Final Project

Immersion Project Paper—Part IV

Arroxxiccia Thomas

Walden University

In my immersion project, I decided to study Leila Hassan, a Muslim friend. I have always had rumors and speculation about Muslims and the Islamic culture from the media and this lead to the development of interest in the culture. Furthermore, the current obsession with the media and the academic discourse on Islam provide a negative image in relation to what I observe from Leila. The media and the public connect the Islamic culture to the oppression of women, extremism, terrorism and a violence-prone religion (Esposito & DeLong-Bas, 2001). This paper is a cumulation my immersion project and will have an overview of the interview I conducted with Leila Hassan. The paper will also include all my observation and personal experience with Leila and her family. Since it is a Muslim family, I’m very interested in their culture, how they observer prayer (Salat) and Charity which are important pillars of Islam.

Observation

I have found interacting with a Muslim family to be an effective way of breaking down the barriers and misunderstanding of cultural beliefs from the public. All female members wore long dresses up to their feet while covering their hair with no difficulties. While the male family members will ensure they pants are beyond their Knees. Parents demonstrated a high level of kindness to their kids while teaching them to be better Muslim. After a brief introduction to the family, Leila took me around their house. The house included little furniture and enough movement space. The most astonishing thing that I observed in at Leila’s home was that there were only two chairs in the living room meant for guest. Their floor was spread with soft carpet and everyone preferred sitting on the carpet rather than a chair. There were no images on the walls and the family shared a meal together sometimes on the same plate (Schülting, Müller & Hertel, 2016). 

The first activity that I participated in was the (salat) prayer offered five times a day. The father would lead the prayers, and then the sons would be on the next line of prayer while the mother and daughter would also form their own line. The prayer seemed more practical as the father will recite the Quran verse in Arabic as we follow the bowing, prostration and sitting position. Before performing prayers, I was asked to remove my shoes, and perform ablution. The ablution had criteria where you would begin with the hands, then face, then arm, then head and finally feet. The cleaning would include three times in each part of the body (Esposito & DeLong-Bas, 2001). This is how Muslims pray and I enjoyed the experience since it felt like it was a practical and spiritual connection with God.

On Fridays, dressed as a Muslim, I accompanied Leila and her family to the nearby mosque. The mosque could be described as a large hall with a separate room for male and females. Inside the mosque, there was a place where people would place their shoes and perform the ritual ablution. There were no pictures and status. There were few chairs specific for the aged and sick who may not withstand standing during prayers. Everyone else sits on the floor while the Imam (Muslim preacher) would stand on the pulpit to give a summon.

Dialogue

I planned a one-time dialogue with the Leila within a 5-week interaction with the family. My dialogue included seeking clarification of the things I experienced, observed and heard about the Muslim culture. My dialogue also included the main purpose for researching a Muslim family which is the; cultural identity, religious practices, and participation in charity. The charity section was interesting since she was able to group Islamic charity into two major section; Zakat (obligatory charity) and Sadaqa (voluntary charity). Zakat was observed at the end of the Holy Month of Ramadan, where his father would pay on behalf of each family member. The father would either give it directly to the poor or take it to the mosque for distribution to the poor. She father explained that it is mandatory for every man to provide a quantity of about 2.5 kg cereal for every family member. On the other hand, I witnessed that the family participated in Sadaqa (voluntary charity) where they would prepare, and pack food then distribute to the street people every Fridays (Schülting, Müller & Hertel, 2016).

Reaction and Critical Analysis of the experiences

When I heard that male members of the family were not allowed to go to the public with shorts because it doesn’t meet the minimum requirement of the Islamic culture of dressing codes. Furthermore, the culture forbids female from going to the public with uncovered hair as well as short dress. In contrast, my father can be shorts both at home and in public. According to Leila’s father, the wisdom behind the dressing code is to minimize the sexual enticement which degrades the social character. but, in my culture, people wear according to the occasion and do not keep in mind sexual excitement.

Observation of five daily prayers also jogged my mind. Prayers are offered at dawn, afternoon, before sunset, after sunset and nightfall. The five prayers are a must for every Muslim. Although it is preferable to pray in congregation, a Muslim can still pray individually. Leila’s father admits that he always prays at his office during Zuhur (afternoon prayer) and Asr (Before sunset prayers). The family gathers together during Fajir (dawn prayers), Maghrib (sunset prayer) Ishaa (nightfall prayers). Personally, my family isn’t that religious, and we rarely go to church on Sunday. As a Catholic, I learned to pray only twice a day; before going to bed and before getting up in the morning which I rarely observe. Initially, I didn’t understand why Muslims were rushing to the mosque after an azan (call of prayer). I thought they would just gather and discuss their daily agendas. I was impressed with the daily connection with the creator by observation of the five daily prayers. Thus, in case a Muslim is unable to observe their daily prayers at the mosque, then they should at least do it once a week on Fridays.

