “work clothes” i.e.... Read more

This is Day 29 of Hindtrospectives’ #MyMosqueMyStory series for Ramadan 2015 By Shereen Yousuf Bismillah Though there is no shortage of beautiful people and devoted followers in my community, I have to admit that my mosque fits the archetype of negative mosque experiences. This includes everything from women being crammed into the basement while men have the “main hall” upstairs, to what appears to be the timeless perils involving domestic violence and the stigma attached to divorce in South Asian... Read more

This is Day 28 of Hindtrospectives’ #MyMosqueMyStory series for Ramadan 2015 by Hazel Gómez A beloved guest is starting to pack and say goodbye, leaving us yearning for the next visit, already planning what we’ll do differently once we welcome them into our homes again. During these last days and nights of Ramadan, many mosques around the world are full of people who have made the intention to perform i’tikaf, a form of spiritual seclusion within the mosque performed especially... Read more