God is most great. God is most great.
God is most great. God is most great.
I testify that there is no God except God.
I testify that there is no God except God.
I testify that Muhammad is the messenger of God.
I testify that Muhammad is the messenger of God.
Come to prayer! Come to prayer!
Come to salvation! Come to salvation!
God is most great. God is most great.
There is none worthy of worship except God
I love Dhaka at night. People tell you it's more dangerous then- they may be right. It's also quieter, the air is clear, and there's always a breeze. For the first time all day, I can hear myself think. On the rickshaw home this evening, I heard the azaan, the call to prayer, more clearly than ever before. It got me thinking...
Since I've been in Bangladesh, I've noticed that people here treat Islam much like people in the States treat Christianity. There are those that are devout, those that go on the equivalents Christmas and Easter, and those who don't go at all. This continuum, the Islam-o-meter if you will, is not something I expected. I don't know really what I thought I'd see, but this isn't it.
Everyone I've met here is extremely tolerant and open-minded to the idea of religion. Bangladesh is a very individualistic society, and whatever may be true for one person doesn't have to be true for another. Hindus, Christians, Muslims, and even a small Jewish community coexist peacefully with the torrent of Dhaka swirling around them. In some ways, it is poverty binds them; it is that which is nearly universal.
Still, the azaan is broadcast five times a day from thousands of minarets throughout the city. Sometimes the noise, trash, and shit that permeates this place makes me wonder if it is indeed God-forsaken. But then I hear the azaan and things slow down. Even if you're not Muslim, or not practicing, people lower their voices and turn down their radios out of respect. In the gym I go to, the music stops. No one looks at you funny if you do or don't pray- it is purely an individual decision. Yet,162 million people pause five times a day to reflect. There's something to be said for that.
For now, extremism is largely nonexistent in Bangladesh. It is here that you can experience Islam for what it is meant to be- a peaceful and welcoming religion that preaches many of the same tenets that Christianity and Judaism do. That's not to say that I agree with all things Islam- I don't. However, I can see now why so many people find comfort in it. Christians share a God, a history, and many prophets with Muslims. It's a shame we don't know more about each other.
I really admire Bangladesh for cultivating a tolerant and open Muslim society. In that regard, we in the US could learn a thing or two by stopping a couple of times each day- just to reflect.
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