Also, I noticed that every time, family members would great each other with Assalam Alaikum (peace be upon you) and they would respond Waalykum Salaam (And unto you peace). I had heard of such greetings before, but I didn’t know the meaning. The greetings are Arabic and are used instead of ‘hello’ and ‘good day’. Furthermore, I noticed that whenever they mentioned their prophet, Muhammad or any other prophet in the Quran, they would add some words i.e Peace and Blessing Be Upon Him). Leila explained that it is mandatory for every Muslim to pray for their peace and blessing whenever a prophet of Allah is mentioned.

Description of the family

A Muslim family is a family that is built on Islamic principles. Muslims consider the Quran and the storied of their Prophet Muhammad. The family forms the building block of a Muslim society. According to Islam, cutting off family links is prohibited and considered a major sin. Furthermore, the Islamic law forbids the use of contraceptives and encourages people on having as many kids as possible. The father is the head of the family and the elderly are respected on account of their life experience as well as their position in the family unit. Leila’s family was built on Islamic principles and strict observation of the teaching from their prophets. Every family member seemed reluctant and ready to observe them without instruction from the parents. The family keeps their family ties by frequently visiting their cousins and sometimes they would spend a weekend at a relative.

Values/belief orientation

There is no better institution that conveys Islamic values or beliefs orientation than an Islamic family. The family is built on values and standards that stand out to the highest level. Even though is a high level of westernization, Islamic families tried to live to the standard expectations according to the teaching from the Quran and the prophet. Leila’s family includes values and believes that governed their settings. Leila’s father claimed that he trained his children in observing Islamic values when still young hence he doesn’t have a hard time ensuring they observe their family rules. The family participates in both voluntary and obligatory charity according to a requirement from the Quran (Chapman & Ciment, 2015). 

Social interaction

Social interaction in an Islamic setting ranges from family communication, linking with relatives, neighbors, non-Muslims, and strangers (Chapman & Ciment, 2015).  Effective communication is an important feature of a strong and health Islamic family. Leila’s family takes advantage of the communal sharing of meals and congregational prayers to communicate with one another. Leila says that the prayer and regular meals are the most important linking point of the family. Also, all Muslim are allowed to make friends with non-Muslims. However, the social interaction of a Muslim should be governed by the Islamic principles which include respect, kindness, honesty, tolerance, self-respect, forgiveness, and patience. The only form of social interaction that is forbidden is one that includes physical contact between a man and women. In other words, a decent social interaction of a Muslim should happen in open places like street, mosque, or marketplaces (Chapman & Ciment, 2015).  Leila’s father constantly reminds his kids to keep in mind that they are Muslims whenever interacting with students from different cultures.

Religious Beliefs

Muslims describe Islam as being submissive to Allah (God). Islam is built on five major pillars. The profession of faith which includes declaring the oneness of Allah and that Muhammad is his prophet. The second pillar includes observing the five daily (Salat) prayers. The third pillar is giving Zakat (charity) to the poor. The fourth pillar is fasting during the month of Ramadan and the fifth pillar is performing pilgrimage in Mecca (Risso, 2018).  Leila’s family has observed all the first four pillars every year. But they plan to fulfill the fifth pillar after collecting enough savings to take them to Mecca. The religious and spiritual beliefs of Muslims are based on the five pillars of Islam (Chapman & Ciment, 2015). 

Roles and expectations of a Muslim family

Historically, women in most societies were subjected to oppression due to superiority in men. There is no definite identification of gender roles since the Quran says that God created human beings for the purpose of worshiping (Risso, 2018). At Leila’s family, I did not witness any gender-based roles. Sometimes, his father would cook, wash utensils and clean the house. I realize that a male participating in household duties is following the Sunnah (the way of life of the prophet) (Risso, 2018). Since then prophet is the role model to every Muslim. Leila’s father explained that a strong family is built on cooperation and understanding. He added that the best way to make a strong family is by helping your wife with household duties.

Language and communication

Families shape individual throughout their lives while the family language and communication are the foundation moral and standards for members. It is through the unique communication that families communicatively develop cohesion, stories, roles, ritual, and culture (Risso, 2018).  It is via communication that parents and kids are able to convey their feelings, thoughts, and connection to one another. Therefore, developing good communication skills is important for a successful interaction between family members (Hefner, 2016). At Leila’s family, everyone uses a polite language when addressing one another and in case any misunderstandings, the father or mother steps in to solve a case.

Conclusion

Visiting Leila’s home was an inspiring moment in my life. I interested in a diverse group of people and offered assistance where necessary. Emotionally, I struggled with the feeling of sadness for going ahead to practice a religion that wasn’t part of me. However, I was able to clear my past speculation about the Islamic culture. I learned that Islamic culture was wide and in the interesting area to do more research.

References

Schülting, S., Müller, S. L., & Hertel, R. (Eds.). (2016). Early modern encounters with the Islamic East: performing cultures. Routledge.

Chapman, R., & Ciment, J. (2015). Culture wars: An encyclopedia of issues, viewpoints and voices. Routledge.

Risso, P. A. (2018). Merchants and faith: Muslim commerce and culture in the Indian Ocean. Routledge.

Hefner, R. W. (Ed.). (2016). Shari'a law and modern muslim ethics. Indiana University Press.

Esposito, J. L., & DeLong-Bas, N. J. (2001). Women in Muslim family law. Syracuse University Press.