Mosque Madness

There are over 1,000 mosques in Dubai, practically everywhere you look. Which is why I got a bit annoyed when one new acquaintance gave me directions that said at one point, "turn at the new mosque." They all look the same to me! While I often hear the calls to prayer that ring out five times a day, until recently I had never been inside one, since non-Muslims are not usually permitted entry. I finally convinced my husband to accompany me on a tour of the Jumeira Mosque, which is open to tourists four mornings a week for a guided tour and talk on Islam, followed by a question and answer session. Conservative dress, meaning no shorts or sleeveless tops, a scarf or shawl for covering women's hair (which is provided) and removal of shoes before entering are the only requirements. Cameras and photos are encouraged.

Our guide was a woman with a strong Cockney accent--obviously not a UAE native--who sprinkled her talk with double negatives, but we got the gist. She demonstrated the washing and praying rituals and laid out the fundamental concepts of Islam, including the five pillars. I learned that PBUH stands for Peace Be Upon Him, which always accompanies mention of the name of the Prophet Mohammed. Men and women are always separated in the mosque, with a smaller room for women and children (like the cry room in our church at home, except not just for babies). One of the pillars of Islam is the five-times-daily prayer, but women are not expected to go to the mosque that often due to their household duties.

She used a poster-size photograph of Mecca to explain the Hajj, which is the pilgrimage to Mecca, one of the five pillars. What most surprised me in the picture was the large strange cube in the middle. This cube, called the Kaaba, is where prayers are directed, and constitutes the most sacred site for Islam, although its origins are believed to predate Islam. A black stone in a silver frame on the eastern corner of the cube is thought to date back to the time of Adam and Eve, and the building is thought to have originally been built by Abraham and his son Ishmael on that very spot.

I have many questions about Islam but none that I would venture to ask in a public session, so I do not know if it is true that all non-Muslims are condemned to eternal damnation, or why non-Muslims are not permitted inside mosques (which reminds me of the Mormons, who have a similar rule about their temples). But I did learn why Emirati women wear black--purely a local custom, not required--and that the Lebanese food most of us mistake for local delicacies is not the real Arabic food of the region. We were all invited to a traditional breakfast featuring native Arabic dishes compliments of the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding, which also organizes the mosque tours and offers Arabic language instruction.

Last Saturday, having nothing better to do, Neal and I ventured east to the neighboring emirate of Fujairah, which shares a border with Dubai on the west and the Gulf of Oman on the east. Our route took us through the Hajar Mountains, past the "Grand Canyon" of the UAE. The east coast has some nice beaches, especially good for snorkeling and scubadiving, without the residue from massive construction that makes the waters of the gulf outside Dubai so murky. We also happened to stumble upon the oldest mosque in the UAE, located right off the main road, Bidiyah Mosque. It's a very small, muddy looking structure that is believed to date back to the mid 15th century, and it is still used for prayer.