inter-faith-ful

This week has been rather inter-faith-ful for me:

Catholicism: Firstly, i lead devotions yesterday at CPE. Trying to be different and creative, i delved into some of my past devotional practices and lead a 'Jesus Rosary' session. The Jesus Rosary just is the same as the Catholic rosary, just substituting the Jesus prayer in place of the Hail Mary's. My 4 fellow CPE classmates (all catholic religious) were very surprised to have a Presby/Quaker leading them in the rosary.

Judaism: Last night i joined the labyrinth crowd for a rather irreligious Passover meal at Kevin's house. There was wine, good food and even some espressos and/or single malt afterwards. I've been to a few Christianised Passover meals before, so it was really interesting to experience this tradition with an eclectic bunch of people with no background in either Judaism or Christianity.

The reflection and discussion before the meal focused on Jewish spirituality, specifically the notion of chosenness and what it does in light of suffering. We got talking about the problems in Jerusalem and how some Jews believe that the Messiah will only come when the temple has been rebuilt. The 'minor' problem here is that there is a temple on the temple mount already: the Dome on the Rock mosque. Kevin's 'solution' was so simple, yet profound: "Why don't they just share the building?" he said. Now there's an inter-faith, communal answer for world peace.

Islam: Today i got off CPE early and joined a Muslim friend of mine at Friday Prayers (Jumu'ah) at his local Mosque. Nazeer took me to a Nikaah a while back, but i've wanted the full mosque experience, to get more of a feel of the Muslim faith. The experience was not as worship-ful as i would have thought, though very liturgical (but not in a restrictive, conforming way). I'd liken it more to a Catholic Mass (though not as sacramental), rather than a charismatic worship service. The sermon was on a few of the attitudes of the Prophet Mohammed, which i found pleasantly surprising. I can't remember them all - it was hard to keep track with all the Arabic words and quotations from the Qur'an in the sermon - but one that stood out is the the Prophet (and Allah) hold forgiveness higher than justice. Watching a few thousand men kneel, bow and pray all in unison was something, and the call to prayer and recitation of the Qur'an was beautiful. All in all, it was not as 'moving' or 'holy' as i would have thought, but it was still a privilege to partake (or rather observe) this sacred time.

Nikaah #1

I really wanted to blog and reflect fully on my first attendance at a Muslim Nikaah (wedding) on Sunday and the parallels with Christian services/lessons to learn etc. Unfortunately the heat and my general lethargy are leaving me rather uninspired.

Just in brief I will say:

• The service at the Masjid-ul Quds mosque in Gatesville (one of Cape Town’s largest mosques, seating about 4,000 pax) was short and surprising. The Imam’s message commiserated the loss of values and morals of the world and extolled the groom to be a good ‘head of the household’. Everyone was most welcoming, the building was beautiful, and… there were only men present. Some women sat upstairs, but the ‘marriage’ took place between the groom and the brides representative (in this case her grandfather). The dowry was paid (5,000 pounds) and she was signed away to her hubby.

• The reception at a local school was a cultural smorgasbord - an Indian Muslim wedding in Cape Town with a groom from London. I didn’t know if I was in India, Saudi or the Cape Flats at times. There were a few formalities and, after a break for midday prayer, we moved swiftly to the main attraction: the food!

• The Imam also gave a short sermon here, the highlight of which was his cell phone ringing! He chanted some beautiful prayers and extracts from the Qur’an. He called on a young girl (8 or 9 I think) who is quoted/sang and long piece from the Qur’an too - she is learning the whole book off by heart!

• It was a beautiful experience, all in all. I hope to do more of these ‘Islam immersions’ in the future. I find their humility before God, and emphasis on spiritual disciplines valuable. I do however have the same gripes about sexism and a fundamentalist reading of the text that I have with many Christian denominations. I held my tongue though ;)

Here are some pics of the day:

the groom, the brides' representative & three witnesses signing the marriage document in the mosque

the groom presenting the bride at the reception
the wonderfully ornate spire of Masjid-ul Quds mosque