Sunday, October 08, 2006

Demystifying Islam

Beth Ashley - Marin Independent Journal - marinij.com
March 7, 2006

At 1 p.m. on a recent afternoon, 20 men came one by one into the brown stucco Islamic Center on a side street in Mill Valley and silently prostrated themselves on a huge red carpet in the otherwise barren main room.
Later, the men stood quietly in front of their imam, listening to his prayers.

Ten minutes later, they were gone. Many would return for evening prayer in the late afternoon, part of their five-times-a-day commitment to prayer.
Islam may seem like a "foreign" religion to some, but it's a way of life for hundreds of people in Marin. Several of them will discuss their beliefs Saturday in a daylong symposium at Dominican University called "Understanding Islam." The conference is open to the public.

Ebrahim Nana, who is on the board of directors of the Islamic Center, will discuss Islam's basic beliefs.
Ali Kianfar, co-director and co-founder of the International Association of Sufism (headquarters are in Novato), will talk about the "message" of Islam, which directs his religious practice.
Arthur Kane Scott, a professor at Dominican University, will discuss the mysticism of Islam, which was what drew him to Islamic studies eight years ago and sent him - impatiently, he says - on a quest to find his true self.
They will be joined by other lecturers, discussing women in Islam, civil rights in Islam and Islamic architecture.

All three men say Marin is unusually accepting of the Muslim faith - "Marin is probably the most liberal county in the country," says Nana - but all say the conference will help clear up what Scott calls "a great deal of confusion and misunderstanding.

Sufism, a branch of Islam, is thriving in Marin, too. Kianfar estimates there are more than 1,000 practicing Sufis in Marin, and he emphasizes that their faith centers on a personal journey rather than any partisan, sectarian view of Islam.
It was the variety of practice among Sufis that led him to found the international organization that now holds an annual convention in the Bay Area of Sufi groups from around the world. Kianfar came to Marin from his native Iran in 1987. He runs a print shop in San Rafael.

Followers of Sufism focus on their individual experiences and look inside to find who they truly are - apart from their names, jobs, language, personality and Social Security numbers, says Scott.
Kianfar sees Islam as a religion of peace. "If a man's religion becomes a cause for differences, I prefer not to call him a religious person."
Nana, who was born in India, grew up in Thailand and came here in 1969, says the masjid (place of worship) in Mill Valley has a Sufi imam, but Shi'ites and believers of all kinds are welcome, including Christians or Jews who just want to meditate.

"It is a returning to our own heart, where the deeper reality lies."

Scott, who was raised a Catholic, explored Buddhism and Hinduism before he found Kianfar and Sufism eight years ago. "I knew right away I was at home." Now he incorporates a spiritual perspective into his Dominican University classes in history, sociology, anthropology and religion. "My students are hungry for this information." He says his quest for his inner truth - his "purity" - is ongoing.
Students meet with Kianfar twice a month in group meetings, have individual consultations, and "do a lot of things together." Kianfar says he is on a journey of exploration that never ends.

"We are all passengers to eternity," he says. "We have to prepare for a long, long journey."

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Sunday, October 08, 2006

Demystifying Islam
Beth Ashley - Marin Independent Journal - marinij.com
March 7, 2006

At 1 p.m. on a recent afternoon, 20 men came one by one into the brown stucco Islamic Center on a side street in Mill Valley and silently prostrated themselves on a huge red carpet in the otherwise barren main room.
Later, the men stood quietly in front of their imam, listening to his prayers.

Ten minutes later, they were gone. Many would return for evening prayer in the late afternoon, part of their five-times-a-day commitment to prayer.
Islam may seem like a "foreign" religion to some, but it's a way of life for hundreds of people in Marin. Several of them will discuss their beliefs Saturday in a daylong symposium at Dominican University called "Understanding Islam." The conference is open to the public.

Ebrahim Nana, who is on the board of directors of the Islamic Center, will discuss Islam's basic beliefs.
Ali Kianfar, co-director and co-founder of the International Association of Sufism (headquarters are in Novato), will talk about the "message" of Islam, which directs his religious practice.
Arthur Kane Scott, a professor at Dominican University, will discuss the mysticism of Islam, which was what drew him to Islamic studies eight years ago and sent him - impatiently, he says - on a quest to find his true self.
They will be joined by other lecturers, discussing women in Islam, civil rights in Islam and Islamic architecture.

All three men say Marin is unusually accepting of the Muslim faith - "Marin is probably the most liberal county in the country," says Nana - but all say the conference will help clear up what Scott calls "a great deal of confusion and misunderstanding.

Sufism, a branch of Islam, is thriving in Marin, too. Kianfar estimates there are more than 1,000 practicing Sufis in Marin, and he emphasizes that their faith centers on a personal journey rather than any partisan, sectarian view of Islam.
It was the variety of practice among Sufis that led him to found the international organization that now holds an annual convention in the Bay Area of Sufi groups from around the world. Kianfar came to Marin from his native Iran in 1987. He runs a print shop in San Rafael.

Followers of Sufism focus on their individual experiences and look inside to find who they truly are - apart from their names, jobs, language, personality and Social Security numbers, says Scott.
Kianfar sees Islam as a religion of peace. "If a man's religion becomes a cause for differences, I prefer not to call him a religious person."
Nana, who was born in India, grew up in Thailand and came here in 1969, says the masjid (place of worship) in Mill Valley has a Sufi imam, but Shi'ites and believers of all kinds are welcome, including Christians or Jews who just want to meditate.

"It is a returning to our own heart, where the deeper reality lies."

Scott, who was raised a Catholic, explored Buddhism and Hinduism before he found Kianfar and Sufism eight years ago. "I knew right away I was at home." Now he incorporates a spiritual perspective into his Dominican University classes in history, sociology, anthropology and religion. "My students are hungry for this information." He says his quest for his inner truth - his "purity" - is ongoing.
Students meet with Kianfar twice a month in group meetings, have individual consultations, and "do a lot of things together." Kianfar says he is on a journey of exploration that never ends.

"We are all passengers to eternity," he says. "We have to prepare for a long, long journey."

No comments: