MSA Spring Bazaar

Last Tuesday I went to the Muslim Students’ Assocation’s Spring Bazaar at the mini park across from Heritage Hall. This was a pretty interesting subject to me since it’s the only Abrahamic religion that I don’t really know about. Growing up in Daphne, I never had any contact with people of the Muslim religion. I had one Hindu friend and a couple Jewish friends, but besides them everyone was Christian or atheist. I used to see people of the Muslim religion on TV, and because most of them were of Middle Eastern dissent I naturally developed a stereotype that being Muslim was hand -in-hand with being brown. This, however, I came to find is far from true. Although the Spring Bazaar was managed only by people of Middle Eastern dissent, the Muslim religion is the fastest growing religion and is practiced by people of all colors and nationalities. Moreover, they stressed that the Muslim community is not a culture. The Muslim community is instead comprised of many cultures that individually influence their practices within the religion. For instance, the wearing of the head scarf is mainly a choice stressed by a culture, not by the religion.
After dispelling my preconceived notion of who comprises the Muslim community I decided to ask about the differences between Christianity and the Muslim faith. The main difference I was told is that they do not believe Jesus is the son of God. They do, however, acknowledge that Jesus is a prophet, and they do believe that he will be resurrected once Armageddon occurs. Another main difference is their source of religious guidance. Whereas Christians have the Bible, Muslims have the Qur’an. They stated that because the Qur’an has never been changed since it was revealed by the prophet Muhammad, it is a reliable source to look to for guidance. The fact that the Bible has been changed and revised so many times can make using the Qur’an a more favorable practice. Lastly, they said that the Muslim religion seems to be stricter on participation with their religious practices. Key components such as the five pillars must be practiced by Muslims. The five pillars consist of praying five times a day, fasting during the month of Ramadan, going on a pilgrimage to Madinah, giving to charity, and believing there is no other God but Allah.
Some anthropological skills that I used were cultural relativism and the emic perspective. I used cultural relativism to view their religion and practices from a Muslim’s perspective which led to a better understanding of the Muslim faith. Using the emic perspective, I listened to their explanations for Muslim beliefs which taught me a great deal about their religion. The Spring Bazaar was an educational experience that really did dispel my preconceived notions of the Muslim faith. I enjoyed myself and the free food added to the experience.