Interfaith Dialogue Attracts Youth Group

By Rita Cochrane, Pastor
First Presbyterian Church U.S.A.
West Point, Mississippi

[Because the world our youth live in is becoming more pluralistic, our session felt it was important to open a dialogue with other religious communities in our area. The seriousness and maturity with which our youth entered into this dialogue was impressive. They elected to do this because, as one of them said, “We don’t want to feel ignorant when we read the newspapers and watch television.” I felt it was important that they learn to live in the world in peace; familiarity fosters respect. RC]

As we approached our destination, a light grey building located on a small street in Starkville, Mississippi, I was happy to see two vehicles parked in front, and we parked beside them. There were four in our car, and the rest of our group would arrive shortly. I peeked in the doors, but saw no one. As I turned back to our group, Rani Sullivan, a lecturer at Mississippi State University in Engineering Mechanics, appeared, and graciously invited us to come in out of the heat and humidity. We stepped into the cool building and removed our shoes. There appeared to be no one in attendance, but the shoes that lined the shelves belied that fact. In a few moments, we were greeted by our host, Masoud Rais-Rohani, a professor of Aerospace Engineering at MSU. Masoud had recently been invited to our church to speak about Islam; the second in the Youth Group’s comparative religion series.

The first in the series was a look at Judaism. They’d seen a video, had some discussions, invited Seth Oppenheimer, a professor of mathematics at MSU, to speak about his religion, enjoyed some traditional food (latkes, kugel, chicken soup with matzo balls), learned to dance the hora, and attended Friday night services at the synagogue in Columbus.

We’d done much the same with Islam; seen a video, had some discussions, invited Masoud, a Muslim from Iran, to speak about his religion, and here we were visiting the mosque for their Friday prayer service. Masoud gave us a little orientation prior to the opening prayers. He informed us that it was obligatory for the men to attend this service, but was optional for the women.

I could not see all the males in attendance since they were in a separate room, but there were seven women in our room in addition to our group who had by now all arrived. Although it is their custom to sit on the floor, they had graciously provided us with chairs in both rooms for our use. There appeared to be much more activity going on in the room the men were in; the women participating mostly at the end of the service when they stood for prayer. The congregation’s physical posture is important, and the prayers involved standing, bowing, and prostration, in which the toes, knees, hands, and forehead must all touch the ground. The prayers begin with Allahu akbar (God is Great). It is also important that the congregation face Mecca (the shortest route to Mecca).

Their congregation was quite diverse in nationality as well as age. After all, Starkville is a university town, and the mosque is very close to MSU. The Imam, the leader of the community, informed us that his topic for the day was redemption. He used several passages from the Koran, translating into English for our benefit, as the basis for his remarks. What we heard could have been said on a Sunday morning in any Presbyterian church; perhaps there was a bit more emphasis on sin and retribution than we were used to. Samantha Ellzey said, “I’m pleased to see that beyond all the ritual we had a lot in common.”

I think we tend to notice what is important in our own experience. So it is understandable that we noticed the absence of music, lay participation, and interaction between the leader and the congregation. Christopher Ellezey, Beth and Anna Kuhn, and the rest of our group said they found it all a very interesting experience, especially the one-on-one time we spent during lunch. During the announcements at the end of the service, we had been warmly welcomed and invited to stay for lunch and a time of fellowship. The food was delicious, and we feel we have made some new friends. We have invited them to come experience worship at our church, and also to attend our Fifth Sunday Concert. They are planning to attend.

Along with Masoud, “We certainly hope for a continued interaction and dialogue” with each other, and we, “pray for God’s blessings and mercy upon us all.”