The Islamic Center in Cedar Rapids

A mosque in Iowa? Some might think it'd be rare to find but today we found out that there are actually more than you'd expect. The Islamic Center in Cedar Rapids was our destination today, where we learned a lot about not only the history of the mosque itself but also about the details of the Islamic religion. The building itself was built in 1971, and there are three Islamic centers in Cedar Rapids. Our tour leader explained to us many of the details of the religion itself as well.

Islam means submission to the will of God, and to be Muslim means one who submits. He also explained the history of their great prophet Muhammad. He was born in Mecca, and at age two his mother sent him to a wet nurse. After his mother died, he was raised by his grandpa. The people of Mecca were in a spiraling circle of worshiping idols and infidelity. He became an icon with the people after the day the angel Gabriel came to him and called him to be a prophet.

One thing that was surprising to me was the design of the worship spaces themselves. The worship room was simply an open room with very comfortable carpeting and a microphone. The call to prayer is announced throughout the building and is held in that main room. Also, I thought it was really cool how there was a gym in the same building, it reminded me of my grade school days.



Near the end of our tour guides explanation he exposed some common misconceptions people hold against Muslims. First of all, people seem to assume most Muslims are Arabs, when in reality the majority of them are not. He also displayed some frustration about the stereotype that Muslims are terrorists. He told us a story about another tour in which someone asked in regards to some camps that are available for the children in the church, "how don't you know they are training them to become terrorists at camp." I thought that was really ignorant and I can see how frustrating that would be to hear.

Overall, I was most surprised by the fact that Christianity and Islam were not as different as I had imagined before. I think there is a misconception that there is this huge difference and that it is hard to even comprehend their religion but now that he explained it all to us I have a much better appreciation for it.