Islam Culture
Field Work Assignment
Identification:
I chose to do my religious observation on Islam. Islam is divided into two sects Sunni and Shia. I chose to do my fieldwork in a Sunni mosque. I decided to do so because Sunni Islam is the largest division Islam and I found a Sunni mosque was more accessible than a Shia one. The service I chose to attend was a Sunni Jummah Prayer (Friday prayer). The location was the Ottawa mosque situated at 251 Northwestern Ave. I did my observation on Friday the 4th February 2011.
Building:
Upon arriving to the mosque I noticed immediately the shape of the building. There is a dome and a distinct minaret located at the top accompanied by large windows on either side of the mosque. Once entering the mosque also known as a Masjid I noticed that males and females were separate. I saw that from the moment you take your shoes off that there is a large open area that is carpeted. This section was designated for females. I proceeded to go the female prayer area. The men’s prayer was situated in a on the lower level under the women. The Imam is on the first floor in the men’s area at the very front of the service. There was a lot of Islamic calligraphy and mosaic art along the walls that indicates it’s a religious institution. The use of the decorative art adds to the experience because it helps stimulate and focus your mind while in the place of worship. In addition, you feel that the culture is portrayed and may encourage you to feel closer to God. The focal area for the worship place is directed towards Mecca, which is lead towards the front of the room.
Congregation:
The congregation consists of many people. There was about 150 visible individual worshiping. Most of them were males from what I could see, I would say there was about 50 females. However, I noticed a lot more adults than young people merely because the prayer is during school hours. At this mosque, there seemed to be a variety in the ethnic composition. There were
Identification:
I chose to do my religious observation on Islam. Islam is divided into two sects Sunni and Shia. I chose to do my fieldwork in a Sunni mosque. I decided to do so because Sunni Islam is the largest division Islam and I found a Sunni mosque was more accessible than a Shia one. The service I chose to attend was a Sunni Jummah Prayer (Friday prayer). The location was the Ottawa mosque situated at 251 Northwestern Ave. I did my observation on Friday the 4th February 2011.
Building:
Upon arriving to the mosque I noticed immediately the shape of the building. There is a dome and a distinct minaret located at the top accompanied by large windows on either side of the mosque. Once entering the mosque also known as a Masjid I noticed that males and females were separate. I saw that from the moment you take your shoes off that there is a large open area that is carpeted. This section was designated for females. I proceeded to go the female prayer area. The men’s prayer was situated in a on the lower level under the women. The Imam is on the first floor in the men’s area at the very front of the service. There was a lot of Islamic calligraphy and mosaic art along the walls that indicates it’s a religious institution. The use of the decorative art adds to the experience because it helps stimulate and focus your mind while in the place of worship. In addition, you feel that the culture is portrayed and may encourage you to feel closer to God. The focal area for the worship place is directed towards Mecca, which is lead towards the front of the room.
Congregation:
The congregation consists of many people. There was about 150 visible individual worshiping. Most of them were males from what I could see, I would say there was about 50 females. However, I noticed a lot more adults than young people merely because the prayer is during school hours. At this mosque, there seemed to be a variety in the ethnic composition. There were