Our questions reflected misunderstandings about Islam generated by the media. Don't mistake the religion for the nationalists who belong to it, was part of the message presented in a condensed Islam 101 talk given by Rashid Abdullah, an avid American convert who delighted in comparisons to his Catholic roots. He chose poetic and spiritual passages of the Koran, the word of God as recorded by Mohammed, to share. Children were summoned to recite prayers and lessons in Arabic. The mood was light as men and women gathered outside, lining the edges of a rug to hear Moroccan immigrant Ashraf Marzouki and his Oahu-born wife, Janine, repeat vows.
Islamic marriage is to be a comfort for the couple.
The small crowd that day was a sample of the multinational Muslim community in Hawaii, from Pakistani and Egyptian professionals to American-born converts to recent immigrants from Palestine and Iraq, the mosque serves as a social center. About 200 men attend the midday Friday service. There were nearly 700 people at the holiday ending the monthlong Ramadan fast. Total membership is about 2,000. We arrived, curious strangers booked for an introductory class.