Majalah Digital Kabari Vol: 7 September - Oktober 2007 | Page 8

kabari: kisah I FOUND MYSELF WITH MY LEGS CROSSED LOOKING OVER AN EXPANSE OF COLORFULLY HOODED WOMEN. Most Reflections sat on the floor, a few sat in chairs, and mothers with small children sat towards the back. Their heads were covered, but I knew that they represented a diverse range of cultures and ethnicities‚White, Black, Asian, Arab; they had all arrived here to pray. I arrived at the Muslim Community Association (MCA) by way of chance. Peter had invited me to join him on his latest quest to interview an Indonesian Muslim woman named Dian Alyan, who had made remarkable contributions after a tsunami destroyed her hometown of Banda Aceh, Indonesia. We were touring the center and joined one of their prayer services. The hallway right outside the prayer halls was lined with dozens of shoe racks, which was where I took my shoes off before I entered the sacred place. It was my first time in a mosque. This mosque did not resemble a traditional building with elaborate domes or towering minarets. Rather, it had clean walls, striped carpet, and a glass barrier separating the men and the women. The room was plain and simple but looked large enough to hold over two hundred women. TV screens lined the women’s‚ prayer hall which allows them to hear the message and prayers occurring in the next room. As I glanced from one woman to the next, the room was radiated by a warm emotion as I watched them pray. I must admit that I did not enter this holy place to pray with these women; I was there to simply observe their customs, but despite my trivial intentions, the feeling that reverberated in the room... familiar. As a spiritual woman, I can begin to understand the connection and the commitment all these women have to their Allah. Practicing Islam is no easy feat; it takes a lot of time and dedication. Islam, I’ve learned, is more than just a religion or a set of beliefs and customs, it is a lifestyle. When the man on the screen finished preaching, 8 | kabari: the women began to respond in prayer. The room filled with a pleasant murmur that resounded like a gentle wave. Many of the women then rose from their seats and gathered to the front of the room, except it wasn’t exactly the front‚ they faced at a diagonal, which faced Mecca, the holy Islamic city. The women spaced themselves according to the parallel lines on the floor and there was just enough room around them to bow in prayer. It was captivating to watch because they moved in a steady cadence and you can almost feel a spiritual bond resonating in the room. When the prayer ended, the service was over, and the women rose to leave the room. I, too, had risen from my crossed leg position, and there was a sense of peace in what I had just experienced. All in all, I believe that I had been given a rare opportunity to meet a hospitable and an inspiring community of people. Mainstream media has a tendency to generalize the Muslim population and to distort a person’s view, but all I can truly say is that I was a stranger who had been received warmly. I was encouraged to seek truth by keeping an open mind, and Dian’s life story challenged me to think beyond cultural barriers. This trip has meant a lot because it has given me a different perspective on Islam and its beliefs and values. Many Muslims, like Dian, work hard to dispel common misperceptions of Islam and to encourage others to see that we all have similar values and we, as human beings, are all responsible for loving everyone around us. (jackie) Dian Alyan works as MCA’s outreach director and has devoted her time to educate people about Islam’s culture and lifestyle. She has also started an organization called the GiveLight Foundation, which was created after a tsunami destroyed her hometown, Banda Aceh, Indonesia on December 26, 2004. It serves to be “a world recognized crisis relief organization that seeks to create durable orphanages in response to natural disasters.” GiveLight has built orphanages in Aceh, Pakistan, and is currently looking for a third location in Africa. Her foundation is an incredible display of love and compassion for the world’s children. It’s a model that many people of all faiths can understand and respect. www.KabariNews.com