An edition like this that focuses on faith and peace wouldn’t be complete without a Muslim perspective.  Last year, the sophomore class visited Dallas Central Mosque in Richardson where they met Reem Elghonimi.  I had a chance to sit down with Reem again and ask her a few questions about her faith.

There is a great sense of change in the Muslim community since the election of Barack Obama.  There is hope that there will be less prejudice towards Muslims now that an African-American has been made president.  Reem was born in Cairo, Egypt.  When she was six, she moved to the United States.
    
Reem has a husband and three children.  Her husband is the reason she can go to college because he stays home with the children.  She does not celebrate Christmas, mainly because in Islam, Christ is a prophet, not equal to God but equal to all other prophets.  In Islam, you don’t celebrate the birth of a prophet because there is no way of knowing exactly when Christ was born.  There are several holidays like Christmas; one is the celebration at the end of Ramadan, which is called Eid al-Fitr.  The other is Eid al-Adha, the holiday celebrating the end of the Hajj.    

According to Reem, the Hajj is a wonderful experience.  This is the journey to Mecca, Saudi Arabia taken by Muslims at least once during their lives.  You are surrounded by thousands of people in white, and they may be rich people or poor, but everyone wears the same clothes.  You circle around the Kaaba, a simple, black, cube shaped structure.  According to Islamic teaching, the Kaaba was built by the prophet Abraham.  It is the holiest site in all of Islam.

Reem wants America to know that Islam is a peaceful religion that shouldn’t be judge by the actions of a few radicals who in her words, ''Aren’t even real Muslims.''  Islam is a beautiful religion based on peaceful teachings.   

    For more information on Islam in America, visit the mosque where Reem worships, Dallas Central Mosque in Richardson.  They welcome all people to show a better side of Islam than we see in the news.