On Mosques

By PETER O’CONNOR
Guest Columnist
Courtesy Of "The Longboat Key News"

I would not have touched this subject without seeing what great interests it has generated. Even in these pages I read of mosques, of crusades’ history, of civics. Our ever-elusive colleague Dan Dowd opined on the construction of a mew mosque in Downtown New York City (natives seldom say Manhattan). He got me thinking.

Now even I know that a mosque is primarily a place of prayer, and thus like a church or synagogue. Muslims go to the mosque for daily prayer, and Friday Prayers, which might include a sermon or lesson delivered by the Imam. That is where the similarity fades, at least in my experience.

When I lived and worked at the newly built (a while ago) Industrial City of Jubail in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for three-plus years, I learned a lot about religious tolerance and a tiny bit about Islam. We were infidels, no doubt about it. It said so on our Iqama, or internal passport. That as such we could never travel to the holy cities of Mecca or Medina was only a minor inconvenience. It would have been nice to visit these important shrines, but we could not.

My Saudi associates, some even friends, were always respectful of us—people of the Book, they called us. Indeed they regarded Jesus as a prophet to be revered along with The Prophet Mohammed. I never felt uncomfortable living and working among these fine people. Maybe things have changed.

Among many other things that we, that’s Bechtel, built were a few new mosques in our new city. Once nearing completion, only Muslim workers were permitted inside. That was OK, again. I never sensed any ill feelings on either side.

We built and occupied a grand new building for the Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu, our client. This great hall was essentially the new city hall. It had a high, four-story atrium onto which each floor opened. At the top, five times each day if the season was right, the faithful would be called to prayer. Some of my western colleagues often complained of these interruptions. I always thought, and often said, that I could only respect a people who put aside their worldly pursuits throughout the day to pray, together. I found that exposure rather inspiring. Naturally we of other faiths might spend those moments in silent reflection ourselves. Maybe that was the idea.

All of this concentration on the NYC mosque, on the building, ignores I think the greater dedication of these people of Islam. Wherever they are at the appointed hour—it changes with the calendar and movement of the sun—they drop everything, and themselves, to respond in public prayer. You’ve all seen pictures of this; many of you have seen it in person.

In the big city of Dammam (Aramco’s home), I’d see signs displayed in shop windows, “Fermez pour Priere,” or “Closed for Prayer.” They meant it! Again I was impressed as in my happy memories of those days. I saw the manner of dress there, especially among women, as a further affirmation of faith—an affirmation with which I cannot find fault.

I’ve recently heard many, including our president, speak of the right of a group to build a house of worship, a house of prayer, anywhere in America. I don’t know if I could go that far. The right to worship, clearly guaranteed in our Constitution, might not include the unfettered right to build. Obviously the control of the building itself is granted under the police powers of the state or locality. Certainly we here on this key have had a recent lesson in that activity of government. So I’d cool it. I’d look for the highest and best use (see I do know the planners’ jargon) of that sight close to the now-hallowed World Trade Center location.

Distraction in priorities is never a good thing.

As to the maybe-connected issue of the on again off again burning of one or many copies of the holy book of Islam by a congregation in our own University City, this is clearly not a good idea. We are not a people given to book burning. It is probably true that such activity would give sustenance to our enemies. More importantly it is not what we do. Government intervention, on either side, is not the way to go. America’s principles are strong enough to almost always do the right thing. I suspect that my Saudi friends of old would agree.

I loved my time in the Middle East. I know that many of you here shared similar experiences. We all learn from exposure to other cultures. I did and hope we all can again. As-Salamu Alaykum (peace be upon you)!