So before coming to a country that is 99% Muslim, I probably should have done a little more research about the religion…but where’s the fun in that? Since arriving here, I have caught glimpses of the prayers and practices of the locals, but being very white and very American and very not Muslim, I have not gotten to fully witness anything. I am not allowed to enter the mosques, but there is a mosque in Casablanca (Hassan II, the second largest mosque in the world- see the photo below), which I explored the exterior. We could have paid 12 euros to enter but we just peaked around it because we are cheap college students.
However, being around all of this prayer has caused me to reflect on my own country’s sense of faith as well as how powerful a community of prayer can be. Each day, five times per day, from the top of every single mosque (let me tell you, there are a ton) comes the call to prayer. It honestly sounds very Big-Brother-is-watching creepy, but it is actually a “muezzin” calling all the Islam people to pray. And five times per day, the people of this country remove their shoes, face the Great Mosque in Saudi Arabia, and perform what looks like a yoga sun salutation prayer routine. The fact that so many people simultaneously perform this exercise is what fascinates me. The faith of this country is so engrained in everything they do. The lunch break on Friday is during the main prayer time in order to allow everyone to pray. The traditional couscous dish is only served on Fridays, even in restaurants. Everything stops on Friday afternoons around 2pm for the “prayer day,” as it was simply explained to me by a coworker.
In America, we are always in a hustle to get everywhere and get everything done. But here, they stop to smell the roses, or at least stop to pray. Close enough. By no means am I saying America needs some sort of religious revolution (Lord knows we have too many people trying to make it “great”). However, a quick lesson on stopping and taking a deep breath from the Moroccans may be refreshing.
PSA to my mother who already thinks I take my sweet time too often: Sorry.
In America, we are always in a hustle to get everywhere and get everything done. But here, they stop to smell the roses, or at least stop to pray. Close enough. By no means am I saying America needs some sort of religious revolution (Lord knows we have too many people trying to make it “great”). However, a quick lesson on stopping and taking a deep breath from the Moroccans may be refreshing.
PSA to my mother who already thinks I take my sweet time too often: Sorry.
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