Posted on 12/13/2008 9:14:39 AM PST by TornadoAlley3
BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – On the day Muslims around the world began to celebrate Eid al-Adha, Fatuma Mohamed was at the Mall of America (MOA), far away from where she would normally say her prayers.
But she and other Muslims needed to take time from the activities of the mall and find a quiet area to pray as Muslims do during the festival that commemorates Ibrahim's willingness to sacrifice his only son for God.
“I said my prayer right at that corner,” Mohamed said, pointing to the spot.
Another Muslim, Amran Ali, did the same.
“I had to say my prayer at a corner,” Ali said. “I was stared at, but no one bothered me.”
Every year, as Muslims in America are compelled to engage in business, work and shopping during the holidays, many find themselves away from mosques and other places where they can hold prayers without interruption. They are forced to seek privacy in corners and alleyways, places that often subject them to unwanted attention. Some Muslims also worry that their repetitive calls of “Allah akbar!” (God is great!) during prayers could be misconstrued as calls for Jihad.
“Of course, out curiosity people will stare at you but don’t say anything,” said Shuuriye Ali. “I wish they would ask. I would love to educate them about my peaceful religion.”
This year Muslim leaders from the Twin Cities area were able to persuade MOA, the largest enclosed mall in the United States, to set aside a room for prayers.
“I learned quite a bit from my last meeting with the community,” said Douglas Reynolds, MOA’s security director.
But Mohamed and other Muslims did not know there was a prayer room, even though MOA and Muslim volunteers had intended to have eight posters in three languages, (English, Somali and Arabic) to be displayed at all entrances to the mall.
“I didn’t notice any signs,” Mohamed said.
Reynolds said many might have missed the signs because MOA and the Muslim leaders did not advise the community about the prayer room before this week’s observance of Eid al-Adha. The signs also went up too late in the day, Reynolds said.
“It would have been nice to get the message out to the community earlier,” Reynolds said. “The signs were also not available until 4:30 p.m.”
He promised that MOA would “do a better job next time.”
Regardless of the glitch, many Muslims appeared excited that the MOA reserved prayer space for them and promised to continue doing so in the future.
“It is about time,” Jamad Barrow said. “I’m happy to hear that the mall is trying to accommodate and appeal to the Muslim community.”
Sheikh Neelain Muhammad, an imam at the St.Paul-based Da’wa Islamic Center, and five other volunteers from the center were among the many volunteers who were at the mall to make sure that day went on without incidents, especially from teenagers.
Reynolds, the MOA security director, said that community volunteers were very helpful.
“At one point, Sheikh Neelain Muhammad and his team were spotted talking to the youth and telling them to behave … and so, they did.”
The presence of culturally competent volunteers at the mall avoided the law enforcement solution that often leads to the arrest of Muslim youths.
“No one youth that was acting out that didn’t change after we talked with him or her,” Sheikh Muhammad said.
Mahmood Kanyare, one of the community volunteers, said the volunteers reminded the youth about good manners in Islam.
“They were all responsive to our messages and behaved well as a result,” Kanyare said.
The day ended with a positive note for both MOA and the Muslim community. No one was arrested and only few were asked to leave.
Reynolds, the director of security, said he hoped to continue building MOA’s relationship with the Muslim community.
Just as the UK has fallen so shall we! I’m sick!
Where is the ACLU on this? Prayer in a public place? My goodness- the ACLU should be screaming bloody murder- oh wait- they only do that about CHRISTIAN prayer in public.
Shopping Jihadis... economics over security.
Oh PUKE!
Christians pray at malls all the time. I’m sure the mall leaders would be willing to set aside another room just for us. YEAH, RIGHT!
“Mall of America Moves to Accommodate Minnesota Muslims”
I’m surprised there are any muzzies left in Minneapolis...I thought all those “missing” Somali muzzies were back in Somalia training to destroy the great satan.
Could anybody, other than a Moslem, do this in Saudi Arabia? I'll leave the answer to your imagination.
>> “Of course, out curiosity people will stare at you but don’t say anything,” said Shuuriye Ali. “I wish they would ask. I would love to educate them about my peaceful religion.”
I feel the very same way...
They found them and brought them back... =-(
Christians should call for a prayer room for every one built at every mall, every airport, every crevice. The Fair-prayer Doctrine.
So long as the prayer room is available to all faiths and not just one, there is no problem with this.
...strap on their bomb vests.
The Freedom From Religion atheists are only against public signs of Christianity (we aren’t even talking prayer rooms). All other faiths get a pass.
And a private business can do what the corporation wants to do but this is a strange thing to embrace. How did the muslims in America go about their 5 times daily prayers until now? What has changed? Oh, that’s right we got attacked on 9-11 and now it is wrong to be critical of Islam.
“Of course, out curiosity people will stare at you but don’t say anything,” said Shuuriye Ali. “I wish they would ask. I would love to educate them about my peaceful religion.”
I was educated on 9/11, thank you! /sarc
“Of course, out curiosity people will stare at you but don’t say anything,” said Shuuriye Ali. “I wish they would ask. I would love to educate them about my peaceful religion.”
Everything I needed to know about your “peaceful” religion I learned on 9/11.
If it’s a private company, they should be able to do whatever the hell they want. As a country, we should require that our government prohibit individuals from entering it who are so entirely incompatible to the core of our beliefs.
I think I remember reading that Muslims don't allow infidels into their mosques. They probably wouldn't be as accepting as you, FRiend.
Oh, it's OK. I live in the Middle East. I know firsthand just how "peaceful" your religion is, Shuuriye.
What I'd like to know is why such a "peaceful" religion has so many loud noises associated with it?
“They probably wouldn’t be as accepting as you, FRiend.”
Well, that’s what makes them muzzies.
And wouldn’t MOA be a little upset if all their customers shopped some place else because of their decisions?
What, no footbaths?
Infidels!
What a joke. Muslims don't want attention.
From this, it appears to be a quid pro quo exchange. The mall provided the prayer space, and in return, the local sheiks kept their "youth" from rioting in the mall.
Many places have those ‘family’ bathrooms where people can take care of their kids.....
Make it a ‘Family Bathroom & Prayer Kiosk”....
you could put candles on the baby diaper changing shelf./s
“The love of money...”
“Just as the UK has fallen so shall we! I’m sick!”
I doubt this is sign that we have fallen.
Want to see a sign? Go down to your local abortion clinic and see the “Christians” lining up. I would like to hear Christians demanding a quiet spot to pray, but we have different priorities.
I avoid that place like the plague anyway.
you know what I pray to my Jesus any where any time....I don’t need any special place carved out of some mall or any business place....My God hears our prays
That's so series!!!!!
>“Allah akbar!” (God is great!) during prayers could be misconstrued as calls for Jihad.<
The day will come that one of them goes BOOOOM!
Let me guess no Nativity scenes allowed because that would be putting a religious symbol in a public place. I’m just saying.
I wonder how many of the mall’s merchants are selling Christmas gifts a opposed to “holiday” gifts.....
WRONG, WRONG, WRONG AND WORONG!
Abraham (falsely called Ibrahim here) had TWO sons during this incident. A bastard named Ismail and his legitimate son Issac. Moslems have twisted it and believe that Ismail was the one offered for sacrifice. WRONG, WRONG, WRONG AND WORONG! IT WAS ISSAC, THE LEGITIMATE SON THROUGH SARAH HIS WIFE (not that little hussy of a maid) who was offered in obedience to God. At the last moment God stayed Abraham's hand and supplied the lamb. He always supplies The Lamb and it is That Lamb whose birthday we are celebrating now, God's only son, JESUS.
/sermon
If you follow CAIR's campaign against U.S. culture, it seems almost certain they are being directly schooled by the ACLU.
I'm sure they were shopping for CHRISTmas gifts.
What if someone trips over one of them praying in the mall, sues the mall and the people that caused the fall. Will disclaimers be posted "No Praying"?
That "little hussy" was Hagar and it isn't like she had a choice in the matter (Sarah offered her to Abraham) so I'd be careful about calling her vulgar names.
What? All they get is a prayer room? How about a place in the middle of the mall where they can stone teenage girls that are sweet on infidels? If they complain loud enough they could probably get the mall to chip is some nice round baseball size rocks, too.
“All Things Allah Aqbar Clearance! All items on sale now! It’s a blow out! Save up to 72% on virginwear, prayer rugs, suicide vests, and winter burkahs! We offer reduced fall profit in the name of our ridiculous false prophet! Our religion is fake, but our savings are real!”
Muhammad claimed to be a direct descendant of Ismail, but there is no historical support that Ismail's progeny would have lived in the area of Muhammad's tribe---though the dark and hairy Arab people are likely generally descended from the dark and hairy Ismail, thereby making Muhammad a far distant relative.
Regardless, as you say, Ismail was the illegitimate result of Abraham's impatience and lapse of trust in God's ability to provide as promised.
Islam's claim that as first born Ismail's claim to their father's blessing over the legitimate son Isaac is based completely on the Arab culture of their false prophet and is totally bogus, making Islam built on a completely false foundation.
No surprises there to anyone with any real spiritual discernment.
That's because your God is real, which is a significant difference from the Muslim "god" who was reveled by a false prophet serial killer pedophile. The Muslim "god" sits on the throne of murder and is the master of thieves, if he exists at all.
Did you sneak a peek at CAIR's agenda for Obama's second term???
Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law?
4:22 For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid , the other by a freewoman.
4:23 But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.
4:24 Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar.
4:25 For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.
4:26 But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.
I am very familiar with the story.
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