Religion...al deen...is interestingly open here. I was noticing this little bit of irony today, when I walked into the CIEE office. The call to prayer has become background noise I do not notice unless it's night and I'm in my quiet apartment, or over at the J Family's house and it interrupts a conversation. However, it was about the right time, and as I walked to the door, there stood a man in his socks, standing on his prayer rug, facing a wall, which I assume pointed to Mecca. He was alone, and while surely there were many other Muslims in the building, but only he chose to be pious on this floor. No one paid him much mind, and he paid us non-praying people no mind either. Everyone just went about their business.
I think it's interesting that in our "freedom of religion," we have it so viciously ripped out of schools and other places. I'm not religious in that way; I don't want there to be required prayers in school, and I really don't think that God is personally offended if the pledge does not say, "in God we trust." However, I also feel like it's tradition, not religion, that might have kept God in the pledge. Educators have to be so extremely careful, should a student WANT to pray for some reason, to be sure that it can in no way be tied to them, often fearing that even those best intentions will still result in a problem. And I think that freedom of religion is not necessarily freedom FROM religion, unless that is the path you choose to take. Who is the atheist to dictate where the believer of any faith can, and can not pray?
In Jordan, pray, don't pray; it's up to you.
In America, don't pray, or do it where I don't have to look at it.
Considering the attitude of much of the Western world that the ME is an overly zealous and religious place, it is ironic that America actually IS the over zealous anti-religious place, rather than the freedom of religion.
Not once have I been preached to, or have people tried to save my soul within Islam. I wish other religions would allow me the freedom to ask if I want to know, rather then forcibly saving my soul.
I think it's interesting that in our "freedom of religion," we have it so viciously ripped out of schools and other places. I'm not religious in that way; I don't want there to be required prayers in school, and I really don't think that God is personally offended if the pledge does not say, "in God we trust." However, I also feel like it's tradition, not religion, that might have kept God in the pledge. Educators have to be so extremely careful, should a student WANT to pray for some reason, to be sure that it can in no way be tied to them, often fearing that even those best intentions will still result in a problem. And I think that freedom of religion is not necessarily freedom FROM religion, unless that is the path you choose to take. Who is the atheist to dictate where the believer of any faith can, and can not pray?
In Jordan, pray, don't pray; it's up to you.
In America, don't pray, or do it where I don't have to look at it.
Considering the attitude of much of the Western world that the ME is an overly zealous and religious place, it is ironic that America actually IS the over zealous anti-religious place, rather than the freedom of religion.
Not once have I been preached to, or have people tried to save my soul within Islam. I wish other religions would allow me the freedom to ask if I want to know, rather then forcibly saving my soul.
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