Blue-Haired Muslim

Chapter 11: Jummah

Sam followed Nedim and noticed that the Islamic leader had a book and a few sheets of paper in his hands. The imam led him back towards the front door of the mosque and motioned from him to follow. Sam looked around in surprise once he noticed that there were quite a lot of people at the mosque now.

"You're surprised at the number of people, aren't you? It's still early. Friday prayers are mandatory for men in Islam and voluntary for women. I've found that our regular congregation members tend to arrive half an hour before prayer," Nedim explained as he led Sam towards the men's prayer area.

They arrived in the same area where Sam had seen his father reciting the Qur'an for his Arabic class. Nedim approached the podium and placed his book and papers on it before attaching a small mic to his clothes.

"Why do you need a microphone?" Sam asked while standing next to Nedim.

"Well, since I'm the imam, I get to make all of these Muslims listen to my sermon. I'd have a power trip over this if I weren't so humble," Nedim joked with a laugh.

Sam couldn't help but smile at Nedim. That was a dad joke, Sam thought and shook his head slightly while stifling a chuckle. It was nice to see that the Islamic leader was as friendly and corny as his own father. He continued to watch as Nedim opened the book and looked at small post-its on the pages.

"This is my copy of the Qur'an," Nedim explained as he picked up the book.

"Does every Muslim have one? My dad does," Sam asked. Nedim began to search through the shelf on his podium and pulled out a brand new copy of the Qur'an. Sam's eyes widened in surprise as Nedim handed him the book.

"Every Muslim usually has one. It's our guiding light and to us, God's word. Now, you have one as well. If you have any trouble understanding what your father is doing or praying, you can always read for yourself," Nedim explained cheerfully.

"I'm not converting to Islam," Sam said quickly as he held the book. Nedim laughed and shook his head. The young imam leaned on the podium for support as another fit of laughter erupted from him. Sam felt his cheeks color, but waited for an explanation.

"Son, if I tried to convert every non-Muslim person that walks through that door, I'd be here a millennia. Contrary to popular belief, Islam isn't about mass conversions. It's about submitting to our Creator. No amount of smoke and mirrors should be used to explain anything about Islam. The religion should be something that YOU believe in before accepting. I gave you a copy because your father is Muslim and I'm sure you'd like to help him out when he studies, much like he helps you with Bible study. Max is very proud of you for who you are, I'm sure you feel the same about your father," Nedim explained.

As if on cue, Max walked into the mosque with his bag in tow. The elder Jameson yawned before spotting Sam and waving. Max placed his bag against the wall, pulled out his copy of the Qur'an, and thumbed through it while approaching the podium.

"Assalam alaykum, Imam Nedim," Max called out and shook hands with Nedim.

"Walaikum assalam, Brother Max. We haven't been able to teach Sam too much about our days as Muslims today, but he HAS been gifted a copy of the Qur'an from us. Perhaps that will help?" Nedim suggested unsurely.

"It was unrealistic for them to think anyone could learn about any religion in one day," Max nodded before turning towards his son. "How was your day, though? Learn anything?"

"Professor Abdullah can kick butt and she's good at soccer. Um, terrorists only use Islam as a mask because that's the religion of the region they live in. Girls can most definitely do everything boys can do, sometimes even better and finally, not all Muslim women wear scarves," Sam recited while holding up his fingers as he listed off all the things he'd learned.