Florida Non-Muslims Enjoy Mosque Iftar

Miami, Florida, 11 Ramadan 1435/9 July 2014 (MINA) –Visitors from different faiths have joined an iftar meal at a Florida mosque which welcomed non-Muslims to join the festivities of the holy month and get a closer look on the Muslim community and fasting lessons.

“It was like the first time I visited Catholic Church,” Stephanie Restrepo, who was raised as a Pentacostal, told Miami Herald. “I wanted to actually learn what’s inside, what’s the process of their prayer,” OnIslam quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting, Wednesday.

Going to the mosque iftar last week, Restrepo took her shoes off outside the mosque, donning a black-and-white hijab covering her hair as she imitated worshippers kneeling and bowing in the Maghrib prayer at the sunset.

Restrepo was one of roughly a dozen non-Muslims who attended the fifth annual open house at Masjid AnNoor, a mosque in west Kendall.

The 25-year-old was invited to the open house by her friend and colleague, Iram Qureshi. “I was like, ‘Let’s go, Stephanie, because you don’t know exactly who we are,’ ” said Qureshi, 36, of Kendall.

“It’s always better to have more knowledge about different religions. It doesn’t mean I am pressuring her. I was just like ‘Come, join me.’ ”

Restrepo appreciated the invitation.

“I got a waterfall of information,” said Restrepo, whose friend explained the layout and décor of the mosque to her.

“It’s a lot of different customs that I’m happy to learn about.”

The event, co-sponsored by the Coalition of South Florida Muslim Organizations and EMERGE USA, always takes place during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

“The fast is self-discipline,” said Imam Zakaria Badat, the leader of the congregation.

“If we can leave things aside for 12 hours or 16 hours, I think we do have the will and the power to leave them for the rest of the time.”

“We want to share with you tonight how the Muslim community here breaks their fast, and how we live within a society, within a community,” Badat said to the group of non-Muslims who’d gathered to hear him speak.

Educating

Along with Restrepo, the event was attended by a number of Florida non-Muslims who wanted to get a better understanding of the Muslim friends’ believes.

“I know what Ramadan is all about but I wanted to get a better insight,” Bill Duquette, 58, also was invited by a work colleague, said.

“We have a lot of Muslim friends. This is great that they’re reaching out to teach people.”

Sitting under a big white tent for iftar, Restrepo asked Qureshi about the reasons of fasting Ramadan.

“I would say it’s the best lesson in how to be patient,” Qureshi told her friend.

“It’s the best way to feel how others are surviving without food for many, many days. We are just doing it from sunrise to sunset; it’s not that bad.”

In Ramadan, adult Muslims abstain from food, drink, smoking and sex between dawn and sunset.

The sick and those travelling are exempt from fasting especially if it poses health risks.

Around the globe, Muslims observe Ramadan with a set of traditional rituals including family gathering at iftar, religious lessons, special evening prayer and helping the poor.

Next to them, a lively discussion went of about religion, language and culture.

“Everybody is so welcoming,” said Kyle Schulberg, deputy district director for Rep. Joe Garcia, who has attended the event in the past. “I learned a lot.”

For Nidal Hozien, chair of the Islamic School of Miami, the school connected to Masjid AnNoor, these interactions make the evening worthwhile.

“I think the biggest thing is it debunks stereotypes that people don’t know what’s going on inside this domed building,” Hozien said.

“It’s not some mystical place. It helps a lot when we talk to people in this area.”