In the name by Katie Moyer A look behind the veil into the life of a Muslim woman of Allah
It's 6 a.m. and Jonama Qaddour, Overland Park senior, kneels on her prayer rug in her room, eyes closed as she faces the horizon in the east, toward Mecca. Hands clasped, Qaddour recites certain verses from the Quran, beginning with the opening chapter, or the Fatiha. The first four verses translate in English to "In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, the Cherisher and Sustainer of the worlds; Most Gracious, Most Merciful; Master of the Day of Judgment." She bows to Allah, her forehead resting on the woven rug, palms on the floor beside her.
She rises on to bare feet. As she awakens from her spiritual trance, Qaddour returns to the worries of an average 22-year-old procrastinating college student, remembering she has a 10-page political science paper due that afternoon.
Qaddour is one of an estimated seven million Muslims, or followers of Islam, in the United States. Although a substantial figure, Islam accounts for only one percent of religion in the United States. Qaddour's minority status is visible as she walks with an air of mysterious modesty among other students at the University of Kansas. Her veil, or hijab, is a testament of faith she chooses to wear every day. Beneath the veil, however, one can find not only the long, dark hair revealed only to her family and other women, but also the beauty and ideals of a misunderstood religion.
The basics of Islam
Islam is the second largest and the fastest-growing religion in the world. The word "Islam" means "submission," which reflects the central principle of
submitting to God's will. For Muslims, Islam is both a religion and a way of life, says Beverly Mack, professor in African studies and co-producer of a documentary Because We are Beautiful: Muslim Women at a Midwestern University. Muslims, she explains, believe in one God (or Allah in Arabic), the Day of Judgment and individual accountability for their actions. Muslims also believe that the Prophet Muhammad is the founder of Islam, and that the Quran contains the literal word of God revealed to him by the angel Gabriel over a 20-year period.
Like Christians, who make up the largest religion in the world, Muslims believe in the virgin birth and the second coming of Jesus. However, they disagree with the Christian belief that Jesus died by crucifixion; instead, they believe he ascended into heaven from the cross, therefore also dismissing the Christian belief in his resurrection. The two faiths also accept the existence of the afterlife, eternal paradise and eternal hell. Muslims believe salvation can be achieved through correct belief, good deeds and the completion of the Five Pillars. One becomes a Muslim by declaring that "There is no deity but God, and Muhammad is the messenger of God." This announcement of faith is the first of the Five Pillars of the Islamic faith.
The Five Pillars of faith The basis of Qaddour's religious conviction is formed by the Five Pillars
The Quran is the sacred book of Islam. Verses from the Quran are used in Muslim prayer.
of the Islamic faith, which encompass the fundamental beliefs and practices shared by all Muslims. The pillars are the profession of faith, prayer, charity, fasting and the pilgrimage.The first pillar, the profession of faith is known in Arabic as shahadah.
Qaddour's parents instilled Muslim values in her and her five younger siblings at an early age. Her father also gave his children a sense of identity with their home country, Syria, where Qaddour was born and lived until she was 2. She hopes to do the same for her children by purchasing a home in Damascus, where she can take her family every summer. "It is my goal, once I'm a mother, to make sure my kids know where they come from," Dqadour says.
Qaddour felt her faith deepening when her family moved from Colorado to Kansas during her ninth grade year, when she attended an Islamic school in the Greater Kansas City area. There, Qaddour became comfortable with covering. The Quran teaches followers of Islam that women should begin wearing the hijab at puberty. In Colorado, her father allowed Qaddour to wait until she felt ready to cover. At the
KIT LEFFLER
10
JAYPLAY 01.26.2006